Modeling Non-Violence to Children: Creating Sustainable Peace

Modeling Non-Violence to ChildrenModeling Non-violence to children is important not only because it promotes peace in the future, but also because it creates peace in the present.  As a parent, school or yoga teacher being a model for kind and compassionate living is about creating peace in your life and displaying the joy and ease that is possible in life to children of all ages.

Ahimsa, as termed in Indian philosophy, entails respect for all living beings (including) plant and insect life) and the belief that all living things are connect.  Ahimsa is not solely about abstaining from physical violence, but also from verbal abuse and unkind thoughts whether toward self or others.  Modeling non-violence, or ahimsa, is a constant practice.  It asks you to be present and to work on the aspects of yourself that you wish to improve.

At the same time, compassion takes remembering that we are all on a journey and will make mistakes.  There’s no reason to be hard on yourself.  Besides, we’ve all got to be a little compassionate even to our uncompassionate self, if you know what I mean!

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Musical Yoga for Kids

Musical Yoga for Kids

What color are you today?

I love this song, kids really connect with colors and it helps them to identify their and understand their feelings. ;-) Those of us understand the Chakras, and the rainbows and how they are related.

Share this beautiful video with your kids today and find out what color of the rainbow they are today!

Visit Kira to hear more ….http://www.firefliesyoga.com/

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Perfection is the not the Goal: the Fun Way of Kids Yoga

Kids Yoga is meant to be a fun experience where children are given the opportunity to develop different skills in a non-competitive environment.  So often in schools kids are asked to run up against each other.  The stress of grades on top of the growing pressures of social standards sets young students to race against one another.

Additionally, national standardized tests force teachers and administrators to add additional stress to their students because they must reach par on test results in order to receive funding.

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Is Yoga a Religion? Cultivating Diverse Community

cultivating diverse communityFor a lot of people, yoga appears to go against all they know and understand through religious faith.  Through a religious lens, yoga has all the traits of any other creed.  We sit with our hands in prayer, bow to images and idols, sing and chant with one another, and dance ecstatically in celebration.

All in all, yoga looks very much like a religion, but ask seven yogis what they think and you will most likely get seven very different answers.  That’s because yoga has changed so much since it was first developed as a science.

Yoga in the West

In the west yoga is much different from the way it was practiced historically in India.  Yoga has become anything from an intense workout or therapeutic activity to a devout faith.  What spans across all aspects of yoga is the fundamental belief in the possibility that we can transform ourselves.

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Bringing Mindfulness to Schools:

Such good info and worth sharing!

An Interview with Co-Founder Megan Cowan  By Elisha Goldstein, Ph.D.

If you’ve been following The Mindfulness and Psychotherapy Blog, you’ve read and interacted around the psychology and neuroscience of mindfulness in relation to stress, anxiety, depression, addiction, trauma, and so much more. Today, I have the honor of interviewing, Megan Cowan, Co-founder and Executive Director of Mindful Schools bringing mindfulness to children. Megan spoke at the  Bridging the Hearts and Minds of Youth at UCSD February 4-5 2012.

Today Megan talks to us about why mindfulness help children and give us some tips to begin working with our kids at school and at home.

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Children’s Research Institute Yoga Study!!!!!

 

Oh my god!! Love this! The first real study for kids yoga, need to stay on top of this and follow the results. Click here to learn about Keri Hainsworth, PhD who is leading this research.

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Mantras for Kids and Teens: Transforming Kids One Positive Affirmation at a Time

Mantras for TeenagersMantras are not only for adults, but also for kids and teens too!  The general definition of a mantra is set of sounds, syllables, or words that is believed to have the power to transform one’s state.  Of course, we can have all sorts of mantras… some are conscious, and meant for promoting empowerment, and some are subconscious and oftentimes are other than empowering.  Dis-empowering thoughts can be very destructive for adults and young people.  Those who never live up to their full potential do so not because anyone is stopping them, but because they are stopping their self.  We want people to feel empowered and reach their full potential and have a positive effect on our world community!

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Thinking Like a Kid to Teach Kids Yoga

Thinking like a kid to teach kidsTo teach kids you have to think like a kid.  Think about that for a moment.  When was the last time you let yourself think like a kid? How the heck do you think kids think anyway?!  What do their thoughts look like?  Do they think in pictures or words or sounds?  Do they think about the future or base their reasoning on the past?

Let’s stop there.  First of all, if anyone’s ever going to figure this one out, the first thing we need to do is drop the word “think” from our vocabulary.

How about we start here: when was the last time you felt totally in your body?  The last time you were moved by sensation… to laugh, sigh, squeal, yell, or cry.  Don’t think about why (oopps… no thinking!).  Just remember the feelings you had inside.  Soak in this feeling for a moment and read on when you’re ready.

Teaching Kids vs. Training Kids

In Western culture, there is a strong lean towards dualistic separatism, meaning there is black and there is white, but there is no grey.  Likewise, there are teachers and there are those being taught, or trained so to say.  This separatism creates a subtle imbalance, a stagnation between student and teacher, a choke in education that hampers progress.  This form of education keeps kids from thinking creatively and letting their mind and heart journey where it desires.

Children are truly brilliant and we have much to learn from them.  Teens and young adults as well, have masterfully creative minds that when let loose can and will effect the future of this world.

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Kids yoga builds strength, flexibility and confidence (Video)

 

ATLANTA (CBS ATLANTA) -

Fit kids — it’s all about getting kids up, moving and healthy.

And since we launched our campaign last month, we’re quickly discovering there are almost limitless possibilities on how to get started. We found one option that not only builds strength but also confidence and emotional health.

Kim Steen is no ordinary yoga teacher. Her midtown classroom is filled with kids ages 3 to 9 years old.

“I think adults are a little more stubborn. You know, kids are more free,” Steen says.

Attempting to calm a rowdy group of kids enough to teach them a yoga pose may seem close to impossible but Steen says “they’re very proud of each and every pose.”

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Yoga Recess! Yeah Kids Yoga! (Video)

Yoga Recess! Yeah Kids Yoga!

Check out this great video! ;-)

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