Yoga originated in ancient India and consists of simple exercises like stretching, breathing control, meditation, and various body postures. In recent years Yoga has gained popularity nationally as well as internationally and is widely used for attaining peace and relaxation by controlling the mind and body through various yoga exercises. Everyone has their own purpose for doing yoga, some use it for meditation purposes to connect with their higher self while others do yoga to keep the body flexible and healthy or to stay fit.
Many scientific studies have shown the importance of yoga for students. Yoga is the best exercise for relaxation and ease of stress which results in reducing the level of the stress hormone, release anxiety. Yoga is celebrated every year across the world on 21 June and it is named “International Yoga Day” on this day people gather and do yoga to promote its benefits.
Yoga has numerous advantages that’s why the Government was planning to incorporate Yoga as a compulsory subject in Schools as to give students knowledge of Yoga at a young age which would be beneficial for them a lifetime. Several boarding schools in India include yoga as an important part of their curriculam. However, there are lots of benefits to incorporating Yoga as a compulsory subject but still, there are some drawbacks that can’t be ignored.
Pros Of Having Compulsory Yoga in Schools
- Yoga can help students provide relaxation to students with hectic schedules as they study different subjects back to back so giving the mind and body little time to relax can have a huge impact on students ‘ engagement as students won’t feel tired and lazy. The importance of yoga is discussed in many schools.
- Yoga can boost physical flexibility and strength as there are lots of stretching exercises ( Asan ) like Standing forward bend, Raised Arms pose, Seated Forward Bend, and etc. If these exercises are done on a routine basis can enhance flexibility and improve physical strength.
- Students will get educated more about their body as each exercise ( Asan ) has different effects on the body and the students will be able to learn the science behind each exercise that will help them gain knowledge about their mind and body.
- Yoga will help students to develop focus and concentration as students will learn to relax their mind and body as they need concentration while doing yoga exercises which results in the development of focus and concentration which will help students get more attentive, relaxed and will perform better in studies.
- During Exams students get under pressure their anxiety level goes up and the fear of not getting desired marks will lead to the poor performance of the students so in order to solve this problem Yoga classes is being considered as it will help students to control their Mind thoughts and reduce stress level and build confidence and students with low stress and extreme confidence tends to perform well in exams.
- It will also create job opportunities as for practicing yoga one needs a professional Yoga teacher who can teach students yoga in the right informational way.
Cons of Having Compulsory Yoga in Schools
- Many believe that Yoga is a religious concept and should not be incorporated in schools and compulsory yoga will be looked like a strategy to force a dominant culture on minorities as there are various schools like Christian schools, madrasa and etc who oppose compulsory yoga in schools. Additionally, the Supreme Court also rejected a petition for compulsory yoga for classes 1 to 8.
- Wrong Yoga Pose can lead to injury as there are lots of difficult poses in Yoga if not done correctly May leads to injury. Yoga is based on balance. If children are not able to balance correctly they can get muscle strain.
- Children are already burdened with lots of subjects in schools and an additional subject will make it worse for students as they have fixed time in schools so compulsory yoga means they require extra energy or effort.
- Yoga is not considered a full-time profession so there will be a shortage of yoga professionals which will be needed in bulk if they make yoga compulsory in schools. Schools won’t be able to hire unprofessional Yoga teachers because Yoga requires special techniques and knowledge.
- Every student is different as all students have different interests so choices should be given to students like which subjects are they more interested in studying if school forced a compulsory yoga in school children won’t find it interesting and it won’t be beneficial for them.
- Many believe students already have sports classes in their curriculum which are more competitive and build teamwork and provide relaxation and a sense of happiness in students. Whereas Yoga only focuses on meditation and stretching.
