# Introducting Yoga into the School System as part of Curriculum **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [September 18, 2018, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/introducting-yoga-into-the-school-system-as-part-of-curriculum/821544 "2018-09-18T18:04:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Slash1972](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slash1972/32/6461_2.png) [@Slash1972](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slash1972)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2018, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/introducting-yoga-into-the-school-system-as-part-of-curriculum/821544/21 "2018-09-19T00:47:19Z")
> [@Derleth](#): > > A better stress reliever would be starting school later in the day so they can get enough sleep, as opposed to spending that time constantly sleep-deprived. I agree with this. My kids ask me all the time “Why does high school start so early” no matter how many times I answer it “I don’t know” I still don’t know ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2018, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/introducting-yoga-into-the-school-system-as-part-of-curriculum/821544/22 "2018-09-19T01:02:18Z")
Not Basketball. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2018, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/introducting-yoga-into-the-school-system-as-part-of-curriculum/821544/23 "2018-09-19T02:11:44Z")
Hope that the OP [isn’t in Alabama](https://www.al.com/news/index.ssf/2018/08/why_yoga_cant_be_taught_in_ala.html). ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2018, 2:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/introducting-yoga-into-the-school-system-as-part-of-curriculum/821544/24 "2018-09-19T02:26:35Z")
But as for names: Yoga To Be Kidding Me This Is Myga, This is Yoga Toga Yoga (this one requires an unconventional uniform) At Least It Isn’t Dodgeball Not As Interesting As Naked Yoga On YouTube Hey Stop Googling ---
**Author:** ![Dangerosa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Dangerosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dangerosa)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2018, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/introducting-yoga-into-the-school-system-as-part-of-curriculum/821544/25 "2018-09-19T14:24:47Z")
> [@Slash1972](#): > > I’m 45 and I wasn’t aware that knowing how to stretch and breathe was important. Can you explain why it is important? (I know why breathing is important. Didn’t know there were different ways to do it). Well, my physical therapist is currently charging my insurance company $200 a session to teach me to breath so I don’t leak. Breathing correctly is tied to a strong pelvic floor, which a lot of women have issues with as they age - especially women who have given birth. There are other reasons its important to breathe correctly - it helps keeps digestive issues in check, helps with your heart and circulation, including keeping blood pressure and heart rates low. And yes, there are multiple ways to breathe. There are chest breathers and belly breathers, mouth breathers and nose breathers, short breathers and deep breathers. As for stretching, keeping yourself limber is important as you age to reduce injury and retain range of motion. Its important for young people as well, but its something you loose as you age. ---
**Author:** ![Dangerosa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Dangerosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dangerosa)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2018, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/introducting-yoga-into-the-school-system-as-part-of-curriculum/821544/26 "2018-09-19T14:29:00Z")
> [@Slash1972](#): > > I agree with this. My kids ask me all the time “Why does high school start so early” no matter how many times I answer it “I don’t know” > > I still don’t know ☹ My kids high school didn’t start until 9:00 And that didn’t solve the problem. Teenagers sleep - and they like to sleep in. The other problem with a 9:00 am start was making sure that a kid who didn’t want to get to school got there, and got there on time. When both parents work, getting your kid out the door can be difficult. Even if they like school, they can manage to sleep through until 11am. As for the answer to “I don’t know” - the later your start school, the later all the after school stuff runs. Which means the later the kids are staying up to do homework, which means the later they go to bed. ---
**Author:** ![Dangerosa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Dangerosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dangerosa)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2018, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/introducting-yoga-into-the-school-system-as-part-of-curriculum/821544/27 "2018-09-19T14:33:39Z")
> [@Darren\_Garrison](#): > > For the kids who are healthy/fit enough to achieve and mantain the poses, who are have a good enough self-image to be comfortable doing it, and who aren’t going to be mocked for it by the dregs of the class. For the rest of them, it would be hell on Earth. Have you done yoga? Intro yoga can be done by pretty much anyone. Its something you don’t need hand eye coordination to do. Maintaining proud warrior for six breaths isn’t exactly hard. I doubt she’s talking about teaching Astavakrasana ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2018, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/introducting-yoga-into-the-school-system-as-part-of-curriculum/821544/28 "2018-09-19T14:41:34Z")
[Are you breathing, Christian](https://youtube.com/watch?v=BuKu2exx8xQ#)? ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2018, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/introducting-yoga-into-the-school-system-as-part-of-curriculum/821544/29 "2018-09-19T14:44:24Z")
> [@Dangerosa](#): > > Have you done yoga? No, but it is on my bucket list between drinking bleach and having my scrotum stung by a scorpion. ---
**Author:** ![filmore](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/7993a0/32.png) [@filmore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/filmore)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2018, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/introducting-yoga-into-the-school-system-as-part-of-curriculum/821544/30 "2018-09-19T14:44:50Z")
> [@Dangerosa](#): > > Have you done yoga? Intro yoga can be done by pretty much anyone. Its something you don’t need hand eye coordination to do. Maintaining proud warrior for six breaths isn’t exactly hard. I doubt she’s talking about teaching Astavakrasana One thing to keep in mind is the class is going to be marketed to kids, many of which are shy, lack confidence, have body image issues, etc. The objective benefits of yoga may be irrelevant in this case. Many kids (especially boys) won’t want to do yoga because it’s yoga. Many won’t want to do it because it means putting their bodies in strange positions in front of other people. I totally agree that the health and mind improvements from yoga would be extremely beneficial to teens, but the reality is the kids who most need those benefits are probably not the ones who would take yoga. A form of yoga I could see broadly working with teens is something like goat yoga. That’s where you do yoga with baby goats and the goats climb all over people. The fun of being around goats would override the reservations many teens have about doing yoga. ---
**Author:** ![Slash1972](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slash1972/32/6461_2.png) [@Slash1972](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slash1972)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2018, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/introducting-yoga-into-the-school-system-as-part-of-curriculum/821544/31 "2018-09-19T15:18:54Z")
> [@Dangerosa](#): > > My kids high school didn’t start until 9:00 And that didn’t solve the problem. Teenagers sleep - and they like to sleep in. > > The other problem with a 9:00 am start was making sure that a kid who didn’t want to get to school got there, and got there on time. When both parents work, getting your kid out the door can be difficult. Even if they like school, they can manage to sleep through until 11am. > > As for the answer to “I don’t know” - the later your start school, the later all the after school stuff runs. Which means the later the kids are staying up to do homework, which means the later they go to bed. My kids’ school starts at 7:25 and is dismissed at 2:10. Because they take the bus, they have to wake up at 6:00 am. I’m not sure why it couldn’t easily be moved to 8:00 to 2:45. ---
**Author:** ![Dangerosa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Dangerosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dangerosa)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2018, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/introducting-yoga-into-the-school-system-as-part-of-curriculum/821544/32 "2018-09-19T15:19:12Z")
> [@filmore](#): > > One thing to keep in mind is the class is going to be marketed to kids, many of which are shy, lack confidence, have body image issues, etc. The objective benefits of yoga may be irrelevant in this case. Many kids (especially boys) won’t want to do yoga because it’s yoga. Many won’t want to do it because it means putting their bodies in strange positions in front of other people. I totally agree that the health and mind improvements from yoga would be extremely beneficial to teens, but the reality is the kids who most need those benefits are probably not the ones who would take yoga. > > A form of yoga I could see broadly working with teens is something like goat yoga. That’s where you do yoga with baby goats and the goats climb all over people. The fun of being around goats would override the reservations many teens have about doing yoga. Yeah, like many kids - particularly girls, don’t want to play flag football or floor hockey - but we make them do it. I’m not sure when “being uncomfortable” was ever an excuse to get out of gym class - I remember having to find out how to use a tampon in 8th grade so I’d pass swimming - since menstrual cycles weren’t an excuse. But you know, gym should be all about what the boys want do do. Do you guys even hear yourselves? ---
**Author:** ![Slash1972](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slash1972/32/6461_2.png) [@Slash1972](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slash1972)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2018, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/introducting-yoga-into-the-school-system-as-part-of-curriculum/821544/33 "2018-09-19T15:20:53Z")
> [@Dangerosa](#): > > Well, my physical therapist is currently charging my insurance company $200 a session to teach me to breath so I don’t leak. Breathing correctly is tied to a strong pelvic floor Sorry, but this is greek to me. I’ll take your word for it though. 🙂 > [@](#): > > As for stretching, keeping yourself limber is important as you age to reduce injury and retain range of motion. Its important for young people as well, but its something you loose as you age. My range of motion is walking to my car and to the Metro. No stretching needed 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Dangerosa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Dangerosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dangerosa)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2018, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/introducting-yoga-into-the-school-system-as-part-of-curriculum/821544/34 "2018-09-19T15:22:25Z")
(If you want to argue we should get rid of mandatory PE, I’m with ya’ll. If your argument is that PE but not yoga because kids - mostly boys - will be uncomfortable - hey, welcome to PE for the uncoordinated and all non jock girls.) ---
**Author:** ![Dangerosa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Dangerosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dangerosa)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2018, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/introducting-yoga-into-the-school-system-as-part-of-curriculum/821544/35 "2018-09-19T15:23:25Z")
> [@Slash1972](#): > > My range of motion is walking to my car and to the Metro. No stretching needed 🙂 You may regret that at 70. ---
**Author:** ![Slash1972](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slash1972/32/6461_2.png) [@Slash1972](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slash1972)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2018, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/introducting-yoga-into-the-school-system-as-part-of-curriculum/821544/36 "2018-09-19T15:30:45Z")
> [@Dangerosa](#): > > You may regret that at 70. Perhaps. I’ll revive this thread in 25 years and let you know. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![filmore](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/7993a0/32.png) [@filmore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/filmore)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2018, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/introducting-yoga-into-the-school-system-as-part-of-curriculum/821544/37 "2018-09-19T16:18:54Z")
> [@Dangerosa](#): > > But you know, gym should be all about what the boys want do do. Do you guys even hear yourselves? That’s what you took away from what I wrote? In case you didn’t realize, not every boy is good at sports. And when he’s not, it’s doubly worse. Not only does he have the embarrassment that comes from being publicly clumsy, but he also has the self doubt and teasing that comes from not having the innate sports ability expected of boys. If you’re comparing yoga to learning about tampons, why would you want yoga in school at all? That’s like saying, it’s okay to add an awful thing because there’s already an awful thing. Why not instead find something that kids would be more eager to try? ---
**Author:** ![filmore](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/7993a0/32.png) [@filmore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/filmore)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2018, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/introducting-yoga-into-the-school-system-as-part-of-curriculum/821544/38 "2018-09-19T16:38:01Z")
If this class is for teens, it should be structured such that teens will feel comfortable. That means that the name and activities should have them in mind. - Don’t have Yoga in the name. The word yoga will turn some kids away. Instead, call it something like “Performance Stretching” or “Flexibility for Life”. - Be sensitive to which poses would be embarrassing for kids and refrain from them if possible. For example, moves where they bend down with their butt in the air will be distracting. We can argue if that’s right or wrong, but the fact is that certain yoga moves will cause problems in a room full of teens. - Allow the kids to wear street clothes. Not having to change or shower will be a big positive that will draw kids to the class. Since you have teens, ask them what kind of yoga class they would like. Rather than trying to bring a standard adult yoga class to teens, talk to the teens and see what kind of class they would enjoy that incorporates the principles of yoga. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2018, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/introducting-yoga-into-the-school-system-as-part-of-curriculum/821544/39 "2018-09-19T16:45:24Z")
> [@Dangerosa](#): > > (If you want to argue we should get rid of mandatory PE, I’m with ya’ll. If your argument is that PE but not yoga because kids - mostly boys - will be uncomfortable - hey, welcome to PE for the uncoordinated and all non jock girls.) And I think that your supposition that it is mostly boys who will be uncomfortable being required to wear tight and/or skimpy clothes and twist their bodies into weird shapes is misfounded. The only teen girls who will be comfortable with are the slender, bendy ones. ---
**Author:** ![Doctor\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doctor_jackson/32/32_2.png) [@Doctor\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doctor_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2018, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/introducting-yoga-into-the-school-system-as-part-of-curriculum/821544/40 "2018-09-19T17:56:39Z")
ICBIY - I Can’t Believe It’s Yoga Flex Ability Kinetic Studies on the Elasticity of the Human Musculoskeletal System Advertise that they can wear their night clothes and call it “Pajamaste” Advertise doughnuts afterward and call it “NUM!aste” [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/introducting-yoga-into-the-school-system-as-part-of-curriculum/821544.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/introducting-yoga-into-the-school-system-as-part-of-curriculum/821544.md?page=3)