Wellbeing at VDJS

Mindfulness, meditation and yoga are just some of the practices used at girls’ school, VDJS, to support students’ wellbeing. Public Relations Officer, Richa Rudra, provides details of these practices and explains the impact on students’ mental health and academic performance.

Author and position: Richa Rudra, Public Relations Officer

School: Vidya Devi Jindal School, or VDJS, is a residential school for girls in Haryana, India.

Introduction

VDJS was founded on the principle that holistic learning is vital and necessary for students’ healthy development. It has, therefore, always been open to alternative therapies but over the past three years, we have developed a more formal structure in how these therapies are delivered.

As a girls’ school, we are conscious of the care we need to show to our students as they go through the physical and mental challenges of puberty, but also of the need to prepare them for the world beyond school, to draw upon the resources of inner-strength that they will need, whatever their future life choices.

It is a concerning time for schools and parents where issues of stress and anxiety are on the rise, and girls, in particular, are very susceptible to these conditions. Children are under pressure to perform academically and are finding themselves in an expanded market as they compete for the best university places and employment positions with high-achieving students globally. Academically, they are not only striving for high marks, but also feeling the pressure to succeed in other areas such as their sports, performing arts and club commitments. They only have 24 hours in a day so we need to help de-stress the children allowing them to enjoy these opportunities for growth rather than see them as tiring chores and commitments.

Activity

Mindfulness and Meditation

The purpose of our mindfulness exercises is to help students disconnect from whatever they are doing –  it’s a stage of ‘nothingness’ – to take-in their learning more effectively. Research has shown that when we transfer between exercises, we are not effectively storing information in our brain, as our mind is still dwelling on the past exercise.

VDJS staff were introduced to the practice of mindfulness in a workshop in January 2017 led Lama Yeshe, a Buddhist monk, who emphasized the need to ‘shut out the world’ for some time each day and reflect upon oneself through the art of mindfulness.

Their tuition has enabled them to guide students on their exercises inviting them to sit still and focus on their breathing for two minutes. After coming out of that state, students are better able to concentrate on the present.

Our students are encouraged to practice mindfulness at least once a day and sometimes more frequently depending on their timetable, for example, a teacher might start a lesson with a mindfulness exercise to help the students process their previous subject and focus on the subject ahead. This is particularly useful when the subjects require very different skills and thought patterns (for example, moving from an English to a Science lesson).

The students start each day with some guided meditation which involves them chanting ‘Om’. The meditation exercise helps them focus all their energy (their chakras), takes place in morning assembly and usually lasts for about 10 minutes. The meditation is led by teachers, who themselves have been trained by experts in meditation. After meditating, we have found our students are better able to concentre and focus on their studies.

Meditation can also be valuable in helping students overcome their barriers to learning. Again, with guidance from a teacher, students are invited to reflect on the work they have accomplished to recognise their achievements and look ahead to the work they have to complete. They are asked to visualise completing that task and imagine the feeling of accomplishment when they have finished it. When they open their eyes, they emerge from this contemplative state with a feeling of happiness and positivity to help them tackle any challenging tasks ahead.

Healthy Eating

With a noticeable rise in low level obesity, we felt that students needed to be educated on how to make healthy eating choices to ensure they received the right sustenance to support their learning. In Indian culture, it is also believed that food has a direct impact on our thought process. As students and staff need to have a healthy body and mind to carry out their tasks on daily basis, awareness about healthy food habits is a must.

A workshop on the topic ‘Revolution is Necessary in the Kitchen’ was organized in the school by a nutrition expert, Dr. Rimpal Mittal. Dr. Rimpal enlightened our students on the benefits of botanical medicines such as garlic, ginger, whole grain foods and vegetables and emphasized the role of ‘Diet’ in managing health issues such as obesity, arthritis, thyroid problems, diabetes and menstrual pains. Students also learned about curing various body ailments through acupuncture, massage therapy and yoga. Dr Rimple’s visit to the school is a regular feature, supporting us in providing the students with a diet chart to help them plan their meals and snacks and ensure they enjoy a variety of food from all the necessary food groups.

Yoga

Yoga classes are held daily for students from grades 4- 8 early in the morning and every evening lasting for 45 minutes to 1 hour. Taking place in a recreation area of the Boarding House, the students are encouraged to concentrate on their breathing, which is essential for their concentration levels in the day ahead.

The students practice asanas (body postures), pranayama (control of vital energy through breathing processes) and Kriyas (cleansing practices), guided by a yoga coach, who works full-time at the school. VDJS also has Yoga teams (Under-14, Under-17 and Under-19) who regularly participate at district and national levels. Our student, Khushi Gupta, represented India in the 6^th Asian Yoga Championship in Vietnam and was awarded a Gold Medal.

Challenges

When we first introduced our meditation exercises, we met with some resistance from the students. Some found it harder than others to get into a state of relaxation and struggled with the exercises. But by consistently guiding them through our activities, the students were able to feel the benefits of the silence, and the mental peace that frequently results.

We also hit a small wall of resistance in introducing our healthy eating practices. Habits of a lifetime can take time to change, and it is hard to fight the students’ desire for junk food, but we remain committed to this area and are sure they will learn new habits in time.

Impact

We have seen a distinct improvement in the students’ grades as their concentration levels have increased. The school grade average has increased as a result – by an astonishing 3-4%. The teachers have reported that the students are calmer, less agitated, less irritated and better able to concentrate in class. The programme has also done wonders for our students with learning disabilities and attention deficit disorders as it has helped improve their concentration levels.

How our practices link with the Discoveries

• Communication Skills – When you control the way you breathe, you can control the way you speak. It helps you focus and choose the words that you say more thoughtfully.
• Inquisitiveness  – Improved concentration levels help our students focus on their topics, opening their minds up to questions and allowing them to delve into their subjects.
• Ability to solve problems  – Again, this is improved through better concentration levels.
• Appreciation of diversity – Students gain an interesting perspective on this topic through their exercises in meditation and mindfulness. They learn about the universality of the human mind and body but also what they uniquely need to be fit, healthy and happy.
• Sense of responsibility – Students are more empathetic towards others when they are free of stress themselves.
• Tenacity – Physical exercises such as yoga show them how they can develop over time (for example, practising yoga poses more effectively) encouraging them to tackle other challenges (mental and physical).
• Courage – Enhancing a positive state of mind through meditation gives students the tools they need to draw their courage forward.
• Self-awareness – Having moments of calm and peacefulness in the busy school day helps students become aware of their inner being and reflect on wider questions such as their place in the world and what they wish to contribute to it.
• Teamwork skills – By practising the exercises together, such as yoga, they are aware of the need for the team to focus on the activity at hand.
• Inventiveness – Our activities help students reinvent themselves by showing them a new form of thinking or new way of using their body. They learn to adapt and try new things.
• Compassion – As with our students’ sense of responsibility, a greater sense of calm, peace and moments for reflection open our students up to compassionate thoughts.
• Commitment to sustainability – By being more aware of the natural healing powers of nature, the students are better able to understand and support endeavours to promote environments at risk.