Yoga: A Way of Life: NCERT Class 6 English Lesson (Poorvi)

etmantra3 Nov 20266 min read

Many children have seen a grandparent doing yoga in the park or on a mat at home. This lesson explains what yoga really is, where the word comes from and why people all over the world now practise it. It also clears up a spelling that confuses many students: practice and practise.

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From NCERT’s new English book Poorvi for Class 6, unit “Sports and Wellness”. Unit 4.

What your child learns

Health words: flexibility, endurance, anxiety, concentration
Practice (noun) and practise (verb); advice (noun) and advise (verb)
Reading an information text and picking out its main points
Writing a short paragraph with an opening line, supporting ideas and a concluding line

What the lesson is about

The lesson tells us that yoga began in ancient India and works on the body, the mind and the spirit together. The word comes from a Sanskrit root that means to join or unite, so yoga is about bringing mind and body, thought and action, and people and nature into balance. Sage Patanjali set out the old tradition in an orderly way in the Yoga Sutras, and described yoga as a way to make the mind quiet and free from distractions.

The lesson then lists the benefits. Asanas (postures) stretch and strengthen the muscles and improve flexibility, endurance and balance. Breathing and meditation calm the mind, lower stress, improve sleep and help concentration. Yoga can also support the immune system, the heart and a healthy weight. Because of these benefits, the World Health Organisation launched a free app, WHO mYoga, in 2021. The lesson ends with a reminder: in yoga the mind must stay with the body, and each stretch should go with the breath and full attention.

New words, with Hindi meanings

originated: started; began in a place (हिंदी: शुरू हुआ, उत्पन्न हुआ)
harmony: balance; things working well together (हिंदी: सामंजस्य, तालमेल)
holistic: looking at the whole person, body and mind together (हिंदी: समग्र)
distractions: things that pull your attention away (हिंदी: ध्यान भटकाने वाली चीज़ें)
flexibility: being able to bend and stretch easily (हिंदी: लचीलापन)
endurance: the power to keep going without giving up (हिंदी: सहनशक्ति)
anxiety: worry; a nervous feeling (हिंदी: चिंता, घबराहट)
boost: to increase or make stronger (हिंदी: बढ़ाना)
concentration: keeping your mind on one thing (हिंदी: एकाग्रता)
posture: a position of the body; in yoga, an asana (हिंदी: मुद्रा, आसन)

Talk about it

Ask these aloud after reading or watching. Let your child answer in English if they can, or mix in their home language. Both help.

Where does the word 'yoga' come from, and what does it mean?
How did Sage Patanjali describe yoga?
Name two ways yoga helps the body and two ways it helps the mind.
Why did the World Health Organisation launch the WHO mYoga app?
Have you or someone in your family tried yoga or any exercise? How did it make you feel?

Answers for parents

It comes from the Sanskrit root 'yuj', which means to join or to unite. It stands for the unity of mind and body.
He described it as a way to make the mind quiet and free from all distractions.
For the body, asanas stretch and strengthen the muscles and improve flexibility and balance. For the mind, breathing and meditation reduce stress and improve sleep and concentration.
It wanted to give people across the world an easy-to-use, free tool with videos and audio to help them practise yoga.
For example: My grandmother does yoga every morning. I tried some breathing exercises with her, and I felt calm and fresh afterwards.

Grammar corner: Practice (noun) and practise (verb)

Practice and practise sound the same, but they are used differently. Practice with a 'c' is a noun, the name of the thing: a daily practice, regular practice. Practise with an 's' is a verb, the action of doing something again and again: I practise, they practise. Advice (noun) and advise (verb) work the same way.

Morning yoga is a good practice for the whole family.
My cousin and I practise breathing exercises before school.
The yoga teacher gave us good advice, and she advised us to keep our backs straight.

Practice at home

Fill in the blank with practice or practise: We ___ yoga on the terrace every Sunday.
Fill in the blank with advice or advise: My coach gave me some useful ___ about breathing.
Make a sentence using the word 'flexibility'.

Answers: 1. practise (it is the action, a verb) · 2. advice (it is a thing given, a noun) · 3. Sample answer: Stretching every day improves the flexibility of my legs.

Try this

Hold a five-minute family 'quiet time'. Everyone sits straight, closes their eyes and breathes in slowly while counting to four, then breathes out while counting to four. After five rounds, each person says one word for how they feel: calm, sleepy, fresh, relaxed. Then the child explains, in English, one benefit of yoga from the lesson.

Tip for parents

Use Hindi to fix the practice and practise rule. In Hindi, 'अभ्यास' is the thing and 'अभ्यास करना' is the action: tell your child that when Hindi needs 'करना', English uses practise with an 's'. Ask the benefits of yoga in Hindi first, let your child answer in any mix of Hindi and English, then help them say one full English sentence, and praise the effort.

Questions parents ask

What is the chapter Yoga: A Way of Life about?

It is an information text that explains what yoga is, where the word comes from, and how yoga helps the body and the mind. It also mentions Sage Patanjali's Yoga Sutras and the WHO mYoga app launched in 2021.

Is Yoga: A Way of Life in the new NCERT book?

Yes. It is in NCERT's new Poorvi book for Class 6, Unit 4 (Sports and Wellness).

What is the difference between practice and practise in this chapter?

The chapter teaches that practice is a noun (a regular practice) and practise is a verb (I practise yoga). The pair advice and advise follows the same rule.

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