Rosalind and Andrew meet again to lay out the vision for the Heart of Yoga ‘YES’ programme: Yoga Education in Schools.

Andrew shares the vision behind it: for every young person to leave school with a basic yoga education including the ability to practice connection with body and breath at home by themselves.

We discuss how the project was born from Andrew's experience teaching yoga at a high school in New Zealand, where he saw firsthand how it benefited both students and teachers. And we discuss the 8-week teen yoga course that is at the heart of the YES program.

Key Topics:

- The mental health crisis among teens and the need for new solutions

- How the YES project started at Andrew's high school in New Zealand

- The vision for bringing yoga education to every student globally

- The 8-week teen yoga course and how it's structured

- Teaching yoga breathing and asana to younger kids

- Stories of how teens benefit from yoga classes at school

- Training people to deliver the YES teen program in schools internationally

- Creating positive experiences for young people through yoga

Insights:

- Young people intuitively understand and feel the benefits of yoga for themselves. When they experience it, they don't need convincing to keep practicing.

- Yoga can create contexts for authentic human connection between teens and teachers. It's not about assessment or filling them with knowledge.

- Teens appreciate having a space to rest, be quiet, and tap into inner peace amidst the stresses of school. The yoga "cleans the pot" so they can focus again.

- Teens provide profound and sensitive feedback on how yoga helps their mental health, grounding, sleep, and ability to engage life.

- Yoga is a positive cultural intervention, offering kids tools to transform their relationship with themselves, others and nature.

Quotes:

"Yoga is prior to intellectual subjects and learning about life. It's to be connected to your actual life."

"After doing this, I feel like nothing can knock me off my balance." — teenage practitioner

"The breath made me feel all tingly and calm. Afterwards I feel like I can sleep for an eternity because I'm so connected to the earth." — 13 year old student

Resources:

Heart of Yoga: heartofyoga.org/YES

YES New Zealand Project Website: yogainschools.org.nz

Train to be a facilitator: October–November 2024, online

Timestamps:

2:00 - Introducing the YES project and its vision

4:00 - How the project started organically at Andrew's New Zealand high school

6:00 - Taking yoga into schools globally, training facilitators

10:00 - The mental health crisis and need for yoga in schools

15:00 - Creating the 8-week teen yoga program

20:00 - On the profound wisdom and experiences of teens

25:00 - Powerful stories of teens benefiting from yoga

30:00 - Using yoga for relational intelligence and autonomy

35:00 - Training people internationally to share the program

45:00 - Teaching yoga breathing to younger kids

50:00 - Allowing teens to experience all facets of life in yoga

55:00 - Yoga as a positive intervention in society and culture