According to the United Nations [1], children and adolescents around the world spend an average of 10 to 15 years in school. As a result, schools hold the potential to teach about healthy habits from an early age and promote children’s health and well-being. Today in 21^st-century science has been coming up with back-to-back breakthroughs in its area and several research works have been carried out in yoga as well. Yoga is becoming popular day by day and many countries have been incorporating yoga in the school curriculum. Yoga is a holistic system of varied mind-body practices that can be used to improve mental and physical health. It has a positive impact on different systems such as nervous, digestive and endocrine and many more which are very beneficial for the proper development of human body in children and adolescents.

During the GURUKUL Education Era, students were traditionally introduced to the practice of yoga at the age of eight. The Vedic tradition has a ceremony for students of this age in which they are taught GAYATRI MANTRA, NADI SODHANA PRANAYAMA and many more. Children and adolescents have many unexplained and unexpressed problems. They cannot always express their problems correctly hence children usually express their problems through behavior. So, a close observation of their behavior is imperative. At the age of seven or eight, the pineal gland starts regressing and when the process has advanced to a certain degree; the sex hormones start to function the body. The physical and psychological growths do not mature together. Some time in relation to brain, nervous system and endocrine system, physical growth outpaces the mental growth. This is the primary basis for inherent problems in students. After the age of ten in adolescence, there are more challenges in a physical, mental and emotional level. Furthermore, when the sex hormones start being secreted in girls, for instance, the mammary glands, the ovaries, and uterus all start to function. Now if the pineal gland is out of the picture too early, the whole confusion starts at the wrong time.  The child becomes restless because he/she is not physically ready to express this new development this is another challenge for students. Psychologists have declared the adolescence as a transitional period of life. Students at this age find it difficult to control their behavior. As a result, they show risk behavior coupled with unpredictable temperament leading to wrong friend circle, drug abuse, smoking, consuming junk food, fighting in friend circle, uncontrolled and speed driving, unsafe sexual activities, infatuation, early marriage, arrogance, suicidal proclivity, etc. The pineal and pituitary glands are very important glands. In yoga, it is known as Ajna (Third eye) chakra which is situated in the brain at the top of the medulla oblongata. It is very small gland and it acts like a lock. The moment the regression of the pineal gland is complete, the emotional growth becomes rapid and the child finds it difficult to adjust. If we delayed emotional growth in relation to physical growth in students, or if we helped them balance both growths, the child’s stability is enhanced greatly.

Under the mentor of His Holiness Swami Ramdevji Patanjali Yoga research foundation, Haridwar, India has been publishing yoga research in public health. Dr. Shriley Telles has 161 research publications related to the above-mentioned areas of research in journals indexed in international bibliographic databases [such as Medline, PsycLit, and others]. Telles et al. [27] observed the effects of yoga or physical exercise on physical fitness, cognitive performance, self-esteem, and teacher-rated behavior and performance in 98 school children between the ages of 8 and 13. According to Khalsa et al. [23], a yoga program might help children recover their self-esteem and confidence, restore their mental health, promote positive attitudes, improve concentration, and reduce stress and anxiety. Harvard Medical Schools’ assistant professor of Medicine has also observed that yoga participants showed statistically significant differences over time relative to controls on measures of anger control and fatigue/inertia. Regarding the effects of yoga on psychological well-being, there are few studies that support the benefits of yoga or yoga-based programs for children in school settings. According to Dr. Deepeshwar Singh, a young Indian researcher in this discipline has concluded along with his co-workers that yoga practice enhances self-efficacy and processing speed with fine motor coordination, visual-motor integration, visual perception, planning ability and cognitive performance. The author of more than 80 yoga textbook, Swami Satyananda Saraswati point out in his book “Yoga education for children” that to maintain the balance of child’s physical & mental health, we have maintained the health of the pineal and pituitary glands through the practices of SHAMBHAVI MUDRA, NASAGRA DRISTI, BHRAMARI PRANAYAMA (Bumble Bee Breath), NADI SODHAN PRANAYAMA (Alternative Nostril Breath) and concentration practice known as a TRATAK (Candle Gazing), etc. The early maturity of sexual awareness can almost corrupt a child’s mind. Hence it is beneficial for students to practice SHAMBHAVI MUDRA in order to influence third eye chakra inwardly and to delay sexual maturity until the correct time.

So in conclusion, in order to solve the above mentioned problems of school children, and to reduce their risk behaviors, students should be encouraged to practice regular YOGA which involves different techniques such as physical postures (ASANAS), controlled breathing (PRANAYAMA), deep relaxation (YOGANINDRA) and meditation at least 45 minutes daily. So school also should give equal importance to YOGA as other subjects and the government should implement YOGA in the curriculum so that children must practice it and get results in their life. Finally, there is a saying which goes like “Children are always wise until we treat them otherwise.”  So, besides all those practices, children and students should get support and positive guidelines from parents, teachers and highly qualified yoga teachers/counselors for their overall development so that they become the honest and responsible citizen of the nation. As Yoga is more practical subject rather than theoretical so; before start practicing the PRANAYAMA one should always remember the verse of ancient yoga script “HATHA YOGA PRADIPIKA” Chapter 2 Verses 16 which says: प्राणायामेन युक्तेन सर्वरोगक्षयो भवेत् । अयुक्ताभ्यासयोगेन सवैरोगसमुद्भव : (Through regular and proper practice of PRANAYAMA, all diseases are eradicated. Through improper practice, all diseases can arise.) So the practices should be learned individually from a master or qualified teacher that shouldn’t be selected at random. Every individual has a different physical and mental constitution, which a qualified teacher is able to assess. Specific PRANAYAMAS, rounds and ratios are prescribed according to these criteria by the experienced teacher to the students. To do well begin and get complete benefits; we have to follow certain rules and regulations for yoga practice. According to sage Patanjali the author of YOGADARSHAN -1-14 ;तु दीर्घकाल नैरन्तर्यसत्कारासेवितः दृढभूमिः the impact of yoga on body could be realized and felt after long time practice only. Yoga practice becomes firmly grounded upon being continued for long time with reverence, without interruption. So students should practice yoga regular for long time being in discipline in their food, balanced life style, positive thinking and proper sleeping and awakening etc. The Holy book Bhagwadgeeta also mentioned the rule of practicing yoga in chapter 6 verses 17. युक्ताहारविहारस्य युक्तचेष्टस्य कर्मसु । युक्तस्वप्नावबोधस्य योगो भवती दुःखहा । दुःखलाई नष्ट गर्ने योग उचित आहार विहार, कर्ममा उपयुक्त चेष्टा र सन्तुलित शयन–जागरण गर्नेलाई नै पूर्ण हुन्छ .  This means those who are not proper in balance eating, balance life styles, awakening and sleeping time they will not get benefits from yoga practice.

References

• United Nations Development Programme. 2007,http://hdr.undp.org/en/reports/global/hdr2007-2008. [Ref list]
• Telles S., Singh N., Bhardwaj A. K., Kumar A., Balkrishna A. Effect of yoga or physical exercise on physical, cognitive and emotional measures in children: a randomized controlled trial. Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Mental Health. 2013;7(1, article 37) doi: 10.1186/1753-2000-7-37. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Cross Ref]
• Khalsa S. B. S., Hickey-Schultz L., Cohen D., Steiner N., Cope S. Evaluation of the mental health benefits of yoga in a secondary school: a preliminary randomized controlled trial. Journal of Behavioral Health Services and Research. 2012;39(1):80–90. doi: 10.1007/s11414-011-9249-8. [PubMed] [Cross Ref]

(The author is teaching yoga in different schools since 2008 and he was former national player of Boxing, Weight-Lifting and Martial Art. Mr. Pant is the pioneer person in Nepal who implemented yoga in Sports and presented research in the USA in 2011) . Currently Mr. Puskar is teaching yoga and health and physical education in Bagmati Boarding School & Kendriya Vidyalaya in Kathmandu, Nepal)