Graduation Year

2016

Document Type

Campus Only Senior Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelor of Arts

Department

Dance

Reader 1

Kevin Williamson

Reader 2

Joyce Lu

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Terms of Use for work posted in Scholarship@Claremont.

Rights Information

© 2016 Jacci Yin

Abstract

In an attempt to address the disregard for holistic practices in much of Western culture and education, I present yoga as an alternative learning strategy to banking instruction often used in current educational practices. Specifically, I examine Hatha yoga in its content and methodology as a platform from which K-5 students can learn to engage in strategies of mindfulness practices to counter underlying causes of cognitive and behavioral problems seen in many public schools. Drawing from research based in the field of somatics and feminist/critical pedagogy, I articulate a yoga curriculum that supports bodily knowing and encourages the cultivation of self-/social awareness and empathy. I organize my findings into two separate curriculums: one for students in the grades K-2 and another for grades 3-5. Each curriculum is further divided into three units to include learning objectives, themed activities, lists of skills and concepts, and specific notes for instructors that take into consideration the motor and cognitive developmental patterns of students at each grade level. By establishing a curriculum consistent with current curricular standards in California, my hope is that policy-makers, administrators, educators, and parents alike will take into consideration the importance of embodied knowledge in the classroom and further advocate for its role in public schools.

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