Yoga for Concentration | Health and Physical Education for Class 8 PDF Download

 Page 1


Yoga for Concentration 111
Yoga for 
Concentration
IntroductIon Concentration is the fundamental 
requirement for achieving anything in 
life. It is required for understanding a 
lesson, doing homework or class work, 
and even for leisure activities like 
playing games and engaging in hobbies. 
Concentration can be improved by 
developing a balance between the body 
and mind. Therefore, it is essential 
that we develop harmony for improving 
concentration. Yoga brings harmony 
between the body and mind, and 
thereby, improves concentration. In 
this Unit, teachers will be given an 
insight on how to encourage students 
to do some yogic practices that will 
help enhance their concentration.
Material required: Charts, durri or mat, posters of various 
asana, kriya, pranayama and meditation, CDs and projector.
u nderstandIng the c oncept and Importance 
of c oncentratIon A teacher will first discuss the concept of concentration. The 
teacher will also tell the students that concentration is required 
for doing all kinds of work, for example learning a lesson, 
preparing for an examination, memorising, recollecting and 
analysing data, writing the answers, etc. Without concentration, 
we cannot do things effectively.
This Unit will enable 
a teacher to help 
students to:
? ? understand 
the concept of 
concentration and 
its importance.
? ? perform various 
yogic practices 
that improve 
concentration 
while developing 
harmony between 
the body and 
mind.
Objectives
6
Unit
Page 2


Yoga for Concentration 111
Yoga for 
Concentration
IntroductIon Concentration is the fundamental 
requirement for achieving anything in 
life. It is required for understanding a 
lesson, doing homework or class work, 
and even for leisure activities like 
playing games and engaging in hobbies. 
Concentration can be improved by 
developing a balance between the body 
and mind. Therefore, it is essential 
that we develop harmony for improving 
concentration. Yoga brings harmony 
between the body and mind, and 
thereby, improves concentration. In 
this Unit, teachers will be given an 
insight on how to encourage students 
to do some yogic practices that will 
help enhance their concentration.
Material required: Charts, durri or mat, posters of various 
asana, kriya, pranayama and meditation, CDs and projector.
u nderstandIng the c oncept and Importance 
of c oncentratIon A teacher will first discuss the concept of concentration. The 
teacher will also tell the students that concentration is required 
for doing all kinds of work, for example learning a lesson, 
preparing for an examination, memorising, recollecting and 
analysing data, writing the answers, etc. Without concentration, 
we cannot do things effectively.
This Unit will enable 
a teacher to help 
students to:
? ? understand 
the concept of 
concentration and 
its importance.
? ? perform various 
yogic practices 
that improve 
concentration 
while developing 
harmony between 
the body and 
mind.
Objectives
6
Unit
 
g uIdelInes for the t eacher 
The teacher writes the following questions on a blackboard and 
asks the students to put a tick (ü) mark the against appropriate 
statements. The answer can be more than one. Learning will be 
faster when the students are:
(a) studying in a classroom and listening to the teacher.
(b) listening to the teacher and also talking to their friends.
(c) learning the lesson and watching television 
simultaneously.
(d) studying alone at home and focusing on the study.
The teacher tells the students that option (a) and (d) are 
the appropriate answers. The teacher will, then, explain that 
learning will be faster when the students are focused. Thus, 
concentration improves learning and performance.
Yoga Improves c oncentratIon The following yogic practices help the students Improve 
concentration.
6.1: Yama (Restraint)
The teacher will introduce the concept of yama and explain 
its importance for improving concentration. The teacher has 
to explain all five yama — satya (truthfulness), ahimsa (non-
violence), asteya (non-stealing), brahmacharya (celibacy) and 
aparigraha (non-possessiveness).
Guidelines for the teacher
? ? The teacher will ask the students to collect two stories each 
on satya (truthfulness) and ahimsa (non-violence).
? ? The teacher will, then, ask the students to share and 
discuss the stories in class.
? ? The teacher will conclude the activity by explaining 
that truthfulness and non-violence help in improving 
concentration.
Page 3


Yoga for Concentration 111
Yoga for 
Concentration
IntroductIon Concentration is the fundamental 
requirement for achieving anything in 
life. It is required for understanding a 
lesson, doing homework or class work, 
and even for leisure activities like 
playing games and engaging in hobbies. 
Concentration can be improved by 
developing a balance between the body 
and mind. Therefore, it is essential 
that we develop harmony for improving 
concentration. Yoga brings harmony 
between the body and mind, and 
thereby, improves concentration. In 
this Unit, teachers will be given an 
insight on how to encourage students 
to do some yogic practices that will 
help enhance their concentration.
Material required: Charts, durri or mat, posters of various 
asana, kriya, pranayama and meditation, CDs and projector.
u nderstandIng the c oncept and Importance 
of c oncentratIon A teacher will first discuss the concept of concentration. The 
teacher will also tell the students that concentration is required 
for doing all kinds of work, for example learning a lesson, 
preparing for an examination, memorising, recollecting and 
analysing data, writing the answers, etc. Without concentration, 
we cannot do things effectively.
This Unit will enable 
a teacher to help 
students to:
? ? understand 
the concept of 
concentration and 
its importance.
? ? perform various 
yogic practices 
that improve 
concentration 
while developing 
harmony between 
the body and 
mind.
Objectives
6
Unit
 
g uIdelInes for the t eacher 
The teacher writes the following questions on a blackboard and 
asks the students to put a tick (ü) mark the against appropriate 
statements. The answer can be more than one. Learning will be 
faster when the students are:
(a) studying in a classroom and listening to the teacher.
(b) listening to the teacher and also talking to their friends.
(c) learning the lesson and watching television 
simultaneously.
(d) studying alone at home and focusing on the study.
The teacher tells the students that option (a) and (d) are 
the appropriate answers. The teacher will, then, explain that 
learning will be faster when the students are focused. Thus, 
concentration improves learning and performance.
Yoga Improves c oncentratIon The following yogic practices help the students Improve 
concentration.
6.1: Yama (Restraint)
The teacher will introduce the concept of yama and explain 
its importance for improving concentration. The teacher has 
to explain all five yama — satya (truthfulness), ahimsa (non-
violence), asteya (non-stealing), brahmacharya (celibacy) and 
aparigraha (non-possessiveness).
Guidelines for the teacher
? ? The teacher will ask the students to collect two stories each 
on satya (truthfulness) and ahimsa (non-violence).
? ? The teacher will, then, ask the students to share and 
discuss the stories in class.
? ? The teacher will conclude the activity by explaining 
that truthfulness and non-violence help in improving 
concentration.
 
6.2: Niyama (Observance)
The teacher will introduce the concept of ‘niyama’ in the class and 
explain its importance for improving concentration. The teacher 
will explain all five niyama — shaucha (cleanliness), santosha 
(satisfaction), tapas (austerity), swadhyaya (knowing about self) 
and ishwarapranidhana (surrender and devotion to God).
Guidelines for the teacher
The teacher must inspect the shaucha (cleanliness) habits 
of the students continuously for one week and record the 
observations in the following table:
Roll No. 
of the 
student
Uniform Nails Shoes Hair
M T W TH F S M T W TH F S M T W TH F S M T W TH F S
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
? ? The teacher will put ‘Yes/No’ in the table for each student 
continuously for six days.
? ? After a week, the teacher will share the observations and 
ask the students lacking in cleanliness to develop the 
habit of cleanliness. The teacher will, then, summarise 
the importance of cleanliness and tell the students that 
practising yama and niyama in their daily life will protect 
them from tension and help them to enhance their 
concentration.
? ? The teacher will, thus, conclude that yogic activities help in 
removing distraction and improve concentration. Attention 
plays an important role in increasing concentration. 
Practise of yogic activities help in improving attention. 
There are many yogic activities, which help in improving 
concentration. Regular practice of these show positive 
results in an individual.
Page 4


Yoga for Concentration 111
Yoga for 
Concentration
IntroductIon Concentration is the fundamental 
requirement for achieving anything in 
life. It is required for understanding a 
lesson, doing homework or class work, 
and even for leisure activities like 
playing games and engaging in hobbies. 
Concentration can be improved by 
developing a balance between the body 
and mind. Therefore, it is essential 
that we develop harmony for improving 
concentration. Yoga brings harmony 
between the body and mind, and 
thereby, improves concentration. In 
this Unit, teachers will be given an 
insight on how to encourage students 
to do some yogic practices that will 
help enhance their concentration.
Material required: Charts, durri or mat, posters of various 
asana, kriya, pranayama and meditation, CDs and projector.
u nderstandIng the c oncept and Importance 
of c oncentratIon A teacher will first discuss the concept of concentration. The 
teacher will also tell the students that concentration is required 
for doing all kinds of work, for example learning a lesson, 
preparing for an examination, memorising, recollecting and 
analysing data, writing the answers, etc. Without concentration, 
we cannot do things effectively.
This Unit will enable 
a teacher to help 
students to:
? ? understand 
the concept of 
concentration and 
its importance.
? ? perform various 
yogic practices 
that improve 
concentration 
while developing 
harmony between 
the body and 
mind.
Objectives
6
Unit
 
g uIdelInes for the t eacher 
The teacher writes the following questions on a blackboard and 
asks the students to put a tick (ü) mark the against appropriate 
statements. The answer can be more than one. Learning will be 
faster when the students are:
(a) studying in a classroom and listening to the teacher.
(b) listening to the teacher and also talking to their friends.
(c) learning the lesson and watching television 
simultaneously.
(d) studying alone at home and focusing on the study.
The teacher tells the students that option (a) and (d) are 
the appropriate answers. The teacher will, then, explain that 
learning will be faster when the students are focused. Thus, 
concentration improves learning and performance.
Yoga Improves c oncentratIon The following yogic practices help the students Improve 
concentration.
6.1: Yama (Restraint)
The teacher will introduce the concept of yama and explain 
its importance for improving concentration. The teacher has 
to explain all five yama — satya (truthfulness), ahimsa (non-
violence), asteya (non-stealing), brahmacharya (celibacy) and 
aparigraha (non-possessiveness).
Guidelines for the teacher
? ? The teacher will ask the students to collect two stories each 
on satya (truthfulness) and ahimsa (non-violence).
? ? The teacher will, then, ask the students to share and 
discuss the stories in class.
? ? The teacher will conclude the activity by explaining 
that truthfulness and non-violence help in improving 
concentration.
 
6.2: Niyama (Observance)
The teacher will introduce the concept of ‘niyama’ in the class and 
explain its importance for improving concentration. The teacher 
will explain all five niyama — shaucha (cleanliness), santosha 
(satisfaction), tapas (austerity), swadhyaya (knowing about self) 
and ishwarapranidhana (surrender and devotion to God).
Guidelines for the teacher
The teacher must inspect the shaucha (cleanliness) habits 
of the students continuously for one week and record the 
observations in the following table:
Roll No. 
of the 
student
Uniform Nails Shoes Hair
M T W TH F S M T W TH F S M T W TH F S M T W TH F S
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
? ? The teacher will put ‘Yes/No’ in the table for each student 
continuously for six days.
? ? After a week, the teacher will share the observations and 
ask the students lacking in cleanliness to develop the 
habit of cleanliness. The teacher will, then, summarise 
the importance of cleanliness and tell the students that 
practising yama and niyama in their daily life will protect 
them from tension and help them to enhance their 
concentration.
? ? The teacher will, thus, conclude that yogic activities help in 
removing distraction and improve concentration. Attention 
plays an important role in increasing concentration. 
Practise of yogic activities help in improving attention. 
There are many yogic activities, which help in improving 
concentration. Regular practice of these show positive 
results in an individual.
 
6.3: Asana
Asana refers to the physical postures performed by 
coordinating the movement of the body and breath to enhance 
concentration. Few of them are discussed here.
Guidelines for the teacher
? ? The teacher will ask the students to practise micro-yogic 
activities like neck, shoulder, wrist, finger and ankle 
rotation, and so on. The teacher may show pictures or 
give demonstration on how to perform these micro-yogic 
activities.
? ? The teacher will, then, ask the students to perform Surya 
Namaskar, which they have learnt in Classes VI and VII.
? ? Surya Namaskar is important for improving concentration.
? ? For Surya Namaskar, the teacher may consult the 
book Yoga: A Healthy Way of Living for the upper 
primary stage.
? ? There are several asana, which need to be taught to the 
students. The teacher will teach the various types of 
asana to the students one-by-one. Some of these have 
been explained in the Unit.
? ? The teacher will give an introduction about each asana, 
telling the students about the benefits and limitations of 
each asana, which they will perform.
? ? The teacher will instruct the students to perform various 
asana and ensure that the guidelines for performing the 
different types of asana, given in the book — Yoga: A 
Healthy Way of Living for the upper primary stage by 
NCERT — are followed. The teacher may demonstrate 
the postures also.
Garudasana
This asana is named after the bird garuda (eagle). In this asana, 
the hands with the arms twisted in front, looking like the beak 
of an eagle. Garudasana can be done by following these steps.
Page 5


Yoga for Concentration 111
Yoga for 
Concentration
IntroductIon Concentration is the fundamental 
requirement for achieving anything in 
life. It is required for understanding a 
lesson, doing homework or class work, 
and even for leisure activities like 
playing games and engaging in hobbies. 
Concentration can be improved by 
developing a balance between the body 
and mind. Therefore, it is essential 
that we develop harmony for improving 
concentration. Yoga brings harmony 
between the body and mind, and 
thereby, improves concentration. In 
this Unit, teachers will be given an 
insight on how to encourage students 
to do some yogic practices that will 
help enhance their concentration.
Material required: Charts, durri or mat, posters of various 
asana, kriya, pranayama and meditation, CDs and projector.
u nderstandIng the c oncept and Importance 
of c oncentratIon A teacher will first discuss the concept of concentration. The 
teacher will also tell the students that concentration is required 
for doing all kinds of work, for example learning a lesson, 
preparing for an examination, memorising, recollecting and 
analysing data, writing the answers, etc. Without concentration, 
we cannot do things effectively.
This Unit will enable 
a teacher to help 
students to:
? ? understand 
the concept of 
concentration and 
its importance.
? ? perform various 
yogic practices 
that improve 
concentration 
while developing 
harmony between 
the body and 
mind.
Objectives
6
Unit
 
g uIdelInes for the t eacher 
The teacher writes the following questions on a blackboard and 
asks the students to put a tick (ü) mark the against appropriate 
statements. The answer can be more than one. Learning will be 
faster when the students are:
(a) studying in a classroom and listening to the teacher.
(b) listening to the teacher and also talking to their friends.
(c) learning the lesson and watching television 
simultaneously.
(d) studying alone at home and focusing on the study.
The teacher tells the students that option (a) and (d) are 
the appropriate answers. The teacher will, then, explain that 
learning will be faster when the students are focused. Thus, 
concentration improves learning and performance.
Yoga Improves c oncentratIon The following yogic practices help the students Improve 
concentration.
6.1: Yama (Restraint)
The teacher will introduce the concept of yama and explain 
its importance for improving concentration. The teacher has 
to explain all five yama — satya (truthfulness), ahimsa (non-
violence), asteya (non-stealing), brahmacharya (celibacy) and 
aparigraha (non-possessiveness).
Guidelines for the teacher
? ? The teacher will ask the students to collect two stories each 
on satya (truthfulness) and ahimsa (non-violence).
? ? The teacher will, then, ask the students to share and 
discuss the stories in class.
? ? The teacher will conclude the activity by explaining 
that truthfulness and non-violence help in improving 
concentration.
 
6.2: Niyama (Observance)
The teacher will introduce the concept of ‘niyama’ in the class and 
explain its importance for improving concentration. The teacher 
will explain all five niyama — shaucha (cleanliness), santosha 
(satisfaction), tapas (austerity), swadhyaya (knowing about self) 
and ishwarapranidhana (surrender and devotion to God).
Guidelines for the teacher
The teacher must inspect the shaucha (cleanliness) habits 
of the students continuously for one week and record the 
observations in the following table:
Roll No. 
of the 
student
Uniform Nails Shoes Hair
M T W TH F S M T W TH F S M T W TH F S M T W TH F S
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
? ? The teacher will put ‘Yes/No’ in the table for each student 
continuously for six days.
? ? After a week, the teacher will share the observations and 
ask the students lacking in cleanliness to develop the 
habit of cleanliness. The teacher will, then, summarise 
the importance of cleanliness and tell the students that 
practising yama and niyama in their daily life will protect 
them from tension and help them to enhance their 
concentration.
? ? The teacher will, thus, conclude that yogic activities help in 
removing distraction and improve concentration. Attention 
plays an important role in increasing concentration. 
Practise of yogic activities help in improving attention. 
There are many yogic activities, which help in improving 
concentration. Regular practice of these show positive 
results in an individual.
 
6.3: Asana
Asana refers to the physical postures performed by 
coordinating the movement of the body and breath to enhance 
concentration. Few of them are discussed here.
Guidelines for the teacher
? ? The teacher will ask the students to practise micro-yogic 
activities like neck, shoulder, wrist, finger and ankle 
rotation, and so on. The teacher may show pictures or 
give demonstration on how to perform these micro-yogic 
activities.
? ? The teacher will, then, ask the students to perform Surya 
Namaskar, which they have learnt in Classes VI and VII.
? ? Surya Namaskar is important for improving concentration.
? ? For Surya Namaskar, the teacher may consult the 
book Yoga: A Healthy Way of Living for the upper 
primary stage.
? ? There are several asana, which need to be taught to the 
students. The teacher will teach the various types of 
asana to the students one-by-one. Some of these have 
been explained in the Unit.
? ? The teacher will give an introduction about each asana, 
telling the students about the benefits and limitations of 
each asana, which they will perform.
? ? The teacher will instruct the students to perform various 
asana and ensure that the guidelines for performing the 
different types of asana, given in the book — Yoga: A 
Healthy Way of Living for the upper primary stage by 
NCERT — are followed. The teacher may demonstrate 
the postures also.
Garudasana
This asana is named after the bird garuda (eagle). In this asana, 
the hands with the arms twisted in front, looking like the beak 
of an eagle. Garudasana can be done by following these steps.
 
Starting position
1. Stand erect with the feet together, 
the hands by the sides of the thighs. 
2. Balancing on the left foot, raise the 
right leg, bend the right knee and 
wrap it around the left leg. 
3. Keep the left elbow below as 
shown in Fig. 6.1. Place the palms 
together in front. Keep the trunk 
erect and maintain the posture for 
5–10 seconds.
Releasing position
1. Release the arms. Put the right foot 
down on the floor.
2. Come to the starting position. Repeat 
it by changing the position of legs and arms.
Table 6.1: Do’s and don’ts
Do’s Don’ts
• Attempt it within the limitation 
of your body.
• Keep the trunk erect.
• Avoid jerks.
• Do not apply force on any 
part of the body.
The teacher concludes this asana by stating the benefits 
and limitations.
Benefits
? ? It helps to loosen the joints of legs and arms.
? ? This asana helps give static stretching of the muscles of 
the upper and lower parts of the body.
? ? It enhances concentration.
? ? It develops balance in the body.
Limitation
Persons suffering from muscular pain, spasm, injuries of bones 
and joints must not practise this asana.
Fig. 6.1: Garudasana