Spirituality in Health and Physical Education

Reflecting on my Health & Physical Education experience in public school in Canada, it

was dehumanized and there were missed opportunities that could have helped me to connect with
myself, my community, and my purpose in life. In a culturally and religiously diverse school,
spirituality was rarely mentioned, perhaps seen as complex and closely tied to religion. It was not
until last year, during the daily self-care activities of my Adapted Practicum, that I began
purposefully feeding my spirit, and I experienced the benefit to my wellbeing. A qualitative
study of Junior and Intermediate students and physical education teachers in Indonesia confirmed
the benefits of implementing spirituality in physical education as it stimulated students’ values of
joy, tolerance, care, serenity and awareness, resulting in improvements of student well being
(Nopembri et al., 2019). Furthermore, the authors studied the spiritual aspect of running in
helping to clear the mind through the repetitive motion and allowing for opportunities to reflect
on one’s purpose. I cringe thinking back to my school days, and the painful long runs along the
ravine in physical education class. Not once did my teachers discuss what the mind should be
doing during this time, and the focus was solely on the end goal. I wish that during what seemed
like endless time, I could have proactively connected with myself, reflecting on my purpose in
life, connecting with the community I was running with, supporting each other, and connecting
with nature through the views, sounds, and smells encountered in my run.
Health education in school was as dehumanized, focusing on science and facts, with
minimal discussion on emotions, and connecting with oneself. I related much to the class reading
by Anderson (2007) Spirituality as an Integral Part of Education for Health. Similar to the
author’s experience, in my health class we did not discuss topics of “intimacy, passion, love,
desire, and affection” (Anderson, 2007, p.15) within the context of sexual education. The focus
was on protection from STDS, abstinence, and physical body response, without truly addressing
the emotions and spiritual connections that attract us to others. Anderson (2007) emphasizes
adolescents’ search for meaning and purpose in life, longing for inner peace, urge to transcend
through their passions, desire to be welcomed into adulthood, need for joy, and desire for
connection through attitudes of respect and care, as key desires in adolescents’ spiritual
development journeys. As a physical education teacher, I would like to address these aspects of
spiritual wellbeing, leveraging some of Andersons’ (2007) and Nopembri et al.’s (2018) ideas of
having students search for the beauty and reflect on each activity they engage in, sharing case
studies of sacrifice, courage, heroism, and sportsmanship in sports, breaking down movements in
physical activity, connecting physical activities to cultural traditions, and creating an
environment of care. Furthermore, I recommend teachers to use Down Dog Yoga, this tool was
free over the pandemic for educators, and I have found it very successful and adaptable in
practicing yoga and meditation with students. As well, I will take students to exercise in nature,
as nature hikes have really fueled my spiritual wellbeing. I am committed to making physical
education activities purposeful by encouraging students to focus on movement, connections with
their surroundings, and reflecting on life while being thankful.
 References
Anderson, A. (2007). Spirituality as an Integral Part of Education for Health. Physical & Health
Education Journal; Spring, 73.
Nopembri, S., Rithaudin, A., Saryono, M., & Sugiyama, Y. (2019). Spiritual Development
through Elementary Physical Education Classes. https://doi.org/10.2991/YISHPESS-COIS-
18.2018.35