Movement for Wellbeing

Movement is not just about promoting physical health although that is a wonderful side effect. Movement has very real scientific benefits too such as delivering endorphins to the body to increase mood, whilst increasing heart rate for vascular health, supporting good rest, developing friendships, boosting body acceptance and lowering stress levels to name just a few. Of course, it very much depends on the type of movement you're doing but movement is movement, and it is intrinsically linked to mental health. Children living in today's world are surrounded by constant demands and things can often feel a little overwhelming so introducing some movement breaks or breathing breaks could empower the child in supporting their own regulation, not just now, but in their future too.

I have always loved exercise but found as a teacher and Wellbeing Lead the young people I worked with simply could not switch off. They had become used to instant gratification through no fault of their own and at times found it difficult to regulate and be comfortable in quiet. I wanted to improve the current landscape so trained as a Registered Children's Yoga Teacher with a trauma informed approach.

Yoga teaches you to breathe. This is definitely something that we take for granted. By actively focusing on your breath as it comes and goes with no clear beginning or end, we are supporting the parasympathetic nervous system in doing its job; lowering the heart rate, reducing anxiety, aiding digestion and preparing for rest. Breathing is of course natural; however we need to teach how to do this mindfully. Learning how to remove distractions and be comfortable in the quiet whilst acknowledging when peace is triggering and finding our own window of tolerance.

The trauma informed approach to yoga is to allow the young person to feel safety above everything else. By breaking down patterns of fear and overwhelm and replacing them with a better sense of self, the yoga journey does exactly that. There are many benefits to this approach such as; self-compassion, self-advocacy, strengthening of the vagal tone which supports better mental health and calmer responses, widening the tolerance window, and even offering opportunities for sharing the experience with others. Options are given at every opportunity; mat positioning, sitting or lying, eyes closed or open the list could go on. When considering trauma, we provide space to step out of class without judgement and consider the implications of the postures offered, nothing is instructed it is simply an invitation to move. Comparison to others or self is left at the door and you are encouraged to be present on your mat however that feels at the time. By design, a class should try to rebuild a mind body connection using body scans to encourage the young person to focus inwardly, nurturing interoceptive growth by tuning into their body's responses and sensations and providing cues to help them feel beyond the shapes they are physically making on the mat.

Providing a calm environment, free of distractions can help support people to move into a calmer place. Even a brief movement, breathing, sensory or visualisation break can have a positive effect by calming the breath, reducing anxiety and refocusing the mind. By modelling break taking and explicitly teaching techniques you will be providing the student with their own toolkit to support themselves independently for now and their future.

Michelle Batchelor 

Assessment Pathway Lead