Physical education – building strength and flexibility through Yoga
Year 1 love learning yoga. Many of the exercises help the children develop flexibility, balance and co-ordination, supporting their awareness of their own bodies and improving their gross motor skills. The mindfulness aspects of yoga were also helpful. Children learnt breathing exercises and relaxation techniques, to develop their sense of calmness.
To keep them interesting, the yoga lessons had different themes, including the Wild West, the circus and being pirates. During the sessions, children listened to stories and looked at pictures and listened to music to inspire them with their body shapes. Putting yoga poses to music worked very well, and it was incredible to see the development in everyone’s balance over the unit. Each pose also helped make their muscles stronger.
Yoga is one of school’s core PE strands, and the children will revisit it annually, progressing their skills in this subject. Hopefully, a number of them will continue the discipline of yoga into adulthood.
