Now, yoga classes in govt schools

PATNA: Bihar government is introducing yoga classes in government schools across the state. The move has been undertaken following concern over rising stress level among students and growing number of suicides.

Yoga is expected to significantly reduce stress among students, thus overcoming depression among them and checking suicidal tendencies.

"The programme aims at holistic development of learners. Complete physical and mental development is a must for a student to do well academically," said state project director, Bihar Education Project Council (BEPC), Rajesh Bhushan.

In order to teach yoga, the government has created an army of about 1,100 trained yoga instructors. "This army has been created in a mission-mode, so that the learners receive, along with quality education, training in living a healthy life," Bhushan added.

In the first phase, under the guidance of experts from Patanjali Yog Peeth, Bharatiya Yog Sansthan, Patna University Yoga Kendra and Navjivan Yoga Centre, a seven-day-long yoga training programme was organised for physical teachers of schools from December 6 to 12 in 2009 in Patna. Physical trainers from almost every upper primary school in 16 districts were selected to undergo training in the first phase.

"The physical trainers have been given comprehensive training in yoga. Rigorous practical and theoretical training have been provided to them," said a Yoga expert, Ram Vinay Sinha, of Bharatiya Yog Sansthan.

"The trainees had already been teaching physical exercises at schools. The training has fine-tuned their expertise. Exercise is an important part of our life," Sinha added.

In the second phase, a more elaborate training was imparted. The training programmes continued in a total of 22 districts over a period of five months. It started in September 2010 and continued till January 2011.

"Now, almost every school has a trained yoga teacher. These trained teachers will also have to train their associate teachers in their schools," said Ram Sagar Singh, programme officer of BEPC.

"We should encourage students to take up yoga classes. It should be developed as a daily routine to derive maximum possible benefits," said B N Mishra, executive director, Patna University Yoga Kendra.

"Regular practice of yoga will improve the mood of students and lower their anxiety. It will help in keeping them away from drugs, improve their behavioral system and overcome all negative thoughts," said Mishra.

But Mishra feels that the concept needs regular monitoring to achieve optimum results. "The government has introduced yoga teaching, but it has no specific plan yet to monitor its implementation across the state," he said.

The idea of yoga teaching is the brainchild of HRD principal secretary Anjani Kumar Singh. He said: "The army of yoga teachers has been created. At many schools yoga training is also going on. We will ask the teachers concerned to more sincerely introduce the concept."

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