YO(uth)GA: Introducing yoga to youth-work

We believe there is a need for transformation. As youth workers we are supposed to provide fair treatment to every young person we are working with.

We believe yoga is a great tool to “unlearn” the social patterns we learnt throughout our life, such as stereotypes and prejudices, and acquire neutrality towards diverse groups of people as an alternative. This will lead to increased capacities of youth workers, but also motivation and wellbeing.

The easiest way to learn new tools is to learn them physically in person. In this case new tools are yoga and meditation.

OBJECTIVES

• To introduce yoga philosophy and methodology into European youth work,
• To explore, provide, exchange and develop innovative theories and educational approaches that youth workers can use in order to improve their work with marginalized youth that is subject to prejudices,
• To deconstruct the out-dated limiting attitudes towards youth work and yoga,
• To increase the capacities, motivation and wellbeing of youth workers,
• To spread the new innovative practices among youth workers around Europe and implement new activities targeting young people that they work with.
• To develop sustainable daily practice of yoga or any other daily routine that will be practiced by the youth workers.

HOW

• Experiential learning (learning by doing),
• Daily yoga and meditation sessions including relaxation,
• Exploring kundalini essence within us,
• Meditation sessions and mantra singing,
• Establishing the habit of a daily physical practice,
• Sharing circles,
• Peer to peer learning (sharing knowledge and skills with each other),
• Hiking in nature and nature based activities,
• Silent days,
• Mindfulness, addressing feelings, thoughts, maintaining inner peace,
• Identifying and dissolving blockages and prejudices,
• Work with five elements,
• Embodied and movement learning,

PLEASE READ DETAILS ABOUT THE TRAINING COURSE IN THE INFOPACK, INCLUDING CONDITIONS TO PARTICIPATE AND LOGISTICAL ARRANGEMENTS.