The yoga program that Dr. Barbara Malkas started a few years ago in North Adams Public Schools has benefited students, teachers, staff and even the community at large. But Malkas, superintendent of the Massachusetts district, admits that her motivations for teaching yoga in schools were more personal.
“I have to be very honest and say that introducing this as an initiative in the district came from a purely selfish need for self-care,” says Malkas, who was recently named the Massachusetts Superintendent of the Year. “This was in 2021. We were just coming out of the pandemic. “The stress levels were really high for both the adults in the district and the children.”
Recognizing that there was a need for social-emotional learning opportunities for herself, as well as students and staff, Malkas became interested in Breath for change, an organization dedicated to training educators in yoga, social-emotional learning, and other wellness practices. Through these programs, Malkas became a certified yoga instructor. She then offered a six-week yoga class for teachers and then asked other educators in the district if they would be interested in becoming yoga instructors themselves. Many said yes.
Today, Malkas continues to teach yoga classes, but she is joined by more than 30 educators, including the football coach, who offer classes for students, teachers, and members of the broader North Adams community.
Here are Malkas' tips for running a successful yoga program in any school or district.
1. Teach yoga in schools: Get creative with ways to recruit students and staff
To ensure that the classes are used by as many people as possible, Malkas and her staff offer opportunities during the school day, as well as part of the after-school classes. While many students and staff are excited to attend these sessions, others need more encouragement. A district teacher offers yoga classes to students as an alternative to detention.
“At first, there are some kids who move and squirm and really don't think this is serious or that it's not for them,” Malkas says. “As time goes on, they start to recognize that, 'Wait a minute.' I look at what my neighbor is doing on the mat next to me and he seems to be in a good place. They are smiling afterwards. They are having fun. Well, I want to do that too.'”
2. Data tracking
Malkas, a former chemistry teacher, says she's still a science teacher at heart, which is part of the reason she believes data is important. To measure the impact of Breath for Change yoga programs in North Adams Public Schools, Malkas and other school leaders analyzed behavioral incidents and disciplinary referrals. They also surveyed teachers about what strategies they were using and what results they noticed.
As expected, behavioral incidents have decreased and teachers are seeing the impact of the programs.
“These things work, having a moment of mindfulness, using some of these strategies just to pause the movement, to settle in, to explore creative expression, or to think about how to work with others,” she says. “These are all skills that students are learning to use, not only in their own learning practice, but in their life practice.”
3. Remember that yoga is not for everyone
Malkas advises making yoga and mindfulness programs available to those who want them, but never imposing them on students or teachers. Because as much as he loves yoga and other mindfulness practices, Malkas understands that others aren't as drawn to it.
“We have some educators who say, 'Oh, here comes that superintendent again with her yoga and mindfulness,'” he says. “But we have other opportunities for them. We have online professional development. We invested in an evidence-based curriculum that also had an adult component. So there were a number of opportunities for people to connect.”
Malkas adds: “Our goal is offer. We will offer and discover innovative ways to offer, but we will never force. We're never going to say, 'This is what you're going to do.'”
4. Collaborate and be patient
While someone needs to lead a yoga initiative, Malkas says you don't want to simply prescribe programs for your staff to implement. Instead, encourage them to help shape your programs. “What you want is to get to the point of implementation and provide opportunities for teachers to do what they do best, which is innovate through implementation,” he says.
It is also important that district leaders commit to the program for some time. “You have to think of it as a process of change,” says Malkas. “You're not going to train a group of educators through Breath for Change and have them come back and all magically want to sit in a meditation posture. That's not going to happen. “You have to really support it and build capacity.”
5. Don't make assumptions
Although yoga is not for every teacher or student, you will be surprised how many students and staff members embrace it.
“Don't make assumptions,” he says. “Because the assumption might have been, 'Oh, my teachers will never accept this. This is not going to work in my district.'”
Additionally, remembering how long yoga and other mindfulness disciplines have been around can also be a helpful recommendation for commitment. “These practices have been around for thousands of years,” she says.
Malkas adds that yoga and mindfulness have helped people in the past get through extremely difficult times. “We tend to think that the times we live in are the most challenging, but the reality is that life is always challenging and these practices have stood the test of time.”
