“Jivatam Jyotiretu Vidyam”, “True education (self-knowledge) illuminates human life”, according to Shrii Prabhat Rainjan Sarkar, founder of the international Neohumanist Education System and the Ananda Marga Schools.
“If we want to create lasting peace, we must start with children” Mahatma Gandi.
There is growing concern across the United States regarding increased child stress, bullying, and violence. Living in Colorado, we are haunted by the incident at Columbine High School when two students felt the need to take revenge and act violently, leaving 15 dead and creating fear and sadness in the hearts of students and parents. This was the first wake-up call that affluent suburban schools weren’t always safe places. Violence and harassment continue to rise according to statistics. Seventeen states in the United States report having instituted laws to reduce or eliminate bullying.
In Colorado, every school district is required to have a bullying prevention policy and program. This document will discuss a classically based yoga program incorporated within an upper elementary school system in Boulder, CO. The main hypothesis of this project was to evaluate whether yoga training would effectively decrease bullying and increase anger management for 4th and 5th grade students. The foundation for this hypothesis was based on the first vow of raja yoga, ahimsa, that one promises to be non-violent with oneself and with others. The yoga curriculum was presented in six 45-minute sessions during the academic school day for 101st, 4th, and 5th grade students in 2004, repeated for 108 students in 2005, and revised again for 105 students in 2006.
The children learned yoga philosophy, practiced yoga postures, learned breathing and concentration techniques, as well as traditional dialogue and conflict resolution strategies. By using pre- and post-questionnaires, the program was evaluated and statistics were obtained. The program proved to be successful and effective. Boulder students themselves reported a 60% decrease in their own bullying behavior and a 42% decrease from being bullied by others at school A comprehensive yoga program can greatly reduce violence and bullying , but the long-term lasting effects are not yet clear. The results of this intervention recognize that yoga is an effective method of increasing anger management skills and decreasing physical outbursts of violence for upper elementary school age children during the time of implementation.