βFor real change to take place, the body needs to learn that the danger has passed and to live in the reality of the present.β -Bessel Van Der Kolk, M.D. from The Body Keeps the Score The basic elements of a yoga practice (movement, breath work, and meditation) help...
Mudras, the elaborate hand and finger gestures used in many Yoga and Ayurvedic traditions, are effective and simple tools to employ for self-soothing, energizing, settling emotions, and focusing. Like little yoga poses for your hands, mudras make use of the energy,...
As Kids Yoga teachers, we have the amazing responsibility to introduce children to the ideas in Patanjaliβs Yoga Sutras. About 1600 years ago in India, Patanjali condensed two different traditions (Ashtanga Yoga and Karma Yoga) to compose the Yoga Sutras, the...
The Olympics in Japan may be for the athletes, but the Olympic spirit can still be alive and well in your Kids Yoga class. With a mat, some music, and a lot of imagination, your students can all be Olympic medal winners. Musical Mats: Played just like Musical Chairs,...
When I taught 4th grade, common refrains in the classroom were, βPay attention!β and, βFocus on what youβre doing!β And then it hit me β of course the kidsβ attention was scattered everywhere. With 20 other kids fidgeting and making noise, shenanigans in the hallway,...
When you hear a bell ringing, you are listening to energy making a journey. -Sarah Schain Sound is an important part of the human experience. Just think about how music makes you feel! Songs, their melodies and rhythm, their patterns and harmonies can make us get up...
The first time your child rolls out her mat in a yoga class, she is exposed to many new words, which shouldnβt be surprising, really. The practice of yoga is from ancient times, for many of us it is from a foreign culture, and utilizes an unfamiliar language...
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? ThenΒ the whole family suffers the consequences. Avoid that with a few bedtime...
Β 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...
On the first day of my second year teaching high school French, I knew that my sixth period was going to need some serious magic to get them to calm down. The bell rang for class to begin, and I looked around at 35 boys (yes, 35 BOYS)Β who were bigger than me, all...
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 βeight limbsβ). This is the foundation of yoga philosophy and...
Letβs 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 teenagersβ bodies, their visions, and their minds. All this time being sedentary with a screen glowing...
It doesnβt get very cold here in the South, so we often have to play pretend or make believe when it comes to the winter season.Β Our imaginations are so vivid that I easily came up with a winter wonderland themed yoga class. Kids and parents love it! I tend to get a...
Β 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 Β As a teacher that started out leading adult yoga classes, Iβve sometimes walked away...
If youβre a Kids Yoga teacher, I would be willing to bet that one of your main goals in life is to reduce the amount of stress in childrenβs lives. There are several things however, that I have seen well-meaning Kids Yoga teachers do in class that are common triggers...
Watch at your leisure!
Watch at your leisure!
