A Hoberman Sphere: lights up children and adults’ eyes alike is a great teacher’s assistant catches your student’s attention (especially when nothing else can) shows how our lungs expand and contract (and showing always works better than telling, doesn’t it?) was...
Yoga classes do not need props, but boy are they fun! There are so many props to choose from that it is hard to narrow down my favorite. After teaching for a few years, I have a better idea of which I tend to use the most and why it is my favorite. Maybe that will...
According to Dr. Roger Sperry, 1981 Nobel prize winner for brain research, “90% of the stimulation and nutrition to the brain is generated by the movement of the spine.” If this is the case, why in the world are we making kids sit still to learn? To that end, I’ve...
We've all been there. Lying in the dark, desperately trying to go to sleep, but growing more agitated and alert instead. It's bad enough when adults suffer from insomnia, but when kids do? Then the whole family suffers the consequences. Avoid that with a few bedtime...
You can begin a Spring-themed class with a guided visual during meditation: kids sit in BUTTERFLY or CRISS-CROSS APPLESAUCE. Tell them to close their eyes and imagine a beautiful flower with lots of petals in their favorite color. Next, tell them to reach out and...
*Today's blog article was written by Whitney, a third year student at Elon University and lifelong yogi's kid* My mom has practiced yoga for as long as I can remember. When my brother and I were very young, my parents would sneak off to yoga class, leaving us in the...
Imagine this job description: Large institution looking for workers able to stay focused and still for long periods of time. Proper penmanship, reading skills and math knowledge are required, as are excellent listening skills and the ability to work well in a group of...
If you practice yoga, you are likely familiar with the Eight Limbs of Yoga. Written thousands of years ago, The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali explores the eight-fold path, or ashtanga (which translates to “eight limbs”). This is the foundation of yoga philosophy and...
Let’s start with the bad news. Teens spend an average of 30 hours per week in front of screens. Television, computers, smart phones, and video games are changing teenagers’ bodies, their visions, and their minds. All this time being sedentary with a screen glowing...
I’ve been practicing yoga for nearly 15 years. I’ve been a yoga instructor for 12 years now. I’ve read about chakras and nadis. Patanjali and Iyengar populate my bookshelves. I’ve lost track of how many mats I’ve used (and lost). But nothing, no teacher, no book, no...
So you want to be a Kids Yoga teacher? Good choice. It's the BEST way to change the world. Check it out: Kids are honest and open - you know what they really think about the class As a teacher that started out leading adult yoga classes, I’ve sometimes walked away...
Breathing is the bridge between our mind and body. It is a very powerful force to heal and to be more aware. In yoga, we call breathing practices pranayama and it is a big part of a yoga practice. In Sanskrit prana means breath or vital energy and yama is the control...
Alright, now we know that COVID is effecting more than just our physical bodies, but our mental and emotional selves as well (see last week's blog). So what can we do to ensure that our kids are not storing all of this stress and are processing this possible trauma in...
Whenever I see a young child wearing a mask, the little psychologist in me screams, “Is this going to totally mess you up down the line?” No, I do not mean the physical ramifications of wearing a mask for so many hours a day, but how does growing up in a fear-based...
If you were born doing something, one would assume you are near-perfect at it. As land-dwelling mammals, breathing through the nose is something we do, without pause, from the microsecond that we come into this glorious world. Yet, surprisingly, it took a yoga class...
Watch at your leisure!
Watch at your leisure!
