The summer bleach that brought yoga to England's schools – P4 Blekinge

She has been doing summer bleaching since she was 10 years old and nowadays Charlotta Martinus spends the summer with her mother in Sjuhalla.

Helps them find peace
But she lives by day in Somerset, UK, where she has built a major business around yoga and mindfulness. She is primarily a high school teacher but now works in teaching students how to find stillness and calm within themselves.

– It is very popular in English schools and is often scheduled. “Sometimes I have to pinch myself because it seems unreal that I built this,” she says.

He wanted to find strategies
It all started in 2003 when Charlotta Martinus was a single mother of two boys and a teacher at the same time. She realized that she had to find a strategy to control a large group of young people and make them learn in the best way.

– I didn't want to scream and scold, but to help them in a way that they could take with them for the rest of their lives. “I myself have done a lot of yoga and decided to pass these tools on to young people,” she says.

Sensitive tooth
Everything has evolved, and today her instructions also aim to strengthen young people at the sensitive age that adolescence can be.

– If you feel lonely or anxious, you can, for example, use yoga to learn how to know your own worth, says Charlotta Martinus.

Research its methods
Since then, Harvard University has begun researching Charlotta Martino's methods and a conference is organized every year on the topic of yoga at the school. A quarter of UK primary schools practice some form of yoga or mindfulness in their teaching, and research has shown that this type of activity gives pupils higher grades.

Local project
Now Charlotta Martinus will try to establish her business in Karlskrona as well. In cooperation with Fischerströmska High School, it will apply for funds to start a project for vulnerable youth.

– She says: – We want to know how yoga can strengthen these children and young people.

interview:
Helena Stromblad

text:
Stina Linde