At RHPE where Positive Education is at the heart of learning, supporting the wellbeing of educators is a key priority. Recognising this, we organised a comprehensive yoga workshop for our teachers, designed to enhance their physical and emotional health while equipping them with tools to foster wellbeing in their own classrooms. This initiative aligns with the preschool’s commitment to positive education, focusing on cultivating strengths, resilience, and emotional intelligence in both teachers and children.
The workshop began by emphasising teacher wellbeing, a cornerstone of the preschool’s approach in RHPE. Research shows that mindfulness and yoga reduce stress, improve emotional regulation, and support overall mental health among educators. Mindfulness-based yoga interventions help teachers improve children’s attention, self-regulation, and create a more positive classroom atmosphere.
The workshop highlighted how yoga can be woven into our daily classroom interactions, reinforcing positive education principles. Teachers learned simple yoga poses and mindfulness exercises that support:
· Physical wellbeing: promoting flexibility, strength, and coordination.
· Emotional wellbeing: helping children recognize and regulate their feelings.
· Social wellbeing: fostering collaboration, empathy, and positive interactions among peers.
Teachers were also trained to lead mini yoga classes tailored for preschool-aged children. These sessions are designed to be fun, engaging, and developmentally appropriate, supporting the preschool’s emphasis on wellbeing. Strategies included:
· Storytelling with movement: children act out characters or narratives through yoga poses.
· Animal poses: using familiar animals to inspire poses, promoting imagination and coordination.
· Breathing exercises: teaching simple techniques to help children manage emotions and improve focus.
By organizing this yoga workshop, the preschool demonstrates a holistic approach to education that integrates positive education, and wellbeing. Teachers are empowered to care for their own wellbeing while creating a supportive, mindful, and joyful classroom environment for children under their care.
Through the integration of yoga into daily routines and mini-class sessions for preschoolers, the school nurtures children’s physical, emotional, and social development, reinforcing the core values of positive education: strengths, resilience, and happiness for all members of the school community.