Our mission is to support the physical and mental wellbeing of young people in Aotearoa by equipping school communities with the proven practices of breath-centred Yoga.
Yoga Education in Schools Charitable Trust is a registered charitable trust providing breath-centred, secular Yoga education for young people, teachers and educators in New Zealand.
We are proudly a youth-led organisation. Meet our Board Members and Senior Advisors.
Youth mental health is in crisis. According to the World Health Organisation:
one in seven 10- to 19-year-olds experiences what we call a mental disorder, accounting for 14% of the global burden of dis-ease in this age group,
50 % of mental health conditions start by age 14,
depression, anxiety and behavioural disorders are among the leading causes of illness and disability among adolescents,
suicide is the fourth leading cause of death among 15- to 29-year-olds.
The statistics are grim and the personal stories from teens, parents & teachers are painful. Yet the suffering of these teens remains largely unrecognised and untreated.
In the midst of this crisis, a breath-centred yoga is a proven modality to reduce anxiety and depression, increase self-esteem and body confidence, and overall quality of life.
Our Goals
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We want to reach 100 schools by the end of 2024 across both the North and South Island.
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We want to deliver Yoga into the education workforce to address chronic burnout and stress.
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We want to train the next generation of yoga teachers in their final year of high school and early 20s.
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We want to develop a Yoga Education in Schools App for teenagers and their families to take home.
A Proven Approach: Pilot Program
The Yoga Education in Schools program was launched in New Zealand in July 2021 at a busy inner-city Auckland school with 2000 students on the roll, ranging from age 12 to 18, as well as 200 teaching staff.
The goals of the program were two-fold:
To support the physical and mental wellbeing of New Zealand’s teachers who, even prior to the demands of the pandemic, are subject to high rates of nervous system burnout, stress, and anxiety.
To support New Zealand’s teenagers and their mental health as they navigate formative years of immense change within an uncertain world; bodily changes, mental changes, changes in relationships with family and friends, changing goals, hopes and dreams.
To accomplish these goals breath-centred Yoga classes were introduced into the daily rhythm of the school with weekly classes for teachers, teens, and high needs students with disabilities. Sessions were integrated into the school curriculum of Physical Education under the topic of non-competitive sport and Science during units on mental wellbeing.
"The practice helps me put myself together in the morning” — female student, 14
"The practice helps me put myself together in the morning” — female student, 14
The success of the program saw it spread to a further twelve schools within the Auckland region, reaching hundreds of teachers and students. The program was featured twice at the Regional Wellbeing Expo held in Auckland. The program was also able to deliver Yoga to students and teachers within the Māori immersion school Ngā Puna o Waiōrea by collaborating with students and adapting the practices of Yoga to respect and acknowledge their cultural framework and worldview.
All classes received positive feedback from teachers and students, and were reviewed by senior management, approved for further funding, and offered again in 2023. Students and staff reported feeling less stressed, more peaceful, and more compassionate to themselves and others.