O Yoga como ferramenta de promoção da saúde na escola

Abstract

Several functions currently assigned to teachers have impacted their health and well-being. This points out the need for continued training focused on pedagogical practice, but also on comprehensive health. In this sense, this study set out to investigate the perceptions about health, well-being and quality of life of a group of teachers from a public school in the interior of Rio Grande Sul State, as well as how Yoga, an ancient Indian philosophy of body practice, can contribute to well-being at school. Quantitative and qualitative collaborative exploratory research was developed upon returning to face-to-face activities, shortly after going through restrictions imposed by the COVID-19. In the pandemic scenario, the entire school community had to readapt to a new form of teaching, which took place remotely. To this end, the research initially used the Short form-36 questionnaire in order to investigate teachers' perceptions of health and quality of life. Soon after, a training intervention was carried out focusing on well-being, where questions were asked about influencing factors on the topic. Finally, the teaching staff showed interest in taking Yoga classes, which took place at the school's headquarters, with the aim of providing an environment for pause, reflection, moments of listening and collective dialogue. As a result, the importance of addressing health promotion within the scope of continuing education was observed, given that teachers have been feeling overwhelmed with their work activities for some time and remote teaching brought about by the pandemic has only exacerbated these issues. Yoga at school has encouraged important reflections regarding health. In this study, it sparked the interest of teachers, who felt benefits on a physical, mental and emotional level.