Guest post by Kami Evans

When my daughter Hannah was diagnosed with hemiparesis, which is a mild case of cerebral palsy, I wondered: What can I do to help her? How active should she be? And how can I not be overprotective of Hannah, especially when she goes off to school?

The answer seemed to be involving my daughter in as many activities as I could. As a result, Hannah was signed up for swimming, gym and music classes all by her first birthday. My daughter also had eight hours of physical and occupational therapy each week.

The brain is so plastic. And how active I remained with Hannah’s treatment before she turned 24 months would impact how successful her recovery would be. I was on a mission.

Then I found yoga. When a class with a few participants got cancelled, I hired the instructor to lead the lessons out of my home. At 15 months, Hannah started to crawl by incorporating the rocking table and downward dog poses in her movements. At 20 months, Hannah progressed to trying poses such as mountain, squats and elevator. Every day Hannah would get the movements more and more.

I saw such a difference in my daughter’s development that we asked the instructor to come over three times per week. Meanwhile, Hannah continued to take her usual classes and have her weekly eight hours of therapy sessions. But the yoga instruction was unique in that it was playful and enjoyable for Hannah, prompting her to consider her time with the instructor as a playdate.

When the instructor chose to pursue other interests, it encouraged me to become certified. I first took a teacher training course at a Manhattan studio for children’s yoga, followed by training and certification working with children with special needs.

The best part of the training? Not only did I learn more about Hannah’s yoga practice and how it enabled her to become increasingly aware of her body and personal space, but I was able to share this with other families, as well. Inspired by this journey, I opened a yoga studio for children on the Upper East Side of Manhattan. This led me to share the benefits of yoga for children in more than five locations throughout New York City.

Four Exercises to Develop Body & Mind

Cross the mid-line. Crossing the mid-line enhances brain development. An example of this is to sit with your child, having him or her rub one’s hands together. Once the child’s hands get warm, have the child cross hands and touch opposite shoulders. This allows the child to cross the mid-line and make new neurological pathways for further brain development. Motivate your child to do this over and over again in novel ways, such as by crossing over to touch one’s knees, toes and ears.

Use the eyes. As your child grows, he or she looks at things in new ways. Once the child begins to look at books and track words, the child’s depth perception develops. While this occurs, it is crucial for your child to build the muscles behind the eyes. One method of doing this is by moving a toy the child likes in different directions, asking the child to follow the toy with his or her eyes. Another method is snapping your fingers up and down and then right to left, while your child trails the movements. Either way, have your child watch the object move at least ten times in each direction. This helps build the little muscles supporting the child’s eyes and lessens the chances for glasses.

Do core poses. As all of a person’s limbs are extensions from the core of the body, it’s essential to develop the core. Building a strong core enables a child to balance oneself both physically and mentally. Poses that support the core are the dolphin pose and boat pose. Do these and other poses with your children, allowing you each to build your strength and bond.

Sing a song. While singing to a child can help the young yogini accomplish a difficult pose, it can be especially encouraging for children who are late talkers. If for any reason you find your child not communicating, find a book that you know the child enjoys and sing each word in the story. Take the time to sing the words one by one and change your tone, emphasizing that a new word is being sung. Soon your child will be doing poses in utter relaxation, not even realizing a stronger core will result and likely a better grasp of language.

Kami Evans, the founder and an instructor at Elahi Yoga, became a certified children’s yoga instructor through Karma Kids Yoga and a certified yoga instructor for kids with special needs through Every Kids Yoga, which are both located in Manhattan. Working with her daughter and seeing remarkable improvements through yoga exercise has inspired Evans to continue with the practice and help other children to gain self-confidence and have fun through yoga. Visit www.elahiyoga.com or call (800)584-7940 to learn more about Elahi Yoga. 

With that in mind I’ve started to readjust bedtime to more closely reflect a school night. Knowing that it takes about two weeks for any routine to become part of daily life this process begins now so that we are ready the night before that first day back to class.

Here are some yoga tips to creating a bedtime routine that will lead to a restful sleep for children and parents alike.

1. Reduce Stimulus – Children need a winding down period before hitting the hay. In order to maximize a restful sleep begin about an hour before bed to reduce sensory stimulus. In yoga this is called pratyahara (the 5th limb of Yoga according to the Yoga Sutras by Patañjali). Take away video games, turn the TV off, lower the lights, introduce soothing music or the blessed sound of silence. The body will transition from activity to inactivity beautifully when given time to adjust and flow smoothly into relaxation.�
   

   ragdoll pose

    

2. Connect – Taking time to connect with your mind and body is essential to health and wellness even for little ones. Encourage your children to do some restorative yoga poses such as child’s pose, ragdoll, hero’s pose and gentle twists to get the kinks out and reduce muscular strains and stresses from the day’s activities. Also, be sure to take time to connect with one another. Read a story together, chat about the day, share your lives, concerns, hopes and simply enjoy one an-other’s company.
3. Establish a Routine – Children thrive on predictability and structure. In yogic terms this is called tapas (self-discipline). Establish an order of events (1. cleanup, 2. bedtime snack, 3. brush teeth, 4. yoga b4 bed, 5. read together, etc.). Create a chart with easy to follow graphics. This is helpful for all children whenever they are learning a routine, but especially for pre-schoolers and those with special needs.
4. Be Content – Practice santosha (contentment) one of the yoga niyamas (observances) by learning to be happy with who you are, where you are, and with what you have. Encourage the attitude of what you have is enough and that there is satisfaction and happiness to be found in each day. Five Good Moments is a simple gratitude game you can play daily with your children to develop a thankful heart and mind.
5. Practice Pranayama – Yogic breathing techniques are extremely effective at reducing stress and anxiety which often hit children as they are laying in bed waiting to fall asleep.  Swimming Stuffies and Take 5 are wonderful breathing exercises that help connect the mind and body. Even very young children can develop breath awareness and practice these safe and simple techniques before drifting off to sleep.

Be sure to allow sufficient time (about an hour) in order not to rush your children as they transition from the day’s activities to calm relaxation. Speak in a calm tone of voice and provide 2-5 minute warnings whenever an activity will change (”In five minutes you’ll need to put away your toys and get into PJ’s.”). Most importantly love your children. Use the time before bed to demonstrate daily how important they are to you.

Remember it takes time to create a routine and fine tune it to your personal needs. Stick with it and you will create a better sleep environment, manage stress and anxiety, as well as calm and nurture yourself and your loved ones.

Another article with great yoga inspired ideas is Bedtime Bliss on the Kids Yoga Resource.

Photo by flickrized

Mindfulness means “the awareness that emerges through  paying attention on purpose, in the present moment, and nonjudgementally to the unfolding of experiences moment by moment.” (Joh Kabat-Zinn) It is an active process involving staying aware of the external environment and the internal bodily sensations in the present moment without judgement, positive or negative.

Children live in a world of being told what to do: what time to wake up, what to eat, where and when they have various activities such as school, sports, music lessons, etc. This can lead to going through the motions of living without conscious awareness. For example, if you ask them what they ate for lunch they may not be able to tell you. This in not simply because of poor memory, but more likely because they were not paying attention at the time.

Children are often much closer to their experiences than adults. Watch an infant experience anything for the first time; they look at it, touch it, feel it on their face, taste it. Every experience is fresh and new. They live in the moment reacting emotionally and immediately to stimulus, then moving on to the next experience.

However, children also exists on auto-pilot, are easily distracted, are forgetful, lack concentration, have poor self-control and often do not understand themselves or the world. Mindfulness exercises address these concerns and can assist children in living with attention and awareness of themselves and their environment.

Keeping the needs and abilities of children in mind is key when adapting mindfulness exercises to various age groups. Children learn through concrete activities with clear, descriptive instructions. They also enjoy engaging their imaginations and creativity. And don’t forget the power of humour or the need for play.

Be sure to start with brief activities which will lead to success. Beginning with a five minute focus activity will be better than a 15 minute seated meditation.

Like all activities, mindfulness training improves with practice. As they learn mindful techniques, children can practice independently in everyday life: as they walk, as they eat, as they play. Purposefully engaging in their various activities will actively shape the mind helping children to live deeply each moment of daily life.

In the coming months we’ll be posting specific techniques and methods of teaching mindfulness to children and adolescents. Be sure to subscribe (RSS or e-mail) to receive these articles as they are published.

Kids yoga classes are different from adult yoga classes. Before you decide to become a kids yoga instructor, or start doing yoga with your class at school, you’ll want to become familiar with these 8 dirty truths about teaching yoga to kids.

1. There will be tears – The trigger could be being overtired, or not getting to lead the game, or feeling overwhelmed, or that somebody ran into them during Yoga Tag, or they are frustrated at not being able to do their favourite pose precisely when they wanted. Tears are part and parcel of kids learning about their emotions and how to handle life. After school yoga classes are especially prone to this response as kids have already put in a full day of learning, may not have had an adequate after-school snack (low-blood sugar often causes emotional melt-downs), or may simply need a little TLC whereas the rest of the class wants to burn off excess energy.

2. Classes are noisy – Laughter, chatting, roaring, barking, singing, energetic chanting and more are part of a yoga class for kids. Once a Grade 5 teacher asked me how to get her students to be quiet during yoga. My response: “Don’t.” Kids need to express themselves using all their senses and they will at every opportunity. I believe that happy noise is productive to learning. One rule, however, when the instructor talks everyone else listens. That way explanations and instruction can be given, and then activities can be fully interactive. So have fun, make some noise!

3. You will be interrupted – Imagine half the adults in your yoga class expressing out loud the first thought that comes to mind every time the teacher begins to explain a pose or activity. Imagine being half way through a story only to be asked, “Can I go to the bathroom?” Imagine hearing all about someone’s fish that died on the weekend, a favourite TV show, the type of cake that was served at a friend’s birthday party, or the nasty comment that Mommy said to Daddy when he came home late from work…again. Now you are at a kids yoga class.

4. Classroom management is an essential skill – You will need to possess some classroom management skills to keep Bobby from constantly playing with the gong, Sue from cuddling with her best friend, Joey on task, and Beth from using her yoga mat like a sled. Kids generally know how to behave but will take advantage of any opportunity for chaos. Every kids yoga instructor needs to find their own style of classroom management so that the environment stays conducive to learning and growth. Remember you are in charge.

5. When you mess up, you’ll be told– Adults are generally rather polite when instructors make minor mistakes, stumble over their words, or fall flat on their faces. Kids – not so much! They love pointing out your shortcomings, faux pas, and inconsistencies. Instructors have two options: 1) achieve perfection 2) develop a sense of humour. Since perfection is a far way off for me, I find laughing about my blunders a lot more fun. In addition, the way in which adults respond to error helps kids to see how to handle their own mistakes in positive, life affirming ways.

6. Classes are similar to herding cats – Each group has a variety of ages, physical, mental and emotional abilities, and maturity levels. Add to that the fact that kids’ attention spans can be measured in minutes and you have an interesting challenge on your hands. Establishing a class routine and making sure the themes are kid friendly will lengthen the amount of time kids will spend on any one given activity. Kids yoga instructors, however, had better always have a few fall back activities & yoga games in mind to keep everyone engaged and having fun.

7. It’s not about you – Kids love classes which focus on THEIRinterests. WebKinz, Hannah Montana, Star Wars, Creepy Crawlies, Princesses, Spiderman, and more all come to yoga class. When the instructor incorporates a yoga inspired activity which plays off the students’ favourite things then you know you’ve got a great thing going. As well each holiday from Valentine’s to Halloween provides fodder for fun. So don’t be surprised if you spend time wondering how to incorporate leprechauns or superheros into your next yoga class.

8. Props, props, & more props– For an adult yoga class most instructors use a mat, an mp3 player, and if you are lucky an eye pillow. Iyengar classes will add a strap, a block, a blanket, and possibly a chair. For any given kids yoga class, take that basic list and add books, puppets, feathers, scarves, pompoms, parachutes, stuffed animals, musical instruments, hula hoops, card decks, hoberman spheres, rocks, balls, bean bags, craft supplies, colouring sheets, and more. Be sure to have some storage space available.

So there you have it: the inconveniences, traumas & reality of teaching yoga to kids.

There is a flip side however. If you take pleasure in providing tools for kids to be happy and healthy the rest of their lives, enjoy genuine sharing, approach life with curiosity and creativity, want to end each class with a sense of satisfaction, and love to receive spontaneous hugs, then teaching yoga to kids is for you.

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