Kids yoga is a great exercise, helping kids channel energy, play, and respect one another.  It’s really about fun and happiness, enjoying this body and this life.  For kids, yoga can become an imaginative and playful hour to let their dreams run wild.

The Serious Need for Play

In 2008 Scientific American came out with the article, The Serious Need for Play. “Free play,” a term coined by scientists, is a step in growth that helps young children build social and cognitive skills as well as tools for coping with stress.  In correlation with their research into animal behavior, scientists found that play, actually plays a large role in animal survival and reproduction rates.   All the skills established during play roll over into adulthood and become their means of livelihood.

Likewise, as humans all the skills we learn from play become our means of survival, whether it’s getting a job or maintain loving relationships.  Who knew!  Learning how to play could actually save our life!  But humans are quite different from animals in a particular way.  To us, survival alone is not enough.

Creativity: Our Biological Potential

Humans are creative beings.  We want to change things, mold things, and conceive of new possibilities.  Survival is a biological imperative.  Creativity, imagination, art and music is not imperative per say, and still, it is at the heart of humanity.  Many of us forget how important it is to infuse our spirit with creativity, whether it’s art, music, movement, or even yoga.

We’re lucky enough to have such a great practice available to us that encourages natural creative movement and exploration of the body.  Just as adults require an outlet such as yoga, so do kids.  Imaginative kids yoga is in tune with a child’s level of creative needs, giving them a chance to explore inside and out.  At the same time it creates a foundation of postures to build on later in life when children are ready for a “serious” yoga class.  Of course, to us adults, yoga is still play… right? Tell us how you play…

Casey’s Comment’s ~ I love this, the author shares many great ways for girls to feel empowered. We received this book as a gift and it’s one of my favorite. After you read this, please share your thoughts below, or submit a blog post you would like to share.

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I had partially prepared for a little girl’s birthday party that I was supposed to be doing this Saturday when plans changed and the party had to be cancelled.  I had a few ideas that I didn’t want to get lost, so I thought I would share them on the blog.

To me, girl power is about steering our little girls towards strength, self-esteem, self reliance, love…all of that and more! We need to let them know that they don’t have to fall into antiquated gender roles and that any path they choose to take is OK.  They can be “girly”, they can like sports, they can want to be a veterinarian, and/or they can want to be a Mommy.  It is such a big responsibility!  Through yoga we can teach these lessons in a fun and empowering way.

This is not a full lesson plan. But here are some of my ideas.  I welcome comments/ideas from others as well…maybe together we can pull together one FABULOUS girl power birthday party!

To start with, I wanted to find a book that has a great message for little girls and that would be really fun to act out with yoga poses.  I did a google search and found this really great list of empowering books for girls.  So many to choose from, but I chose The Paper Bag Princess, an old favorite of my daughter’s and mine

The Princess Elizabeth is supposed to marry Prince Ronald when a dragon attacks the castle and carries off the prince.  Princess Elizabeth outsmarts the dragon and SAVES the PRINCE!! The ungrateful, superficial prince scoffs at her attire when she shows up to rescue him…so she changes her mind and doesn’t marry him after all.

POSES

Elizabeth ~ Goddess or Warrior 1

Ronald ~ Warrior 2

Dragon ~ Dragon pose (lunge with knee down)

Dragon Breath while in Dragon Pose ~ found this video on YouTube that demonstrates Dragon Breath

www.youtube.com/watch?v=BFF9EvNuZck

Forest of burnt trees ~ group tree pose

Cave (Dragon’s Lair) ~ Could do tunnel of down dogs or wide leg forward folds or use a parachute for the cave

Flying Dragon Pose ~ Bird/Airplane pose

Crocodile pose ~ on the belly when the dragon collapses in exhaustion

OTHER ACTIVITIES

~ YogaKids’ Reach for the Sun Breath paired with empowering affirmations like “I am strong” or “I am powerful.”

~ Goddess Tag ~ a version of ChildLight’s Triangle Tag, but you would freeze into Goddess pose instead of Triangle

~ I was also thinking of making our own paper bag princesses (an idea I got from this blog post )

~ I was working on a parachute game where each girl takes turns under the parachute with a cape on…a sort of yoga SuperGirl…but I haven’t worked it all out yet.  I’ll keep you posted!

I can’t wait to actually use this lesson plan and expand on it!  Maybe soon?!  Comments, additions, suggestions are welcome!

Originally found at FoodYogaPeace.com

I look at how most adults in the world are troubled with their emotions and confused as to how to communicate and express their feelings and wonder… what were they like as children?  Did they once know how to show their true feelings to the world… to their self?

That feeling…that total expression, non-resistant, expansive quality of being is freedom.  And it’s so simple that a 3 year old can do it.  All it takes is a little letting go of control and more space to just explore.

Exploring the Child-Mind

We think of a child’s mind as imaginative, playful, and usually illogical.  Sometimes it’s one of those or maybe all three, but when did we decide that those qualities are inferior to “adult” characteristics.

Parents are no doubt, very busy people.  With more than one person to think about they’re on one thing then onto the next and then the next thing, etc.  So often kids are being led around and don’t have the chance to lead their parents around instead (or teachers, siblings, grandparents, etc.).

I’ll admit letting a child lead you can get a little crazy sometimes!  I think that’s why so many adults don’t take the time to allow it.  It can be a bit of a headache…no joke.  It’s our head that’s being challenged by the child-mind: the illogically spirited, feeling-based, imaginative, spontaneous freedom-mind of a child.  It’s a little hectic at first, until you let go the resistance and just… play.

Natural Meditation: Finding Clarity of Mind in the Smallest Places

All people are naturally apt for a clear and meditative mind and it doesn’t take hours and hours of practice.  We’re born with the ability to be clear, flexible, spacious, and strong. From the beginning this is what we are.  It is our birthright.  That’s why children are so good at it.  It’s only over time that we forget and suddenly need to practice hours of meditation every day just to be reminded of that clarity.

Therefore, let your children guide you and remind you every day of your natural wakefulness.  Let that experience of the child-mind integrate into your daily “adult” life and become sewn into your business activities and your relations to self, other, and the world.

Give children the space to play with their own meditative mind alone or with others.  It’s a powerful state to be in.

I love this video, it’s so sweet, babies are natural leaders.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=SYGbyq9ntCA

This training is ideal for current yoga teachers, day care providers, school teachers, moms & dads, and people who love babies and toddlers.

This training offers techniques for teaching Yoga to postpartum mothers, babies and toddlers. This training is geared toward teaching children ages 6 weeks to 5 year olds.

In this training you will learn the fundamentals of teaching yoga to moms/dad with new babies, how to introduce their babies to the practice, and promote parent and baby bonding.

Yoga poses for mom promote wellness specific to post-partum bodies, and interactive poses for baby help with development and establishing good sleeping habits, as well as relief of reflux, gas and colic.

Learn how yoga for young children can set them up for a lifetime of health and wellness. Learn how to teach toddlers the basic and fundamental poses of yoga through stories, songs and games, while gently introducing children to the practice in a fun atmosphere.

No yoga is experience required.
Yoga Alliance continuing education credit available.
Investment is $99.

(303) 399-1191
Click here to sign up!
http://tinyurl.com/baby-toddlertrain

www.youtube.com/watch?v=QrouRQohyyE

We interviewed 100 TWI students to hear how yoga has impacted their lives…Listen to the benefits in their own words.

Donate here…

Visit “The Wellness Initiative” to find out more.

Pain and suffering, or dis-ease may at times bring about doubt in ones own potential.  Although we are capable of such extraordinary living, in times of hurt, many are quick to give up their strengths to an expert opinion, i.e. doctor’s and scientists.  Today, nearly half the population of Americans are on prescription medication including 25% of our children.  This is not to blame our doctors, because health and medicine is an incredible field!  The problem lays in the fact that we’re not facing our self, but rather masking the hurt and cushioning the discomfort instead of letting it heal.

The magic of life has its ups and downs and we as humans are strong enough and capable enough of pushing beyond the limits of our struggle.  We as adults and individuals do have the choice of either numbing out on drugs or television, food, etc., or facing life and meeting it with a full heart.  It makes me wonder, however, how we might give children that same choice.

Full of Life or Attention Deficit?

100% of children are hyper.

Okay that’s not quite the exact statistic nor is it scientifically tested, but I can attest as a classroom tutor, that it is largely accurate.  Kids are generally very active.  They love to run and dance, move things, throw stuff around, spin in circles, tell stories, etc.  60% of the time the classroom looks like chaos (again, that’s a rough personal estimate).

Point being, why are we giving kids drugs to sit still when we all know we’re slightly jealous of their lively energy.  Sure its difficult to teach a classroom of 20 kids running in circles, but how hard is it for an 11 year old to understand he has to memorize the formula for circumference rather than play basketball outside on a beautiful day.  Children weren’t made to sit in a plastic chair 6 hours.

Not to say learning how to focus isn’t valuable.  So as adults, parents, and teachers, it’s important to balance both ends of the stick.  Meditation is a technique that trains the mind in one pointed focus on the breath.  The goal of meditation is that presence and focus will carry over into all of life.  By infusing daily life with even a few moments of meditation, children (and adults) can experience one-pointed attention throughout the day.

Riding the Waves not Fighting the Storm: A New Paradigm for Teachers

The above mantra has been my greatest lesson in the past few months working at the local middle school.  When kids are acting up, running around, goofing off, just breathe for a moment.  I know (at least with the kids I work with) they expect you to rebut.  What happens instead is they begin to respect you.  You’re no longer the authority figure that yells off commands.  You become not only a model for meditation, but for the choice that each of us can make.  Suddenly the kids become interested and want to hear what you have to say.  No one’s forcing them quiet or numbing their active body-minds.  They make the choice to listen.  They make the choice to be present and learn.

Here is one organization in the video challenge, read more about the challenge below.

Casey’s Comments

I love this challenge, anything that involves movement for kids is good! What do you think? I have heard about Christians who were against’ yoga, as they thought it conflicted with their religion, was refreshed to see this, yet another spin on yoga and movement..  To me yoga is all good, for everyone, regardless of race, sex, age, creed or religion. Different strokes for different folks. Share your thoughts in the comments below.

Namaste and Play

Casey Feicht

As infants and young children we depend on others to regulate our needs, such as eating, drinking, and feeling safe. Within a loving relationship (one that also includes space) children learn how to regulate their needs. When parents or caregivers respond to their child, they are modeling healthy tools for emotional regulation. As they develop into teenagers and adults those tools for maintaining balanced emotions, or homeostasis, carry on into all aspects of life.

Still, whatever the cause, many children (and adults) are in need of stronger internal support systems. Meditation is a key component in learning how to regulate ones emotions and respond with grace to our world.

Listening to the Body

Meditation is about listening. When we are experiencing a powerful emotion there are a number of things happening. Most notably, there’s the outside event that spurred the emotion, the thoughts and stories involved, and the visceral feeling in the body. During meditation two pieces of the picture are dropped: the thoughts as well as the event itself (because it being in the past now makes it a story of its own).

All that is left is the feeling. This is where self-regulation takes place. The drama behind the emotion that makes children kick and scream for an animal cracker suddenly disappears. What’s beneath that feeling now comes into attention.

Just Noticing

Teaching kids to just be with feelings is not an easy challenge. Asking a screaming five year old to wait for a moment and sit with his breath is no simple act. That’s why, just like adults, children need practice.

Body and emotional awareness is a large piece of kids yoga. Children are asked to notice their feelings when we read books, play games, or play with yoga postures. The simply act of noticing goes a long way. More and more, meditation practice integrates into daily life and kids become more capable of noticing and communicating what is truly going on inside.

As kids mature they continually use and transform their self-regulating tools. Self-regulation and meditation make it easier for kids to take the time to think before acting, responding to the world with grace.

Are you teaching your kids about meditation? Leave a comment and let us know how it’s going.

This video is from 2011 Easter festivities and according to the White House, they are doing it again! Yeah Yoga in our Capital!

www.youtube.com/watch?v=octUPcevW8s

“We have been finding some schools really made an effort,” said Karen Ryan, policy director for Live Well Colorado, a nonprofit focusing on decreasing obesity rates. “Others have felt pressures of meeting certain academic standards. A lot is being asked of them, and there’s only so many hours in the day.”

Last year’s House Bill 1069 directed schools to start the current school year providing at least 30 minutes of daily physical activity for kids who go to school five days a week for a full day.

At Rose Hill Elementary in Commerce City, where lunchtime recess averaged 20 minutes a day, a few additional minutes spread throughout the day have helped the schools reach the mandated half-hour.

Teachers at Swanson pause lessons every 20 to 30 minutes to let kids move. The “brain breaks” might be dancing to a song, doing jumping jacks while chanting math facts or running in place.

“It’s a way to get them re-energized,” said Jessie Tanguma, a fifth- grade teacher and co-leader of the school-level wellness committee. “The brain breaks are favorite times for students in the day.”

Some teachers at Rose Hill take students for a jog around the school when there’s time or students need an extra dose of fresh air, principal Samara Williams said. “Most of the changes we’ve done have been free or cheaper.”

Swanson also has transformed recess time for students in response to a self-evaluation that showed many students were sitting out scheduled physical activity time.

Many girls sat and gossiped; some kids ate slowly and were too late to join others who had already started a football game.

Now, kids participate in one of the structured activities of the day. For instance, on “Walking Wednesdays,” students play four square or run on the track.

Colfax Elementary physical education instructor Tom Barela also wanted a new way to reach students who weren’t thrilled about traditional gym activities, so he started yoga classes for all students once a week with help from the Wellness Initiative.

“I thought it would be another way kids could be successful in P.E.,” Barela said. “If they can have success in something health-related, they can get hooked.”

The Colorado Department of Education is just starting to keep tabs on whether schools are meeting the requirement. Data will not be available until March 2012.

Live Well Colorado wants to make sure that schools are making the most of the active time.

“We recognize every community is unique,” Ryan said. “But there are best practices or strategies that are more effective and that easily become regular.”

Though there’s always room for improvement, Tanguma, Williams and Barela all said the changes at their schools have been effective in many ways.

“The school culture has changed dramatically,” Barela said. “Our wellness initiatives have definitely aided. We take care of each other.”

Yesenia Robles: 303-954-1372 or yrobles@denverpost.com

As published in the Denver Post…

http://www.denverpost.com/education/ci_20218953/colorados-elementary-schools-strive-give-kids-more-exercise#comments