I am fortunate that I have been asked to teach children's yoga at a couple of local schools and now at the Central Library in downtown San Diego. If you are an elementary school, preschool, un-schooling group, home school group, daycare center, girl scout troupe, middle school, high school, or a family with children from 2-7, 8-13 or 14+, please call me to discuss how we can create a yoga class to suit their needs!
For younger children my style incorporates music, books, and crafts into yoga-oriented play, where I help them learn how to energize and calm with breath. We learn about the Big Three B's - body, brain and breathing - and how using them in unison creates YOGA. One of the favorite and most fun classes is where the children get the opportunity to "teach" demonstrating, vocalizing, and assisting their peers. I have seen them discover, to their own delight, how very capable, focused and good they are in this role, whatever their physical ability level. I believe the skills developed in practicing yoga can be translated into being a better a family member, classmate, student, sibling, athlete - whatever the child experiences!
For middle schools and high school young adults the focus is a little more like a conventional yoga class but scaled to suit the ability levels and limits/strengths of still growing bodies and minds. We do many grounding poses to help create a sense of stability and security, balance poses to improve coordination and stimulate brain development, twists and bends to strengthen and stretch and learn about complex body movements, and of course inversions because they are not only fun but help us to see the world from another perspective! I use props to bring poses within reach without strain and add support and security. Discussion of the eight limbs of yoga as they apply to secular living (health/cleanliness, non judging, non harming, continuing education and more) are blended with breathing exercises, uplifing music, and positive affirmations to round out the body/brain/breath experience. Whatever their ability level, from the more sedentary to the vigorous athlete, all teens can benefit from a yoga practice to help them also become more self aware and a better person.
For younger children my style incorporates music, books, and crafts into yoga-oriented play, where I help them learn how to energize and calm with breath. We learn about the Big Three B's - body, brain and breathing - and how using them in unison creates YOGA. One of the favorite and most fun classes is where the children get the opportunity to "teach" demonstrating, vocalizing, and assisting their peers. I have seen them discover, to their own delight, how very capable, focused and good they are in this role, whatever their physical ability level. I believe the skills developed in practicing yoga can be translated into being a better a family member, classmate, student, sibling, athlete - whatever the child experiences!
For middle schools and high school young adults the focus is a little more like a conventional yoga class but scaled to suit the ability levels and limits/strengths of still growing bodies and minds. We do many grounding poses to help create a sense of stability and security, balance poses to improve coordination and stimulate brain development, twists and bends to strengthen and stretch and learn about complex body movements, and of course inversions because they are not only fun but help us to see the world from another perspective! I use props to bring poses within reach without strain and add support and security. Discussion of the eight limbs of yoga as they apply to secular living (health/cleanliness, non judging, non harming, continuing education and more) are blended with breathing exercises, uplifing music, and positive affirmations to round out the body/brain/breath experience. Whatever their ability level, from the more sedentary to the vigorous athlete, all teens can benefit from a yoga practice to help them also become more self aware and a better person.
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