DENVER: A school in Denver, Colorado, is trying out a new method of punishing kids for misdemeanors, teaching Yoga!
Instead of the usual rebuking and detention(and occasional whacks in India) that students are used to, Doull Elementary are instead dedicating every Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, time slots reserved for detention, to yoga classes.
The aim of introducing the new ‘punishment’ system is to teach kids how to deal with anger and other strong emotions, something that can bear fruit in all walks of life.
"What’s more important? Punishing kids for a mistake they made or teaching them some skills that they can actually use in life to not make the same mistakes again?" asks school psychologist Carly Graeber. "Math and reading and science and social studies are all so important to us here, but also we’re really in the business of teaching kids social and emotional skills that they can use for their lives, so how to solve problems, how to deal with complicated feelings, and things like that," she told mindbodygreen.
Yoga, with its origin tracing back to India, has long been known to enhance a person’s flexibility, allow for better control of the breath and is backed by research to ease symptoms of ADHD and boost performance in school.