Yoga and Mindfulness for Stress and Anxiety

Year 10 students who chose Double Award Science have benefited from a programme of Electives this year on a rotation of choice basis. A  range of activities has been on offer aimed at enabling students to experience things and develop skills beyond the normal curriculum. One of the most popular electives over the last 2 terms has been Yoga and Mindfulness.

Each student develops a personal objective related to the elective, however, a very common theme with all students is an aim to reduce stress and anxiety. The meditative guided sessions aim to develop the ability to quiet the mind, to become aware of emotions, to acknowledge them and to be able to control them. In a world where our attention is constantly in demand by work, study, family, social media and so on, this is a powerful skill. It is not easy and some students find it more difficult to settle their own minds in these sessions. However, the feedback received from all students has been very positive and the popularity of this elective is an indication of how much our young people value some time to be peaceful.

Evidence suggests that people who practise meditation are calmer and that it can help to cope with the ups and downs of everyday life. It is especially useful for remaining calm in stressful situations such as examinations - this is certainly backed up by feedback from students:

What impact has this learning experience had on you? 

“It made me feel more calm and reduce stress. It also helped me focus and become more concentrated.”

“It helped me to reduce my stress when having tests or exams in school. It also helped me with my focus in class”

Would you recommend yoga and mindfulness to other people? 

“Yes, I would recommend this to other people because it can really help many people in many different ways. Both yoga and mindfulness aim to quiet the mind, it helps create a deeper connection to and understanding of the self. They both teach you to tune into your breath, pay attention to yourself, and learn to accept reality as it is in that moment.”

Click to listen to the Audio reflection on the elective

The ultimate test of commitment, of course, is whether students will practise meditation in their own time. We use the Headspace app, which is free to educators, but there are many apps and videos available to guide different types of meditation - they start from just a minute or two of breathing which can fit into a busy day.

Dan Norbury
Secondary Principal