Top Tips For Teaching Yoga In Schools - Tip #13: Smells, Sights, and Sounds Create The Space

Welcome back to the blog!

Wherever you are in the world, I hope you’re safe and well. Here in Baltimore, it’s been sunny and warm for the last few days, and the sunshine and warmer temperatures are brining some much needed joy to my spirit after a long year weathering this pandemic. It feels like the end is appearing every so faintly around the bend.

As a return to in-person instruction is imminent for me, I thought it timely to share this tip on how to create your classroom space, not in terms of configuration, but in terms of how it feels. I learned a lot of these insights the hard way my first year teaching yoga in schools, but they’ve quickly become integral parts of creating my classroom culture.

Enjoy this tip, and please share your thoughts in the comments!

Tip #13: Smells, Sight and Sounds Create the Space

My first year teaching yoga full-time in a school, I struggled a lot with behavior management. When my dean of students approached me saying she wanted me to be more intentional about the space I was creating through smells, sights and sounds, I laughed. I didn’t think such small details would make a difference in student behavior, but they did. 

I invested in air freshener, and later, an essential oils diffuser, to make my room smell good, since one of the key struggles I was facing was students complaining about stinky feet. Boom, problem solved. 

Instead of teaching with the glaring overhead lights on, I turned them off, and put white Christmas lights all around my room. Immediately, student energy levels dropped as they were walking into a calm space. 

Instead of having students enter a silent classroom, I made a playlist of relaxing, instrumental music to play as they were entering. Boom, no longer were students trying to carry on their conversations from the hallway. 

Now, five years later, these are key factors in the space I create for my students in my classroom. And as a result of creating a calm, welcoming, nurturing space, students feel more relaxed and comfortable, and most of my behavior management challenges have disappeared. 

Tip Takeaway: Reflect on your classroom environment, and then create a plan for how you will create a more nurturing space for your students? Make a list of any and all supplies to purchase that will help your classroom smell good and sound good.