Early childhood teaching is complex and a confluence of factors in recent times has highlighted the importance of attending to teacher wellbeing. However, teachers’ access to resources that support their wellbeing is variable and depends on the priorities of each educational setting. Restorative yoga offers an embodied practice that can support teachers in responding to the demands and challenges of teaching as they arise. This chapter draws on the experiences shared by one senior infant-toddler teacher in a qualitative research project in which researchers came together with teachers and children of one early childhood education (ECE) setting to explore the restorative potential of yoga. Inspired by the notion of holistic wellbeing in the early childhood curriculum of Aotearoa New Zealand, Te Whāriki: He whāriki mātauranga mō ngā mokopuna o Aotearoa Early childhood curriculum (hereafter Te Whāriki) (Ministry of Education [MoE], e Whāriki: He whāriki mātauranga mō ngā mokopuna o Aotearoa. Early childhood curriculum, 2017) and the associated Māori concepts of mana (power of being) and kaitiakitanga (active guardianship), we explore how playing with yoga can support the holistic wellbeing of teachers and benefit the infants and toddlers they teach and care for. We conclude with implications for pedagogy, leadership, and policy.

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Playing with Yoga: Exploring an Embodied Practice to Support Holistic Wellbeing in an ECE Setting in Aotearoa New Zealand

  • Justine O’Hara-Gregan,
  • Kiri Gould,
  • Maria Cooper

摘要

Early childhood teaching is complex and a confluence of factors in recent times has highlighted the importance of attending to teacher wellbeing. However, teachers’ access to resources that support their wellbeing is variable and depends on the priorities of each educational setting. Restorative yoga offers an embodied practice that can support teachers in responding to the demands and challenges of teaching as they arise. This chapter draws on the experiences shared by one senior infant-toddler teacher in a qualitative research project in which researchers came together with teachers and children of one early childhood education (ECE) setting to explore the restorative potential of yoga. Inspired by the notion of holistic wellbeing in the early childhood curriculum of Aotearoa New Zealand, Te Whāriki: He whāriki mātauranga mō ngā mokopuna o Aotearoa Early childhood curriculum (hereafter Te Whāriki) (Ministry of Education [MoE], e Whāriki: He whāriki mātauranga mō ngā mokopuna o Aotearoa. Early childhood curriculum, 2017) and the associated Māori concepts of mana (power of being) and kaitiakitanga (active guardianship), we explore how playing with yoga can support the holistic wellbeing of teachers and benefit the infants and toddlers they teach and care for. We conclude with implications for pedagogy, leadership, and policy.