About
Kidding Around Yoga
May the entire universe be filled with peace and joy, love and light… and lots of peaceful children!
Sharing The Love of Kids Yoga
Kidding Around Yoga was founded by Haris Lender in 2009. Since we began spreading the love of Kids Yoga we have trained more than 10,000 people across the globe and as a result our teachers have delivered classes to more than 1 million children worldwide.
Our unique program combines the principles of ancient yoga practices with a fun and engaging twist, which is coupled with a series of original music written and performed by our founder and many members of the KAY family.
Trained KAY Teachers
Children Practicing KAY
KAY Kids Meditation Minutes
Our Founder
Meet Haris Harini Lender. She is the founder and creator of Kidding Around Yoga. Originally from New Haven, Connecticut, she is an Integral Yoga® teacher registered at the 500-hour level with the Yoga Alliance. She has additional certifications in Raja Yoga, Children’s Yoga, Stress Management and Prenatal Yoga. Haris spends most of her time living in a Yurt (Yurtananda) in Yogaville, Virginia but also spends time in Costa Rica and St. Petersburg, Florida. For 19 years Haris was the Director of Kids yoga sleepover camps. 11 years with Camp Yogaville and 8 of her own, Camp KAY.
Her many varied accomplishments include owning a Laundromat Pub (Scrub-a-Dub Pub) in Atlanta in the 80’s, completing an Outward Bound course, running the Outing Club at The University of North Carolina, and studying with the National Outdoor Leadership School in Kenya, where she lived with Masai warriors. Haris has traveled extensively to many parts of the world. She loves to lead Kirtan and has produced her own DVD, “Yoga with Haris.
The many music CDs that Haris has created are helping to bring the joy of yoga to children all over the world. She has also created a division of KAY called Yoga Yeladim which is a class based on the KAY method with a Jewish twist.
While Haris is semi-retired from Kidding Around Yoga she and her husband Evan have been focused on creating a new music venue at their home in central Virginia. (yurtananda.com) The space opens in April of 2022 and will offer Kirtan, Bluegrass, Reggae, Folk, and many other styles of music out in nature where folks can breathe fresh air, dance, enjoy a magnificent view, and reconnect with their true selves. Just as KAY gives children tools to feel peaceful, Haris’ new venture seeks to give adults an opportunity to feel peace, and joy… love and light through the high vibrations of stellar musical events. As Haris puts it: “I’ve been training for this my whole life”.
Evan and Haris have four children in their 20’s who have all in some level been involved with KAY and will no doubt be enjoying their latest venture.
Our Team
Kidding Around Yoga is comprised of a team of talented and creative individuals. There are almost 20 people on the core team who work towards the coordination, organization and management of all things KAY, as well as over 40 trainers across the global who deliver our in-person and virtual trainings.
Team KAY:
Are you interested in joining the Kidding Around Yoga team as a trainer? Click here to get in contact.
Our Training Programs
You do NOT need to be a certified yoga teacher to take any of our Kids Yoga teacher trainings.
Whether you are an Educator, a Caregiver, a Healthcare worker or a Yoga or Fitness professional, we have courses suitable for everyone.
Our training categories:
Certification Paths
Get certified to be a Kids Yoga teacher with one of our comprehensive and expansive certification courses.
Specialty Courses
Online courses to hone your knowledge in a particular area, from Trauma-informed to Toddlers, we have you covered.
Virtual Mini Workshops
90 minute virtual workshops are a great way to fine tune your teaching skills or dip your toe into the Kids Yoga world.
Educator Workshops
6 hour workshop to introduce yoga, meditation & mindfulness into today’s demanding academic environment.
What our students say
My name is Rebecca and I trained several years ago with Kidding Around Yoga. I am a full time primary school teacher in Oxford and I teach your Kidding Around Yoga every week. It is without doubt the best part of the whole week for children and for me. Every single child loves it. They then sing all the words to your songs in the playground and start impromptu yoga sessions themselves on the field rather than playing other games. They use all the strategies you give in their daily lives and they are all fine calm, peaceful, kind, loving children. We have children with high level of need, some children with ADHD and autism and all children, without exception love everything about Kidding Around Yoga. I want to say thank you so much. This has transformed the classroom. Every parent at the recent online Parents Evening said that it was their child’s favourite subject and attendance is excellent in the hope we’re doing yoga again that day. It has led to a calm, purposeful atmosphere with calm, peaceful, happy children. Just wanted you to know the impact you have had for us and I’m sure all over the world.
With love and thanks
Rebecca
I am so appreciative and grateful to you and your wonderful trainers for sharing all of your knowledge, experiences and love with us newbies!!! You have created such a caring, positive, loving learning environment for so many of us to enjoy and grow from:) The kids I have been working with are having boatloads of fun and sharing it with other kids all the time, and I have had such positive feedback from the parents, too! So…thank you, thank you, thank you a million times over!
KAY’s Justice Task Force
The mission of the Kidding Around Yoga Justice Task Force (JTF) is to keep KAY inclusive: organizationally, within teaching materials, and in reach. To that end, we are committed to continuing to strengthen our anti-racist and anti-discrimination actions, and to make ongoing changes in order to fully embody the teachings of yoga.
Kidding Around Yoga includes people all over the world, with different nationalities, cultures, languages, ethnicities, races, economic backgrounds, religious faiths, spiritual traditions, political views, ages, genders, sexual orientations, and physical, perceptual and mental abilities. We believe yoga is for every body and do not discriminate based on differences. In fact we celebrate diversity, and teach tolerance and acceptance as part of our practice.
Check Out Our Blog
Splish Splash Yoga
Want a new challenge for you and your young yogis? Try moving your Kids Yoga practice off the mat and into a swimming pool! Here are some easy ideas for games and activities to really make a splash! Cannonball: Assign a pose and have each child jump into the pool in...
5 Games to Improve Coordination
Coordination can be tricky, even for some adults! We all know, and perhaps we were, that kid who is just uncoordinated or klutzy. Yet coordination is something we can build as a young child and improve through the lifespan. Coordination building games can be great fun...
Full-Blown Pranayama Putt-Putt
I grew up loving miniature golf. My grandparents have had a camper at Alleghany Mountain Resort at Rainbow Lake since my mother and her brothers and sister were young enough to enjoy the fresh air and open spaces. Much of summer’s free time was spent with aunts,...