Yoga In My School » poses

Kids Yoga Poses – Shark Pose looks Suspiciously like Dolphin Pose

DonnaKFreeman — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 04:15:09 +0000

Two notes. That’s all you need. And everyone knows they are in for Shark Pose. The Jaws Theme Song continues to terrify and kids far and wide can’t wait to get into this basic inversion.

Shark Pose/Dolphin Pose

Hello, this is Donna from Yogainmyschool and I’m here today with Alea to show you how to do Shark Pose, known in most adult yoga classes as Dolphin Pose.

Hi, my name is Alea and I’m eight years old.

The first thing you need to do, to do Shark Pose is come onto your hands and knees. Do you see how her hands are below her shoulders and her knees are below her hips? That’s perfect.
The second step is to lower yourself to the ground on your elbows, intertwining your fingers.
The third step, curl your toes under and lift your hips high in the air. Let your head hang loose. You can shake it ‘yes.’ You can shake it ‘no.’ And do you see how her body forms a triangle. That is supposed to be the fin of the shark.

Shark Pose is a really good pose for strengthening the shoulders, the chest and building stamina. After a few breaths, you can come on down, and return to sitting.

Thanks Alea for showing us how to do Shark Pose.

Visit the Alphabetical List of Yoga Poses for a complete listing of yoga poses that kids love.

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Yoga For Children with Asthma

DonnaKFreeman — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 15:21:45 +0000

Children with asthma have unique physical challenges. More and more children are being diagnosed with this respiratory complaint with a 160% increase of asthma cases since 1980. In fact almost 7 million children in the US have asthma . This Blog Talk Radio episode will focus on three types of yoga poses and three breathing exercises which help alleviate symptoms of asthma in children. Please always continue to take perscribed medication and use these exercises in addition to your Doctor’s recommendations.

Original Air Date: 12/15/2009 3:00 PM

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Kids Yoga Poses – Deer Pose – Marichiyasana II

DonnaKFreeman — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 14:02:58 +0000

This pose is often referred to in kids yoga as deer pose because it resembles a deer bounding through the forest. I often use this pose to represent deer, gazelle, springbok, even zebra, and as we look back over the shoulder we are watching for lions, wolves, or other predators who may be chasing us. Technically it is called Marichiyasana II, or the Pose Dedicated to the Sage Marichi version II (there are three versions) . Marichi is the son of Brahma (creator of the universe), one of seven great sages, and is considered as the Vedic Adam or the ‘father’ of humanity. Whatever you call it, this pose is a wonderful twist that helps to balance the body, tone the internal organs, and strengthen the spine.

marichiyasana ii

Deer Pose – Marichiyasana II

Sit, feet stretched out on the floor in front of you
Bend the right leg placing the foot a hand’s span from the left thigh
Hug your knee with both arms and sit tall
Place the right hand on the floor behind you, inhale as you reach up with the left hand
Exhale and twist your torso to hug your right knee with the left arm, look behind you
Release, returning to center
Repeat on the other side

Benefits:stimulates the liver and stomach, tones the digestive system, opens the shoulders and spine, improves posture

Watch this video of how to perform the pose.

Visit the alphabetical list of poses for a full listing of yoga poses that are safe and fun for kids and teens. More poses are added regularly so be sure to subscribe via RSS or e-mail to have them delivered directly to your reader/in-box.

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Kids Yoga Outside – Summer Yoga is Everywhere

DonnaKFreeman — Fri, 09 Jul 2010 12:55:25 +0000

Summertime is for playing outside. These kids recently took their yoga out of doors and played with various props (rocks, statues, and benches) found along a river. The inspiration came from the gorgeous First Nations themed statues by Stewart Steinhauer found beside a local river: eagle pose, then bear walk. From there exploring some nearby boulders was a logical next locale for some yoga poses: tree pose, dancer, camel, rock the baby, downward dog, and lizard on a rock. Finally double boat on a park bench before heading off to the library to find some more great books for summer reading.

eagle pose

bear walk

tree pose

dancer pose

camel pose

rock the baby pose

downward dog

lizard on a rock

double boat pose

Be inspired to do yoga wherever, whenever the mood strikes. The park, the playground, the botanic garden, on the beach, or at the cabin…get your yogi on and strike a pose, or two, or ten. Happy summer!

For more information on yoga for kids and teens be sure to subscribe (RSS or e-mail) and get updates directly to your reader or inbox. You can also find YIMS on Facebook and YouTube.

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Seated Yoga Twists for Kids

DonnaKFreeman — Mon, 05 Jul 2010 13:48:10 +0000

Yogainmyschool.com

Seated Yoga Twists for Kids

Today we’re going to be doing some twists with Alea.

“Hi, my name is Alea and I’m 7 years old.”

Alea’s going to show us how to do three different twists.

The first one is a simple seated twist. You can do this sitting criss-cross like Alea is or sitting in a chair at your desk at school. It’s really good to give you more energy, to massage your internal organs, and to increase your posture and give you nice, good, solid posture.

So, to do a seated twist you are going to sit with your sitz bones nice and grounded into the ground. Then inhale and take a deep breath in. As you exhale twist to one side. Put your hand on one knee…

The second pose that is a twist for kids is called washing machine pose. This one is lots of fun. You need to cross your arms across your chest. From there you need to start making a ’swish, swish, swish’ sound. There we go, that’s it, speed up that cycle…

The final twist we are going to do today is sometimes called deer pose because it looks like a deer bounding through the forest. To do this you are going to sit with both legs out in front to of you. Then you are going to bring one leg up. Reach your left arm behind you and your right arm reaches for the sky, twinkle those fingers…

Thanks Alea for doing some twists with us. How did those feel?

“Really good.”

Do you like twists?

“Yes.”

Thank you.

And that’s all for today from yogainmyschool.com. I hope you have enjoyed these twists and that you do them often with kids that you know. Namaste.

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My Favorite Yoga Prop – Feathers

DonnaKFreeman — Fri, 02 Jul 2010 12:44:44 +0000

Guest post by Sarah Herrington.

Bringing out a bag of colorful soft feathers adds instant excitement to yoga class. Feathers allow kids to see the breath, add a fun twist to bird poses of any kind, and make for some fun yoga games! Feathers can even make savasana more special.

Pranayama Practice

Even the youngest of yogis can become more aware of breath and the connection between breath and emotions. Simply holding a feather in front of your nose during kid-pranayama practice (which might consist of Bunny Breath to energize or Take Five Breath to calm down) makes breath visible. Try blowing soft enough to move the fluffy part of the feather and then hard enough to move the stiff part of the feather. Can you see your feather move, fast or slow, depending on how you’re breathing? How does “fast” breath make you feel? How does “slow” breath make you feel? Practice Ujjayi breath by holding the feather under your nose and keeping your lips sealed like an envelope.

Floating Feather Game

Celebrate the power of breath by playing this game with yourself or a friend. Using only your breath (no fingers or toes), keep your feather afloat. Don’t let it touch the floor! Try playing a little feather-volleyball with a friend.

Find the Feather Game

“Find the Feather,” is an intuition game. Invite one yogi to be the “seeker”, and ask her to hide in the corner of the room, with no peeking. Then, hide the feather under another yogi’s mat. Invite the seeker back and ask her to guess where the feather is hiding. Talk about what it means to “go with your gut” and use your intuition. You’d be amazed how many times the yogi will find the feather on the first or second try!

Bird Asanas

Feathers make learning our bird poses even more fun. Hand out feathers when working on Eagle pose or Flamingo. Let the kids be inspired to feel the source of their asanas even more fully given the feathers. Decorate your pigeon with a feather or two or allow your swan to ruffle its feathers in movement.

Savasana

Feathers are great to use during savasana/ relaxation. You can give your savasana-students “Feather Massages.” As always, ask kids if they want to be touched. (I have students put a thumb up in the air during savasana if they want an adjustment or massage.) Lightly move the feather across the third-eye area. Kids will lie really still in anticipation of a feather massage, so this helps in savasana management! You can also gently place a feather on the belly or chest during savasana so there is an awareness of how breath effects the body when it enters and leaves. You may even want to place several feathers around each relaxing yogi and lead the class through a “Bed of Feathers” guided visualization. All of these techniques keep young yogis more still during savasana time.

Let your imagination soar as you and your students invent even more ways to use feathers in yoga class! Even hanging some feathers in the yoga space can act as a constant reminder of this important, but invisible, part of the yoga practice. Breathe deep, and let the feathers fly!

Sarah Herrington is a full-time kids and Vinyasa yoga teacher in Manhattan. For the past several years she’s taught 25 kids yoga classes a week in the public school and charter school system in NYC. She has completed trainings through KarmaKids Yoga, MiniYogis and YogaEd, along with the training of teaching daily. Her kids classes are infused with the joy and fun of yoga, and her Vinyasa classes with the power of intention, mindfulness, and breath. She can be found online at: http://www.sarahherrington.com

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Kids Yoga with Stuffed Animals

DonnaKFreeman — Wed, 30 Jun 2010 13:16:49 +0000

YogaInMySchoolTV presents Kids Yoga with Stuffed Animals.

Today we’re here with Greer.

“Hi, I’m Greer. I’m 5 years old.”

She is going to show us how you can use stuffed animals to help you with your yoga poses. She has three stuffed animals beside her, so we are going to do three different poses.

The first pose we’re going to do is “Cat pose” and there is our cute little kitty cat. To do cat pose…

The next pose we’re going to do is “Downward Dog.” There’s our puppy dog. Lovely. Now, again we’re going to make a table with our body…

We have one last pose for today. What’s our pose Greer? “Lion Pose!” This is Greer’s favourite pose. To do lion pose you can start…

So that is how stuffed animals can help kids do yoga. I hope you have enjoyed our video today. And we’ll sign off with…”Namaste.”

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Kids Yoga Poses – Lion Pose – Simhasana

DonnaKFreeman — Tue, 29 Jun 2010 12:20:28 +0000

Lions! Just mention this wonderful animal in a kids yoga class and everyone starts to roar. Their majestic beauty has captivated man since the beginning of time. In ancient Egypt and Greece they were protectors and guardians. They are revered for their strength, leadership, courage, dignity, and loyalty. Lion pose is an ideal pose to connect with your inner lion. This pose is all about letting go of negativity and embracing your inner strength and wisdom. Messages the lion shares with us include: hold your head up, lead others with a loving heart, have courage.

Death was afraid of him because he had the heart of a lion. -Arabian Proverb

Lion Pose – Simhasana

lion pose

Sit cross-legged or kneel low
Think of something negative in your life, squeeze it in clasping the hands, crunching up the face, tight, tight
Let it go by extending the arms forward and roarly loudly, sticking the tongue out
Repeat three times

Benefits: releases tension in the face, neck and chest, tones the face and throat, activates the immune glands of the lymph nodes and tonsils, strengthens the lungs

Within each of us resides a mighty lion. What makes your lion roar?

For a full listing of yoga poses which are safe and fun for kids visit the alphabetical list of kids yoga poses.

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54 Fun Family Activities for Summer Yoga Style

DonnaKFreeman — Sat, 26 Jun 2010 21:32:22 +0000

Hooray! The long lazy days of summer have arrived. After having successfully completed another school year you can’t wait to spend time doing nothing. It is important to allow kids unstructured time to renew, refresh and come to know themselves. However, more often than not, sometime during the next few months children will utter the words, “I’m bored. There’s nothing to do!” (add whiny voice as appropriate). Here are some suggestions to keep kids active mentally and physically which also nurture them emotionally. Remember summer is a wonderful time to build relationships by spending time playing, doing, and growing together.

Have family members set summer goals. For example: list of books you want to read, things you want to do, places to visit, skills you need to learn.
Take your child to the library and sign up for a summer reading program.
Have your child help put together a first aid kit that can go with you on your many summer outings.
Give your child an inexpensive camera and let them take pictures of all the fun activities you do over the summer. Create a scrapbook of memories.
Practice pranayama by blowing bubbles or dandelion heads.
Pack a picnic and enjoy eating outdoors.
Watch a baseball/football/soccer/beach volleyball game together. Talk about the rules and how they are important.
See how many places in your home (not including books) where your child can find words to read.
Make paper airplanes and practice airplane pose (Warrior III with arms out to the side).
Plant a garden and enjoy tending it throughout the season.
Visit a local museum or art gallery.
Sketch or paint outdoors: clouds, night sky, trees, a favourite view, an interesting building…let your imagination and creativity soar.
Lie on the grass and look at the clouds. Make up stories about the shapes you see.
Colour mandalas. Go for a walk and find mandalas in your neighbourhood (flowers, signs, art, stepping stones, etc).
Learn geography while watching the World Cup. Find participating countries on a map.
Teach your child their personal information: phone number, address, etc. Practice each day.
Can your children tell time? Teach them how to read an analog clock with yoga eyes.
Check out a book of jokes or riddles. Share one over dinner each day.
Create an indoor or outdoor miniature golf course. Play a round or two.
Grab a broomstick and hold a limbo contest. Back-bends open the heart and invigorate the body.
Add food coloring to a dollop of shaving cream. Let your child use it as finger paint.
Make homemade ice-cream. Practice two scoops partner pose.
Help your child write a letter or card to a relative or friend telling about summer events.
Fly a kite. Practice triangle pose (sometimes called kite pose).
Have a pillow fight.
Enjoy face painting and then perform face yoga in the mirror and laugh at your funny faces.
Read under the stars. Take a blanket and book outside and read with your child by flashlight.
At dinner have each family member say something nice about every person at the table.
Make puppets out of a paper bag, an old sock or a stick. Put on a puppet show.
Cut out pictures from several magazines. Have your child write a story about them.
Give your child a bucket of water and some paint brushes. Let her “paint” the sidewalk, fence, house, etc.
Find out when the sun sets and rises in your area. Learn how to do Sun Salutations.
Look at the stars with your child. Make up new constellations together.
Find a local kiddie pool, beach or fountain and go wadding.
Play alphabet games with your child. List countries, animals, cars or yoga poses in alphabetical order.
Build a fort inside or out using blankets, sheets, boxes, tables, chairs and other items found around the house.
Meditate upon the breeze as it ruffles the leaves of your favourite tree.
Create a treasure/scavenger hunt and help your kids follow the clues for a fun reward.
Play hopscotch.
Choose a new recipe. Have fun cooking with your child.
Cut out pictures of healthy foods from weekly grocery ads.
Discuss the Food Pyramid. Have your child use the pictures from the above activity and make a chart of nutritious choices.
Look at family photos. Share stories and remember wonderful moments together.
Play with a hula hoop and discover hoop yoga.
Make musical instruments from things around your house. Have a concert.
Play a card game with your child; Crazy 8s, War, Rummy, Old Maid, Go Fish, Snap all build memory, hand-eye coordination & math skills.
Collect bugs and do insect poses such as locust, spider, inchworm, bumble bee lips, etc.
Fill water guns, buckets and water balloons and have a water fight.
Camp out in the back yard.
Create amazing sidewalk art with sidewalk chalk and a little water.
Help out at the local SPCA. Learn how to do downward dog pose, cat pose, rabbit pose and other poses for animals at the shelter.
Visit an orchard or u-pick farm.
Build sandcastles.
Feed the ducks at the local pond. Enjoy a great hip opening exercise by walking like a duck.

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Beat with Heat with Yoga for Summer: Guest Melina Meza

DonnaKFreeman — Thu, 17 Jun 2010 18:08:09 +0000

Gear up for summer sizzle just in time for the summer solstice with seasonal yoga tips from Melina Meza, BS Nutr, 500-RYT, of Seattle’s 8 Limbs of Yoga Centers. Discover how adjusting your lifestyle in accordance with the seasons improves life’s natural rhythms and prevents seasonal imbalances. Summer brings fire and water elements to the forefront. Melina will share ayurvedic tips for keeping cool including food, routines and the what, when and how of asana practice. Maintain a yogic life while on vacation or during the typical summer slow-down as you beat the heat and stay happy and healthy mentally, physically and spiritually.

Original air date: June 17, 2010

Learn more about seasonal yoga and Melina Meza on her website. You can also find her on YouTube and @melinameza on Twitter.

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