Family Violence Initiative

COMPENDIUM OF PROMISING PRACTICES TO REDUCE VIOLENCE AND INCREASE SAFETY OF ABORIGINAL WOMEN IN CANADA

INTERACTIONS WITHIN COMMUNITIES

Healthy Relationships: Children and Youth

Program Name:

Native Yoga

Organization/Community:

Kateri School

Location:

Kahnawake, Quebec

Website:

N/A

Goals and Objectives:

To teach, through yoga, relaxation and calming down techniques to youth that will encourage students to trust their self-correcting abilities and maintain a balanced life, reducing their vulnerability to violence and abuse. Target Group Description: Boys and Girls (ages 6 – 11)

Program Description:

The program seeks to teach yoga to students with the aim of helping students develop tools and skills that will help them control their own behaviours and approach life from a place of calmness and balance. The yoga sessions incorporate cultural components and each session begins with a smudge and a talking circle that allows any student to talk about anything that concerns them. Yoga is accompanied by traditional Mohawk cultural teachings such as the Creation Story to reinforce cultural knowledge and pride in self through the learning process. The sessions also utilize cultural music such as Native flute music. As well, the Mohawk language is used in mantras during the sessions.

Program Successes/Impact:

Students gaining the tools necessary through the program to become more mindful of their behaviours and the associated triggers, empowering the students to be more in control over their actions.

Key Lessons/Challenges:

Insufficient time allotted to teach the entire student population. Insufficient space allotted for the sessions.

Program in operation since:

2008.

Program:

Ongoing.