Salient Features

School Greeting: Namaskar
“Namaskar” is a form of greeting accompanied with gestures: the palms are together and the thumbs touch the middle of eyebrows and down to the middle of the heart. Its meaning is “I salute the divine within you with all the charms of mind and the love of my heart.” The AMSAI community is expected to salute each other with Namaskar.

Morning Circle
To prepare the mind for the lessons every day, all pupils will do Morning Circle (or Afternoon Circle for PM sesions) before the classes start. The Morning Circle consists of:

  1. Yoga Exercises for Kids
  2. Singing inspirational songs with themes of love and peace
  3. Meditation/Quiet Time which incorporates deep relaxation, guided imagery and positive affirmations
  4. Recitation of Children’s Prayer and Oath
  5. Other value-oriented extension activities

Kiirtan “Baba Nam Kevalam”
“Baba Nam Kevalam” are Sanskrit words, which means “only infinite love”, or “Love is everywhere”. The characteristic of the mind is it takes the form of what it thinks. What you think, so you become. Therefore it is a necessity to always maintain good thought. Singing Baba Nam Kevalam ensures feeling of love and care for others, positive thinking and it removes psychic complexes such as inferiority, superiority complexes, depression and so on. It creates happy feeling and unitedness.

Kiirtan means singing “Baba Nam Kevalam” while moving in certain gestures: hands are up and the feet move alternately. The tip of the big toe of the right foot will touch the floor behind the left foot while bending the knee and vice versa. It has benefits for body and mind. When the hands are straight up, the spine will correct itself to its normal posture. By bending the knees alternately, the knees will get exercise. So the knees will be flexible and make it easier to sit crossing the legs. Touching the tip of toes on the floor will massage the Pineal gland which controls the whole glands in the body and by massaging the pineal gland, it secretes certain hormone called melatonin which gives the blissful feeling. It is an exercise for the body and it creates positive energy to the person singing it and the environment.

Meditation/Quiet Time
Meditation or Quiet Time is a tool to better connect pupils’ inner selves and experiences to their outer learning process, while reducing situational stresses. Today’s fast-paced lifestyle is stressful and chaotic for children. The value of quiet reflective time in which children can calm their inner selves, reduce stress, integrate their experiences and start their school learning with an ideal “mental palate” is being explored in Quiet Time/Meditation. Music and body exercise (stretching, yoga, Tai Chi) are being used to bring children from their scattered senses, to a state of mind where they can be in touch with more of themselves. “Quiet Time” can be defined as a time when children can approach their inner selves through guided imagery, meditation, and reflective reading and writing. The meditation is ended by reciting a Children Prayer, followed by Oath (see Index). This is an auto suggestion practice to remind the child of his true nature and his deepest ideals.

Asanas or Yoga Exercise
Yoga exercise or Asanas is part of Physical Education in AMSAI and the daily morning circle. Asanas means the position that you feel comfortable to do. The benefits of Yoga exercise complement the usual physical exercise such as running, swimming, playing basketball etc. because it not only exercises and increases muscle flexibility but it also massages the endocrine glands by certain movements and control of breathing. Control of endocrine glands balances secretion of hormones, which results to no under or over secretion of hormones in the body giving balance of mind and proper body functions.

School Diet
Following the ideals of extending love to all creations and diet appropriate for health and holistic development of the children, the school propagates Sentient Diet. Sentient diet is vegetarian food which consists of: all fruits (except durian); any kind of vegetables (except onion and garlic); milk and milk products such as yoghurt, cheese, butter; grains and staple food such as rice, corn, wheat, barley, cassava, potato, sweet potatoes, yams etc.; beans and nuts such as monggo, soy beans, peanuts, kidney beans etc. and their products such as tofu, meat substitute (magic meat, gluten); honey, brown sugar or mascuvado and moderate spices.

The pupils should not bring non-vegetarian (static food) and junk food to school. Non-vegetarian food consists of: any kind of meat and meat products such as sausages, chicken, fish, eggs, and mushroom. They also should not bring junk food. Junk food is opposed to wholesome food, has lots of chemicals, MSG, high in sodium, sugar and calories, less in protein and minerals. These include unwholesome chips and candies. Parents should restrain their children from taking too much soft drinks and chocolates. Discourage the habit of taking tea and coffee as these kinds of drinks make the children hyper in class. Rather parents should encourage their children to drink sufficient plain water regularly, supply them with natural fruit juices or milk drink and wholesome snacks.