The foundation was created after the
fatal car accident of Sean O'Shea, just days after his 32nd
birthday. Sean was a popular
Ashtanga yoga teacher and owner of Four Season's Yoga. He started teaching yoga to at-risk
youth in 2002 at many schools throughout San Diego County.
The Sean O'Shea Foundation
was established as a 501(3)(c) in November of 2007, started its first pilot
program in spring 2008. and started the full program in Fall 2008... to date, the
foundation has brought the seven week yoga and nutrition program to over 1800
children ages 9 - 18 thanks to the friends of the Sean O'Shea Foundation. We dedicate our efforts to the memory
and good life of Sean O'Shea and the children of our communities
Research:
Yoga programs
for children in
community and academic settings have increased. Significant positive
correlations were found between yoga participation and academic performance,
body image, and behavior. Similarly, while research on the effectiveness of
relaxation techniques such as yoga with children is limited, the available
research presents many positive findings, such as improved attention,
concentration, impulse control, strength, and self-esteem (Slovacek, Tucker and
Pantoja 2003) Children, Youth and Environments 17(2),
2007 Our Story of Yoga: Participatory Learning
and Action with Young Children -Ilana Palgi Yeshiva University New York
Studies show that identifying young people when they
first begin to experiment with unhealthy and risky behaviors and providing them
with programs that focus on quality during and after school programs can helpdecrease this type of behavior.
According to a study completed by the Program
Evaluation and Research Collaborative,
the implementation of yoga programs in schools, targeting children, produce many
positive outcomes and statistically significant finding These included that
yoga class participation helped students improve their attitude towards
themselves, improve students' behavior and physical health, as well as helped
students perform better in school academically.
Testimonial:
I
wanted to acknowledge all of you for the powerful work you do with our
children. For months, students have been asking me about yoga classes and telling me how excited they are. As we
have participated with the Sean O'Shea foundation
over the last 2 years, I have seen a building momentum of awareness and
acceptance of yoga. Teachers and students that
used to brush yoga off as an "alternative" practice that they would
never attempt, are now seeing it as a normal part of our community. I had the
opportunity to observe the first 10 minutes of yoga
class today, and was very impressed with the effectiveness of
instruction, especially in the area of nutrition. I am very concerned with the
health of our students, especially since they have a maximum of 30 minutes per
week of physical education at school. If they are
not participating in physical activity outside of school, they are not getting
any exercise. Thank you for all your hard work and PLEASE let me know if you need
any additional support.
-Laura
Anderson.- Chula Vista Learning Community Charter
