I taught a class recently that was a make-up class to compensate for a class that I couldn't teach a few weeks ago. The kids kept hearing about the "make-up" class, and one of the 5 year old girls asked me in the middle of yoga, "When are we going to put on make-up?"
Flowers
Today I taught a FUN class with flowers... It was in honor of my friend Corey who moved to Canada this week- she loves flowers, so the theme of today was flowers and gardening.
I brought a Gerbera Daisy in for each child in the class, and we used them for lots of fun things.... We used them for meditating ("notice the color, the shape of the petals, the smell, the beauty..."). We used them for stretching ("lift your flower up in the sky, now reach to one side and the other with your flower.") We used them for balancing ("focus on your flower on the floor"). We also talked about watering flowers, and how they get droopy if you don't water them- then we talked about how our bodies get "droopy" if we don't give them water too.
W e also planted some seeds (Child's Pose) in our garden and grew into beautiful flowers and plants with a little water and sunshine. We became snakes, bees, butterflys, and frogs- all sorts of wonderful things that you find in a garden!
We ended with a poem and flow:
From the Ancient Chants of the Anasazi by Mary Summer Rain:
Give-Away Dance Song This day (Namaste), each day (Mountain Pose), Rain (Run in Place) and sun (Reach up for the sun), Snow Moon (Crescent Moon to the Right), Warm Moon (Crescent Moon to the Left), Nighttime (Crescnt Moon Center) and noon (Mountain Pose), We share ourselves (Hands circle out from heart out into room), We give ourselves (Hands circle out again), We are all ones of One. (Namaste Hands)
Give-Away, Give-Away. The joy of Giving Away (Toss imaginary things away from your heart).
I give to you (Hand to heart and hand out to group). You give to me (Hand out to group and hand back to heart) . We give to them (Hand to heart and hand out to group). They give to us (Hand out to group and hand back to heart). We share ourselves (Hands circle out from heart out into room). We give ourselves(Hands circle out from heart out into room). We are all ones of One. (Namaste Hands)
I sent them all home with their flowers...
Namaste,
Carolyn http://www.sdyogakids.com
All about Feet
Hello, I recently taught a foot yoga class at Radiance Yoga. We did lots of yoga for our feet- waving hi with our feet, wiggling our toes, spreading our toes, picking things up with our toes. We also did a Walking Meditation around the room paying attention to our feet.
Some questions I had for the kids included:
What are you feet scared of? "Anything slimey" , "Cold water"
What is something nice that you do for your feet? "Clip my toenails" and "Stretch them"
After all this focus on our feet, we did some standing poses and flows that relied on our feet.
I wish I had remembered to give foot massages! Next time!
YogaKids goes to Charleston, SC
I recently got back from a great trip to the East Coast. I taught a Taste of YogaKids workshop at All Saints Lutheran Church in Mt. Pleasant. There were some wonderful women there to share a day of laughter and yoga as we explored the world of children's yoga. We went over lots of kids yoga poses and breathing. We also talked about music and book ideas, along with ways to use yoga in the classroom. I was very inspired by these women that attended because they were so enthusiastic and excited about teaching yoga to kids. It invigorates my own teaching when I am around like-minded folks that are excited and want to do what I am doing too! I was also lucky enough to attend many yoga classes in SC with my first yoga teacher, Laurie Clarke, who also happens to be my Mom! She taught me some advanced pranayama like Agni Sara and Alternate Nostril Breathing while engaging Mulabandha. Tricky stuff- should keep me busy for a while... I won't be teaching these to the kiddies, but I will be doing them to increase my own energy to keep up with the kiddies! Now that I've given up caffeine I need all the help I can get...
Namaste,
Carolyn
Easter Egg Shakers
I had a feeling the day after Easter that kids in my preschool class would be hyper from the excitement of Easter and jacked up on sugar.... So I planned an active class for Monday. As they say, if you can't beat them, join them! Brought some plastic Easter Eggs and some dried beans to my Preschool class. The kids filled the eggs with the beans to make musical egg shakers. We shook them as fast as we could, then we practiced shaking them one time, two times, three times, four times, five times. Then we had fun with Laurie Berkner's I Know a Chicken song. We stood in chicken pose (wings out, strutting like a chicken), and then laid our magical shaker eggs. Then we shook along with the song. BIG HIT! I love using props like this in class. We had a lot of fun, and they were able to practice fine motor skills, gross motor skills, and rhythm. Once they were able to get out all that energy, we transitioned to some breathing and quieter poses on the floor.
You can buy fancy egg shakers, but I like having the kids make their own. They seem to enjoy it and it is cheaper!
Kid made shaker
Fancier egg shakers for purchase
Have fun!
Namaste,
Carolyn www.sdyogakids.com
Yoga for Kids in the News
I found this article on Google News today. Yoga for children is making the headlines!
http://www.townonline.com/stoughton/homepage/x144053213
It talks about a YogaKids teacher that taught a foot themed class. This was a great idea, and it's inspired me to put together a foot lesson plan for an upcoming class. I'll let you know how it goes...
Carolyn
www.sdyogakids.com
Yoga and Nutrition- Eating a Rainbow
Last week I taught a fun class that integrated yoga and nutrition. We did rainbow pose (Side Plank) and then talked about how your body needs to "eat a rainbow". Eating a rainbow means eating fruits and vegetables from all the color groups (Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Purple, and White too). We talked about what colors we had already eaten, and we brainstormed some fruits and veggies for all the different colors. I think it is a great way to eat well- too often we focus on the negative and the things we "shouldn't" or "can't" eat. Instead thinking about the abundant fruits and veggies that we should eat! Lots of fun, and really made me thing about eating a rainbow myself... I just never seem to be able to eat enough blue! I need to stock up on some blueberries.
Carolyn www.sdyogakids.com
This Week's Theme is LOVE!
Oh, how I love the week of Valentine's Day... In my classes I get to talk about Love... Sweet Love... I've been passing around a heart balloon and asking the kids to share who and what they love. I've heard some of these great responses: "My family"
"My Mom and my Dad and my Sister and my Brother and my Aunt and my Uncle and my Cousin and my Grandma and my Grandpa" (you get the idea)
"My kittie"
"Dinosaurs"
"You"
We do lots of heart openers in class (Cobra and Camel)...
We chant Love...
We divide up into partners and give each other back rubs...
We do Loving Kindness Meditation.
Let's make every week a week about love!
Wishing you a Happy Valentine's Day!
~ Carolyn http:www.sdyogakids.com
National Girls & Women in Sports Day
On Saturday, February 10th, 2007, I volunteered at a National Girls and Women in Sports Day event in Balboa Park. Girls had the opportunity to try different sports and activities, including yoga, cheerleading, karate, softball, and more. I thought it was a great way to introduce girls to activities that they might not have exposure to in PE programs. In my yoga classes, we did lots of fun yoga poses- Cat, Cow, Tree, Sun Salutations, Moon Salutations, and Relaxation to name a few. It was a big class- almost 30 girls in each class- but they were very quiet and attentive.
A few had done yoga before, but many had not. One group leader told me that one girl in particular had never done yoga before, and had a lot of questions before the class about what to expect. It turns out she loved it. This child was a bit overweight, and it made me really happy to know that she found an activity that she loved! Yoga could be something that she does forever now!
"NGWSD began in 1987 as a day to remember Olympic volleyball player Flo Hyman for her athletic achievements and her work to assure equality for women's sports." -From NGWSD Central
~Carolyn http://www.sdyogakids.com
New Music for Yoga for Kids
I just discovered a wonderful CD that I can't wait to use in my classes. Here's the blurb from CD BABY:
KIRA WILLEY: dance for the sun
http://cdbaby.com/cd/kirawilley
A totally unique album of kids' yoga songs - with a little doowop, a bit of jazz, and some African tribal music - that's great to listen to, as well as fun to use with the illustrated booklet for musical family yoga.
I listened to all the samples on CD BABY and it sounds like such a great CD for yoga with the kiddies!
I'll keep you posted as I start to use it in my classes!
Space Yoga
Today I taught a fun class for preschoolers. We talked about the stars and how they make pictures in the sky. Then we looked at the pictures in this book:
It has really pretty pictures of the stars and the animals that the constellations are named after. Lots of fun poses to do along with the book. Then we launched off in our rocket ships and flew to the moon. There we walked around space and did some fun space yoga- Crescent Moon, Sun Salutations.
Then we got back in our rocket ships and flew back to Earth just in time for relaxation...
Today my favorite pose is Rocket Ship:
YogaKids Silly to Calm Video on YouTube
I was exploring YouTube, and I was so excited to find a clip of the YogaKids Silly to Calm Video. Here it is: [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1X8M-3OQU8k]
This is a perfect example of how I teach yoga to kids. Usually the first question people ask me after I tell them that I teach yoga to kids is "HOW?". Many of the poses and excercises in this clip are methods that I rely on to tap into the kid's energy and help them move through it and into more calming poses. And it's so fun, too!
Class today
Taught a fun class today at The Child's Primary School. Here's what we did:
lizard on a rock
sun salutations
meditation for the new year
and kids made up their own poses
I learned some really fun new poses to share with other children. I am always so amazed at how much I learn from them!