Yoga is being used to enhance the well-being of youngsters at schools across York, as Education Reporter Haydn Lewis discovered.

YOUNGSTERS at York schools have been turning to yoga to limber up for lessons.

Hayley Del Sanderson, the principal and founder of The Yoga Academy, runs a timetable for all ages, which includes the introduction of Yoga Bunnies for younger children and Yoga 4 Teens classes into a number of York schools.

These include Knavesmire Primary, as an Extended School Activity, and Millthorpe School, where yoga is offered as part of the curriculum as a PE option for Years Ten and 11.

At Millthorpe nearly 100 pupils enrolled in the classes, which had to be split to accommodate the demand.

Meanwhile, at St Peter’s School in Bootham, yoga is provided at a later time in the evening to allow the boarders of Year 12 to switch off a little from their week and the rigours of their demanding six-day timetable.

The Yoga Academy also runs Yoga 4 Teens classes at the Autism Department at Joseph Rowntree School.

Hayley said yoga had provided an enjoyable and appropriate form of physical activity for the young people with autism spectrum conditions.

She said: “More and more schools in York are welcoming yoga and integrating it into their day. I’d be thrilled to see yoga become part of the national school curriculum in the near future.

“Already it is showing up in physical education programmes, break-period activities, and even classrooms as a way for students and teachers to develop a body-mind awareness and the ability to nurture their own well-being.”

At Millthorpe, Hayley’s classes are called Back To School With Yoga and are aimed at taking the edge off starting the new term.

Dave Randall, the school’s head of PE, said: “Students involved in the yoga scheme get a great deal out of it. Obviously it helps with balance, core strength and other important areas of fitness, but there is more to it than just that.

“Since many of these students are facing pressures such as exams, it also helps them to deal with stress effectively. This exciting scheme opens their eyes to new ways to get exercise and improve their well-being – and that’s what PE should really be about.”