Yoga Tribe for Teens

Aim

Yoga Tribe for Teens improves mental health and wellbeing for teenagers and staff at school. Implementing yoga within the school curriculum.

 

"I have a vision of 'Yoga Tribe for Teens' as being part of the national curriculum

for young people

 Providing the kids with useful practical skills and tools that they would have for the rest of their lives. " Anne 

 

 

In these politically and socially troubled times, Anne believes that a change is urgently needed so that young people have the opportunity at school to look after themselves and their mental health. Through school-based yoga, relaxation and well-being programs with peers from different backgrounds and cultures, young people can build self-care and wellbeing skills to become socially engaged citizens. 

 

Mahatma Gandhi — 'Be the change that you wish to see in the world.'

 

Why crowdfunding?

 

 ""Even if finances are a struggle, the pro's as a cover teacher are that you don't have to do any planning or marking therefore you have more quality time to focus and contribute on the teen's emotional, social and physical wellbeing. Overall, it has a positive, direct impact on students' learning, progress and academic achievements. Cotham school has been supportive as much as they could by investing into yoga mats and letting me use the venue but the resources are limited due to cuts. Therefore I am taking the initiative to find additional fundings through our community to make 'Yoga Tribe for Teens' a reality. I have been a yoga student for the last 15 years and have completed my Foundation Yoga Course at Yogasara in 2016. I am also a qualified and experienced Holistic Massage Therapist ( ITEC Diploma in Holistic Massage and Anatomy/Physiology) then Reiki Level 2 practitioner. I feel that young people are so open and receptive and willing to explore new ideas and new ways of being in their bodies. They are able to take these tools with them for the rest of their lives. I feel like the teenage years are especially a really powerful time to bring these practices to young people. It’s really our hope that by bringing these practices to young people, we will then be able to see positive change in our world. That is why I need to move up to the next level by becoming a yoga teacher." Anne

 

What does offer 'Yoga Tribe for Teens’ ?

 

'Yoga Tribe for Teens' offers teenagers and teachers a holistic approach to yoga, where they discover the importance of self-care and how to maintain and improve their mental, physical and social wellbeing. Young people achieve this through body awareness; by focusing on breathing, 'movement medicine' and self massage ( i.e foot or hand massage). Students aged between 11 and 16 learn a variety of yoga poses to help them with balance, focus and concentration, as well as relaxation and stress relief.  Teenagers can really benefit from teenage yoga as well as flexibility and calmness, it helps with focus and self-image, particularly at times of stress. Some teenagers choose to do yoga as part of their 'Duke of Edinburgh' award in Bristol. 

How would your donations help my cause?

 Anne: "The funding would cover my cost for my teaching training at Yogasara Bristol ( £2700 ) starting on the 23rd September 2017 http://www.yogasara.co.uk/yoga-teacher-training/yoga-tantra-advanced-teacher-training/. The rest of the money would cover the cost of running the free sessions for students and staff at Cotham school and in an another local school Fairfield School  (TBC) with a view to a longer term project once the pilot is over. The pilot project is to run during the academic year from September 2017 to July 2018 including a day of yoga workshop as part of Year 11 wellbeing prior exams and Sports Day at the end of the academic year 2018.  I would also invest the money into a Mini Rig bluetooth speaker for running the sessions, make 'YogaTribe' badges and buy 25 eco-friendly yoga mats made of bamboo."

 

Where do I see 'Yoga Tribe for Teens' in 3 years?

 

" Ideally, yoga would be implemented within the national curriculum accessible to students and vulnerable students from all backgrounds. Yoga would also be part of the PGCE to train teachers how to implement yoga within their teaching skills. I also volunteered to run 'yoga on chair' sessions for the Hindu Community in Bristol 60+ group therefore I could see 'Yoga Tribe' growing as 'Yoga Tribe for the Elderly. " 

 

TESTIMONIALS: 

 

Community News- Yoga Meditation-  "Ms Anne Gallien, a cover teacher at Cotham School, has been running a very successful Friday lunchtime yoga meditation club for students over the last two terms. She and some of her students will be featured in the next edition of the Bishopston Voice. We have found the sessions to be very beneficial for improving the mental, physical and social well-being of our students. To extend her good work with improving students' mental health and wellbeing at Cotham and other schools across Bristol, Ms Gallien would like to train as an Advanced Yoga Practitioner, during which she will be able to offer an after school yoga club as well as the lunchtime one. She is currently crowdfunding to support her training. If you are able to support with any small amount, please go to https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/yoga-tribe-for-teens. " Ms Domini Leong, Deputy Headteacher & Designated Safeguarding Lead

 

"Yoga after work on Tuesdays has been a wonderful respite at the end of a busy day. It has forced me to leave my desk at 4pm and prioritise wellbeing over work for one day in the week. This is important for me because I am supposed to model positive wellbeing to students and rarely get chance to. Yoga gives me an hour to be alone with my thoughts and I often leave the sessions feeling much more positive about the work I have completed in the day; less worried about problems I need to solve and therefore much more likely to solve them. I am always more productive either side of the yoga sessions. On Tuesdays I work more efficiently and quickly, knowing I have to be there by 4.15pm, and on Wednesdays I come in having benefited from a good night's sleep and no work-related anxiety." Post-16 teacher, Cotham school, Georgina Webb-Dickin

Community News -Yoga Meditation
"Ms Anne Gallien, a staff member at Cotham School, has been running a very successful Friday lunchtime yoga meditation club for students over the last two terms. The mental health of our students is extremely important to us and we have found the sessions to be very beneficial for improving the mental, physical and social well-being of our students.  Please click here to view the recent Bishopston Voice article featuring Anne and some very positive student feedback, entitled ‘Yoga - Helping teens tackle stress’. On Tuesday 10 October 2017 as part of the World Mental Health Day, between 1.10 and 1.35pm Ms Gallien is offering students a 30 minute yoga relaxation session in the Main Hall and for staff a free hour of yoga relaxation from 4.30 to 5.30.  Click here for more information."  Ms Domini Leong, Deputy Headteacher & Designated Safeguarding Lead

 Who is Anne?

 

Anne, 40 years old, French native speaker and anglophile for the last 20 years, has been a qualified ( PGCE) and experienced teacher in Performing Arts and PSHE ( Personal Social Health Education) for the last 12 years. She now works as a cover teacher at Cotham school in Bristol. As well as being a cover teacher, Anne is running a 40 mins free session of yoga and relaxation at lunchtime on Fridays for students aged from 11 to 16. Regular comers aged of 13-14 have been willingly attending the class.  Here is one of the Year 9 students feedback: "It is nice to have a place of sanctuary at school". Out of her good will, she ran on Tuesdays, as a pilot, an hour free yoga relaxation class for beginners where every member of staff was welcome. There is a demand from staff therefore she intends to offer a 'headspace' time for teachers at lunchtime starting in November.

What is Anne's story with Yoga ?

"Yoga saved my life and is still saving me today... We are all work in progress". Anne

As a teenager and young adult, Anne suffered from PTSD ( Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) after a series of traumatic events in her upbringing environment facing violence, depression and several brutal bereavments. Anne started yoga when she was in her early 20's. Over the years, she tried different styles of yoga. It is only for the last two years that she has been feeling the real impact of yoga on her wellbeing. Anne's mission is to bring what she didn't have access to as a teenager. She wants to make a difference by giving the necessary tools for teenagers to feel safe within and empower them by building a self-care kit on how to cope with anxiety and life challenges. 

"PTSD is a disorder that emerges when a person has experienced or witnessed a highly traumatic event that overwhelms their psychological and physiological ability to cope, leading to  changes in both the mind and the body as a result. One of the key features of PTSD is a feeling of being highly dysregulated.  This might mean experiences states of emotional numbness or being very very nervous and anxious.  PTSD is often accompanied by painful flashbacks of the traumatic event, or problems with memory, as well as high levels of fear. Yoga is such a wonderful treatment for PTSD because it works with both the mind and the body and helps to forge a sense of safe community. After all, as a famous book is entitled, ‘The Body Keeps the Score’ by Bessel van der Kolk there is a host of experience encoded in the body that is often too difficult to bare. Yoga really helps a person to slowly develop a graduated connection with the body again, in a safe environment. Moreover, PTSD is physiologically correlated with  a high level of dysregulation in the autonomic nervous system (the part of the nervous system that is responsible for either rest and digest, or, flight and fight).  This means the person may get upset and simply cannot come down from an intense experience of anxiety. " Heather Mason ( CEO of the Mind Institute, London)

 How does 'Yoga Tribe for Teens' work?

" We start off class in a circle with a check-in; students will share one word to describe how they’re feeling that day or they’ll describe their energy level. The main theme is using your breath to reduce stress. After a gentle self massage starting with the feet, students will immediately go into a yoga practice. We would start with some breathing exercises to help students calm their minds and focus. And then they’ll move through various yoga postures. Class usually ends with a relaxation ( yoga nidra) session where students lie down and I guide them through a mental vacation using their breath and seaside sounds. We end with a closing circle, so the students will hold hands and we do a ‘pass the pulse.’  You squeeze your neighbor’s hand and they squeeze their neighbor’s hand, so the pulse goes all the way around the circle. And we’ll end by sharing one word to describe how they feel at the end of class. I feel like we’ve had a successful class if the student leaves the class feeling a little calmer, more present and relaxed then more at ease in their bodies. I feel like I’ve done my job if they feel better leaving the yoga class than how they felt coming into the yoga class. I love the idea of taking a moment with the students and finding Zen within the day.  I find that shared experiences build community. Just the fact that the students were able to move their bodies and be in a safe space where they could let go or they could use their breath to calm themselves down, I felt a really deep impact."  Anne

The figure below outlines some of the potential benefits of yoga for youth and adults:

Overall:

• Improves mind/body connection
• Encourages a fit and healthy lifestyle
• Promotes an overall sense of well-being

Yoga helps teenagers and disadvantaged people to see the beauty and light within themselves, thereby boosting their self-confidence, allowing them to feel more comfortable with their bodies, and helping them get in touch with who they are inside. A child, teenager and disadvantaged person who learns yoga, mindfulness and relaxation will be developing essential skills for a lifetime of health and wellness in mind, body and spirit.

If you believe in the importance of mental health and wellbeing for teens, social justice, equality and young people’s empowerment, please support 'Yoga Tribe for Teens' to make this world a better place to live for our future adults.

Thank you. 

This project successfully funded on 24th October 2017