How to get your kid's school to jump on the yoga bandwagon

By Deanna Michalopoulos

Find the right ears. Before presenting your proposal for a yoga program, first find out who calls the shots at your kid's school, whether it's the principal, superintendent, or parent organization. You might need to get invited to one of the teacher staff meetings and pitch to them directly.

Pick a program before presenting. Visit the organization's website and actually print out an overview of the program, sample lesson plans, and positive press the program has received so you know what you're peddling.

You should look for programs that offer training for educational professionals with no prior yoga experience, a comprehensive curriculum that offers both full-length lessons and integrative classroom techniques, and on-site training – just for the convenience factor.

Where to start?

YogaKids

What it offers: Certified YogaKids Facilitators can teach classes at your school – or, more commonly, certified trainers drop by for a one-day training session for schoolteachers and staff.

Curriculum: "Tools for Schools" offers 10 structured lesson plans that include pose sequences, breath work and relaxation techniques. The program also trains teachers and staff to do short interventions throughout the day using simple postures and breathing exercises to alleviate student listlessness and facilitate better learning.

Cost: $250 per teacher for the kit, plus a training fee

YogaEd

What it offers: YogaEd’s nationwide trainers will come to the school to teach classroom teachers for 1 to 2 days (PE teachers take 3 to 5 days of training) with an agreement to follow up within a year. Schools can also send PE and classroom teachers to training sessions in California for free.

Curriculum: "Tools for Teachers" offers 36-week progressive programs that are PE and Health Standards-based and can only be taught by certified YogaEd instructors who have completed training. The professional development program can train staff members in how to use breathing, basic postures, games, and visualization within the classroom.

Cost: starts at $500 for Tools for Teachers workshops

Get your ducks in a row: Collect studies that link youth practice with improved academic performance and better behavior. Also, be sure to stockpile positive testimonials from kids, parents, and administrators who have used these  programs across the country. Yoga schoolteacher training groups generally post this stuff on their websites, so be sure to check out resources from programs you aren’t considering as well.

Make the hard sell the right way. Expect that you might have to exchange dozens of emails before you can schedule an initial pitch meeting with the school. Once they open the door, don't gush about your own experience. School officials won't cough up resources because yoga has changed your life, helped you lose 5 pounds, or weaned you off Xanax. Keep the focus on educational concerns and goals.

"It's a little scary for administrators who aren't familiar with yoga, so you'll need to demystify it. Schools need to feel there's a curriculum in place with objectives that meet a certain standard, and that what they're buying will deliver results," says Kalish.

This is where your prep pays off: Highlight the research, rave reviews, and easy implementation of the program by putting it within the context of smarter and happier students. Since the government doles out and removes educational funding based on how students perform on tests, administrators’ ears will perk up at the idea that yoga can help kids remain focused in class. Emphasize that a yoga program won’t eat away at the academic time allocated to improving test scores, it will help the kids excel by giving teachers a way to keep them engaged – while adding a little fitness benefit (a bonus because many schools have had to trim PE time).

Have a backup plan for funding. If gift-wrap sales and car washes won't cut it, volunteer to seek a grant from government agencies or local foundations. Start at schoolgrants.org. Then visit your local library, where someone can help you research local organizations that offer money for educational health and wellness initiatives. Pittsburgh’s pilot program and the upcoming curriculum revamp cost thousands and thousands of dollars – mostly funded by grants.

Got a (tentative) green light? Great! Contact the yoga program so it can start the process with the school. You may have to facilitate a few more conversations between the two sides, but once a deal is in place, the yoga organization will keep things moving.

Why Yoga in schools works

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