Metta Mindfulness for Thanksgiving
This holiday season cultivate a sense of gratitude and loving kindness with this quick metta mindfulness practice.
- Close your eyes, take a couple slow deep breaths
- Imagine someone who is loving and kind – a friend, relative, pet, teacher, spiritual leader, mentor
- Take a moment to bring their image to mind and feel as if you are looking into their eyes
- Imagine that person saying to you “May you be happy. May you be healthy, May you be safe. May you be at peace.” (You can use your own words or aspirations)
- Now say the same words back to that person with feeling and intention
- Now imagine your family or those who you will spend the holidays with, some of which you may not always get along. Wish them well using these same words.
Allow these words and the feeling behind them to resonate within you. Take your time. Invite gratitude and loving kindness to grow within your heart and mind.
Enjoy your holidays with a greater sense of thanksgiving and love for all.
Find more kids yoga resources for THANKSGIVING and HOLIDAY YOGA
Thanksgiving Playlist for Kids & Teens Yoga Class
Not A Box, Not A Stick Kids Yoga Lesson Plan
I Know an Old Lady who Swallowed a Pie
I Gift You: Kids Yoga Birthday Party Game
Resources
Yoga In My School provides an abundance of ready to use kids yoga teacher resources making it easy to plan your next class and supporting your professional development. Yoga in My School offers over 300 kids and teen resources at your fingertips through the Teacher’s Lounge.
Access in-depth information on:
Find Resources without a Teacher’s Lounge membership
Lesson Plans
Take advantage of the YIMS method of thematic lesson plans as you elevate your kids and teen yoga classes to the next level of engaging the body, mind and heart. Best of all there are no shipping costs and your resources are immediately accessible. Enjoy a plethora of great ideas now.
Manuals
Access the finest yoga for kids and teens teacher training from the comfort of your own home. Each YIMS Manual is packed with tips and techniques to help you teach youth and bring the beauty and benefits of greater health, vitality, calm and connection.
Videos
Our videos were developed based upon the yoga adventure stories found in Once Upon a Pose. Each one allows children to participate in an actual 30 minute yoga class taught by kids yoga expert Donna Freeman. They can be downloaded onto your computer and used when ever and where ever it is convenient.
Webinars
YIMS Video Webinars provide quality teacher training and professional development that is accessible anywhere in the world, whenever you want it. Partnering with Kids Yoga Academy YIMS webinars set the standard for online kids yoga teacher training. Take advantage of our expertise and come away with numerous tips and techniques to improve your classes and increase your professionalism immediately.
Freebies
Everyone loves FREEBIES. You can enjoy a wide variety of YIMS tools anytime, anywhere. Watch our video tutorials. Listen to in-depth interviews with experts in the field of yoga and mindfulness. Relax to our guided visualizations.
Gratitude Mindful Breathing
Five Good Moments: Focus on the Positive to Increase Happiness
Elementary Schools
Kindergarten to Grade 6
Elementary students are energetic, impressionable and often easily distracted. Yoga for this age aims to improve strength, flexibility and co-ordination in an environment of cooperation, respect and well being. YIMS yoga classes help children aged 6-12 learn through age appropriate yoga poses, mindfulness exercises, partner poses, yoga games and more to build body awareness, increase focus and foster self-esteem. All our kids yoga classes meet Alberta Education curriculum objectives and fit easily within the school setting.
Artist in Residence
Our week long Artist in Residence Program allows students to explore numerous yoga and mindfulness skills in a safe, non-competitive manner. These skills improve inner peace, reduce stress and promote focused learning, allowing children to handle any situation with calm, a positive attitude and flexibility. Early booking is a must for this sought after program.
Elementary K-6 Themes
Teachers and classes can choose from a variety of different yoga themes which are fun, engaging, child centered and help to reinforce the program of studies. Topics include:
- Alphabet
- African Safari
- Amazon Adventures
- Around the World – visit famous landmarks
- Art Museum
- Beach
- Build It Up! Construction, Tools & More
- Bug Yoga
- Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What do you See? (based on the book by Bill Martin Jr.)
- Camping
- Canada
- Cinco de Mayo (Mexican theme)
- Chair Yoga
- Chinese New Year
- Christmas
- Crawling & Flying
- Come with Me to the Sea (focus on partner poses)
- Day at the Beach
- Dinosaurs
- Duck on a Bike (based on the book by David Shannon)
- Easter
- Egypt
- Endangered Animals
- Family Time
- Farmyard Fun
- Garden Delights
- Gingerbread Man
- Goldilocks
- Halloween
- Japan
- Jenga – Yoga Style
- Man on the Moon
- Mountain Magic
- Opposites
- Olympics
- Partner Poses Galore
- Pete the Cat and the Magic Sunglasses (based on the book by Eric Litwin)
- Princesses & Warriors
- Sailing, Sailing
- Shapes
- St Patrick’s Day
- Superheroes
- Thanksgiving
- The Pet Store
- The Mitten (based on the book by Jan Brett)
- The Very Hungry Caterpillar (based on the book by Eric Carle)
- Things that Fly
- Tour of India
- Trip Down the Nile
- Valentine’s Day
- Zoo
If you have an idea for a different topic please contact Donna at donna@yogainmyschool.com to see what can be arranged.
Integrity is a Muscle
A program to empower children and youth. This is accomplished by showing them how to enthusiastically connect with themselves and develop a firm foundation of skills and attitudes which will increase identity and understanding, and help withstand negative forces. Students are able to clearly understand and successfully live lives of peace and happiness today and in the future through comparing integrity to skeletal muscles and integrating nine character-developing themes. Visit the Integrity is a Muscle page for further information.