We just completed our 20-hour weekend training on teaching Yoga to 8-10 year-olds.   It was a great group, many of them joining for their first weekend of the full certification program.  One woman is working with children in a mental health facility, another is a mom with a child on the Autism spectrum and another teaches children through gardening.   It’s inspiring to think of the work being done to support these kids and the commitment the participants have made to continue to hone their skills and deepen their knowledge.

We talked about how to make the practice more challenging and meaningful for this older age group while still keeping it playful and engaging.   Games, arm balances, drawing and alternate nostril breathing were woven in with mantras, mudras and meditation.   From what I experienced in the practice teaching sessions, I have a feeling the children in their lives are in for a treat.

Next up is Know Your Yoga - philosophy, history and ethics of Yoga, April 16-18.

Beth Lapides is a delightful comedienne/yogini and here she shares what we all need - a little silliness, a lot of upliftment and the proper (for stuffies) pronunciation of this well-loved chant.  Check it out.

http://yogainmyschool.com/2010/01/06/mantra-chanting-stuffies-inspire-world-happiness/

Thanks to Adenia for sending along this link.  http://www.yogadenia.com/

Home from Hawaii and feeling refreshed for a new year…

My heart is so warm, I don’t even mind the single digit weather here in Chicago. I had a wonderful week in Hawaii with my family/founders of GFY where we enjoyed hours of sun and sand while visioning the year ahead. Once again, I am filled with gratitude for all that life offers. I feel blessed to be able to do this work with the two women in my life I admire most, my mother and sister, and to have so many fascinating and delightful people coming through our training program and workshops.

I love the feeling of turning the corner on a new year with a whole field of fresh possibilities furled out before me. While enjoying the sun in Hawaii, we clarified our mission for this year. We are committed to providing the resources people need to make a difference in the lives of children and families in their communities. There are so many ways to do this! The practice of Yoga is both simple and profound and we are sparked with the passion to let everyone know how to engage in this ancient wisdom that is at the cutting edge of child development today.

Start here:

*Take a Deep Breath
*Stretch this way and that
*Be Still
*Laugh

Stay tuned for ideas, inspiration and resources. Be in touch and let us know how we can serve and support your mission.

Last week the kids in this class decided to end their practice under a pile of sand bags. This week, they wanted to start this way. It was our last class of an 8-week session and based on last week, I had in mind to offer a restorative class. They confirmed it for me as they walked into the studio and headed straight for the props. We got out blankets, bolsters and blocks and got them set up into various poses that needed no muscular effort to hold. With the typical wiggling and chatter of kids this age, they got themselves propped up and began to chill-lax.

This craving to relax and restore highlights the level of stress and fatigue these young yogis are faced with on a daily basis. One girl became agitated saying, “I need sand bags, here and here and here.” Another fell into a deep sleep in minutes.

We ended class with our Oms and Shantis and a talk on the importance of a good night’s sleep. One girl said, “But I have to read all seven Harry Potter books.” Another said when it was time for bed she wasn’t ready for sleep.

They are signing up for the session that begins next week so we will continue to learn ways to self-soothe, relax and re-energize.

Yesterday in class, the 7-10 year old Yoga students prepared for Final Rest (Savasana) by hauling out the sand bag weights. Many yoga studios are filled with props - blocks, straps, bolsters and blankets. Kids love to use the yoga props and what attracted them on this day were the 5 pound bags of sand. They laid down and started layering them on. They asked for help getting them to cover every square inch of their bodies - from head to toe. I helped them with eye pillows and final adjustments so they were even on the floor and then let them relax in silence.

The compression the weights create is deeply soothing for the nervous system. The sensory system perceives deep, even pressure through out the body. The intensity of other sensory stimulus dissipates, senses turn in and rest washes over bodily systems.

One girl, who is particularly talkative and active, fell into a deep state of relaxation. She became perfectly still and had no interest in coming back out of her respite. When she finally did emerge out from underneath her heavy pile, she said “I wish Yoga class was longer.” I agreed saying I too wish it could be an hour and a half and not just an hour. She said, “Nooo, like five hundred hours, like it would never end.”

One of our teachers offers “Yoga Wednesday” at work and does Yoga all day with her patients at a residential facility for children with behavior disorders. This is a very fun day for both her and her patients.

She shared that one day a seven year old girl said to her on a Wednesday, “I wish I lived in your group.”

Later in her teenage group of five teen boys, one approached her after group and said “So, that felt awesome…its was like THC for the soul.”

At our Family Yoga class held Saturday at Bloom Yoga Studio, there were two teenagers (sisters ages 13 and 15) on down to a five-year-old boy. The studio called me in advance to be sure this wide range would be okay. “Sure”, I said.

As with all Family Yoga classes, each family is given poses that meet their needs - according to age and ability. No matter what age the participants are, everyone has fun flying around the room after Eagle pose and hissing in Snake pose.

To meet everyone’s interest level, we played Human Obstacle Course. In this game, each person gets a chance to hold a pose of their choice while one person climbs through, around or over the pose/obstacle. This gives me a chance to give students individualized attention while they are holding a pose and everyone has fun running the course at their own level. (Someone may want to crawl underneath a Downward Facing Dog, while another prefers to walk around).

When it was time for Final Rest, I let the adults and older kids get settled in while the little ones helped me pass out blankets, bolsters and eye bags. This gave several extra minutes of relaxation to those who appreciate it the most! I then helped the little ones settle in and they were able to become very still and quiet.

At the end of class, everyone felt great and thanked me heartily for the class saying, “we’ll be back.”

Dr. Donna and I started an 8-week session for girls ages 8-12 who are experiencing anxiety.  As a licensed clinical psychologist, Dr. Donna was able to refer them to our course.

At the end of our first class, one girl came to her own realization that what she was learning here would be something she could do before bed to help her sleep. Another girl said she had no trouble sleeping but could see doing this in the morning before school. One girl said, “I thought yoga was about stretching but i see now it is all about relaxing.”

Cheryl and I are here in Chicago packing up books, props and art supplies for our 8-day summer intensive that begins tomorrow.  This year we have also invited our certified teachers for a reunion.  As our “ohana” grows, we want to create opportunities for all our teachers to know each other.  Everyone who joins us is a wealth of ideas, inspiration and support for all the others.  This is perhaps one of the most delightful aspects of facilitating these trainings - all the amazing people we get to connect with and then watch them get out in the world and share their light.