Yoga In My School

Playlist for Teen Yoga Class

DonnaKFreeman — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 13:04:13 +0000

I’ve been playing with the play-list for the Hot Yoga for Teens class I teach once a week. It’s an abbreviated class, only one hour in duration, but involves as many of the 26 hot yoga poses as we can fit in, along with a lovely savasana at the end. The students spend the first few weeks learning the poses and then each week we add in a few new challenges and technique hints to bring up their level of yoga and deepen their experience.

I like to include a lot of current and pop tunes which are fun and have positive messages. I always keep in mind the teens and try to choose stuff they’ll enjoy. Also, I encourage my students to suggest tunes to add and they love to hear their favourites during class. This particular play list may be more energetic than most yoga play-lists, which are known for their relaxing, calming sound tracks. I wanted to empower the students and let them know anything is possible through hard work, dedication, focus, and love. So this is what it looks like currently. It’ll change before the next session starts, but for today we’ll enjoy this version.

Breathe – Sia

Amber – 311

Hey, Soul Sister – Train

This Too Shall Pass – OK Go

Uprising – Muse

Sober – Pink

Karma Police – Radiohead

Sewn – The Feeling

Love Is The Answer – Weezer

Hey World (Don’t Give Up) Michael Franti & Spearhead

Hungry Heart – Minnie Driver

Breathe – Anna Nalick

Claire de Lune – Claude Debussy

For suggestions on music for kids and teens yoga class visit The Magic of Music on The Kids Yoga Resource.

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Kids Yoga Poses – Happy Baby – Ananda Balasana

DonnaKFreeman — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 13:57:05 +0000

Happy Baby Pose (Ananda Balasana) is also called Dead Bug Pose and looks exactly like its name, whichever you want to use. It is a fantastic hip opener. Mobility in the hip joint is vital to healthy knee and back function. The freedom of movement classic in infants can be maintained throughout life with open hips. The hip joint is the meeting place of the upper and lower body. A healthy hip joint will be able to absorb the shock of walking or running and provide a steady base for the spine and internal organs. Hip openers also aid with digestion and circulation as you gently compress and massage the internal organs.

Happy Baby – Ananda Balasana

happy baby pose

Sit, grasping the inside of your feet with your hands
Roll onto your back, feet to the sky
Alternatively start lying on your back and bend your knees into your belly, then grasp the feet
You can stretch one leg straight keeping the thigh close to the floor while bending the other, alternating sides
Coo, giggle, and make happy baby noises, then roll back to sitting
If imitating a dead bug be sure to use appropriate facial expressions without the baby noises

Benefits: opens the hips, gently stretches the groins and lower back, calms the brain, relieves fatigue and stress

Here is a laughing baby video to bring a smile to your face and lighten your day.

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Warrior Poses – Anger and Heartbreak to Heal and Defend

DonnaKFreeman — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 20:57:14 +0000

As a member of the Namate Book Club I’ve been reading a wonderful little book entitled Downward Dogs & Warriors: Wisdom Tales for Modern Yogisby Zo Newell . The premise of the book is to educate the reader about the powerful stories from which Indian culture and yoga has come. It is “about using asana and related images for reflection, self-examination, and healing” in order to deepen “your yoga practice through observation of your body, your mind, and your emotions.”

The first story in the book is that of Shiva as Destroyer: Warrior Poses. In a nutshell, Shiva’s wife, Sati, threw herself into a fire becoming the sacrifice her father refused to provide during a ritual party where he was simply flaunting his power and prestige. Upon hearing of his wife’s demise, Shiva, overcome with grief and fury, ripped his hair from his head and threw it on the ground where it became a Warrior, the embodiment of his emotions.“This is Virabhadra, the personification of righteous anger and the noble impulse to defend the innocent.”

This pose and its story took on very personal meaning over the past week as an innocent child became the victim of molestation. Suddenly each time I do Warrior pose, I am Virabhadra filled with anger and anguish at the injustices of life. What was once a sometimes demanding physical pose now encompasses an entire range of strong emotions.

Newell encourages yogis to:

Reflect and journal on a time when you came to the defence of a righteous cause or an innocent person. Invite the emotional qualities of that experience into your practice of the warrior poses. Keep the experience in mind while practicing with softness in the eyes and openness in the heart.

It may be a too soon for me to practice “with softness in the eyes and openness in the heart” as I am still in protect and safety mode. However, knowing the story behind the pose has given me hope to work through the pain to the point where my heart is open and calm as I move into action.

There are far too many children who are victims of abuse. Please do everything within your power to protect and fight for their innocence. Be the Warriors for those who cannot protect themselves.

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“What I See, I Can Be” Lucky Winner

DonnaKFreeman — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 13:30:24 +0000

Congratulations to Andre of Wholly Yoga, the winner of our February give-away of a copy of “What I See, I Can Be” by Janet Williams. Andre won by commenting on the post Kids Guided Yoga Flow – Review and Give Away and will be receiving his book and CD set graciously donated by Light Connections Press. For a full selection of companion products visit Childrens Yoga Books.

Upon learning of his good fortune Andre said,

I am excited to have won a copy of What I See, I Can Be. I look forward to using it in kids yoga class in the near future.

Thanks to everyone who commented. I love to give things away and spread the yoga love. There are some more great give aways in the works so stayed tuned and keep those comments coming.

If you are looking to win a copy of Once Upon a Pose zip over to The Kids Yoga Resource as they are giving away a copy this week.

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Yoga for Children with Autism

DonnaKFreeman — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 13:33:21 +0000

Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) will benefit from yoga since it addresses both the physical and emotional symptoms of the disorder.

The typical gross motor delay, low muscle tone and impaired coordination of ASD often result in low self-esteem and lack of confidence which can extend to other areas of life. Yoga is an appropriate and enjoyable physical program which improves strength and tone in the muscles, develops balance, and increases body awareness. Even fine motor skills will be improved as yoga emphasizes being in tune with the entire body, hands and fingers, feet and toes.

Children with ASD may also suffer from sensory issues including sensitivity to light, noise, taste, texture, or smell. Furthermore, they may repeat movements that seem uncontrollable (stim behaviours). Yoga can help with these symptoms by soothing the nervous system and allowing pent-up energy to be released from the body in a non-competitive, peaceful manner.

The breathing techniques and guided visualization exercises also assist by reducing stress, teaching coping techniques, and providing a sense of calm and acceptance. Once a child has learned some of these exercises they can use them anytime, anywhere.

When teaching yoga, take things slowly, introducing poses incrementally as comfort levels allow. Work on basic poses (Mountain, Tree, Cat, Warrior, etc.) and breathing exercises. Build one pose at a time, gradually adding more options.

To create visual stimulation and connections, line up stuffed animals or pictures of animals at the front of the room. Follow the line of animals, doing the pose for each in turn, creating an effective pattern. A similar exercise is to place the stuffed animals or pictures in a pile and have them picked at random, doing the corresponding pose each time.

Music is also a powerful tool for children with ASD because it provokes engagement and interest. Drumming, chanting, singing and moving to music are effective ways to engage individuals and helps to stimulate the emotional center of the brain.

A fantastic resource for teachers or parents wanting to use yoga for children with ASD is Yoga For Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder by Dion E. Betts. For further information regarding Autism Spectrum Disorders, visit the Autism Society of Canada or Autism Today, which has over 2,500 articles and many resources.

Watch for more articles on this important topic with expert in yoga for children with autism Rachel Greb of Yoga Sprouts. Subscribe through RSS or e-mail today so as not to miss a single one.

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Yoga Helps Kids and Teens Learn Anatomy

DonnaKFreeman — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 13:19:42 +0000

Whenever I teach yoga to kids and teens I talk anatomy. What part of your body is working in this pose? Can you feel that in your abs? Which part of your body do you use when your breathe? are all standard questions even for Pre-School and Kindergarten aged students. I keep the questions and discussions age appropriate realizing that 5 year olds and 15 year olds have different frames of reference and comprehension levels.

I am a firm believer in being familiar with the body in order to understand how to best keep it healthy and happy. As individuals come to understand and appreciate the many functions their body performs, they are better prepared to take care of it. For example, understanding that a complete breath begins in the abdomen, permits the diaphragm and ribs to perform their functions, assists in getting adequate oxygen into the body, and helps reduce stress.

Knowledge of anatomy brings consciousness to yoga practice and helps individuals talk about their body without embarassement. In fact, recently I taught a group of 20 teenage girls about mula bandha or Root Lock. You should of seen them all blush. It was great! We’ve all got these parts, we’d better know what they do and how to take care of them in order to use them properly, avoid injury, and maintain good health.

Here are a couple on-line resources to help reinforce the topics and activities from yoga class which teach kids/teens anatomy.

Anatomy for Kids

A complete site with movies, word finds, online quizzes and activities is How the Body Works on KidsHealth.com. Kinetic.com also has a fun anatomy game called InnerG where body parts (ie: liver, heart, teeth, blood, etc) need to be placed into the body. As you do so, supporting information and recipes to keep that part strong and healthy are provided. My seven year old daughter thoroughly loved testing these sites out.

Anatomy for Teens

For Jr and Sr High School students more detailed anatomy learning games can be found at Anatomy Arcade with Whack-a-Bone and Poke-a-Muscle, among numerous others. The top level of these games are challenging and a great interactive way to learn anatomy. If you really want to get into anatomy including reviews of iPod and iPhone apps, dissection videos, and learning inter-actives visit Think Anatomy.

During your next yoga class with kids/teens be sure to take the time to teach anatomy whether for basic understanding or more in depth comprehension of how the body works. Its quite a miraculous thing. How do you teach anatomy to your students?

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Children’s Relationship to Food Needs an Overhaul

DonnaKFreeman — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 20:31:04 +0000

Today children are inundated with poor food options. From chicken nuggets to processed treats, its all readily available and marketed to the hilt. One of the worst culprits is school lunch. School cafeterias often don’t have a single ‘from scratch’ option made without preservatives and chemicals. Where are the fruits and vegetables that are supposed to make up the largest portion of the daily intake? And ketchup is NOT a vegetable!

Educating children about healthy eating is critical. There is much we can do to promote fresh, healthy, delicious food. It is essential to change children’s relationship to food so that they understand that what they put into their bodies effects how their bodies feel and perform.

Here is a 20 minute talk by Ann Cooper, the renegade lunch lady, who is passionate about changing what kids eat for lunch. She promotes a local, sustainable, seasonal and educational diet.

There are numerous ways to change how children relate to food. Here are a few suggestions

Teach proper nutrition- develop awareness for the food groups, portion size, and label reading
Involve kids in the kitchen – even the smaller kids can help in the kitchen, get them involved and empower them with life long skills
Eat together – studies show famlies that eat together have better health habits
Grow your own food – even a small garden can grow fresh produce for the table
Appreciate the body - learning basic anatomy develops an appreciation for and awareness of the body, its systems, and how to care for it with proper nutrition

Other articles with a focus on improving the health and nutrition of children include:

Food Issues — Karmaspot’s Blog
Kids are Eating a Wheelbarrow full of Sugar — Young Yoga Masters
Food, Mood, Behavior and Learning — The Kids Yoga Resource
Yoga Can Help Diminish Childhood & Teen Obesity — Shanti Generation Blog
Eating Local Tips for Busy Moms on a Budget — The PranaMama
Watermelon Pose — Alluem Kids

If you have a related article or website please post a link in the comments.

Together we can make a difference. This is something we are completely in control of, so get involved, make an effort, take the time.

Over the next couple of months I’ll be ellaborating on ways to change how children relate to food so be sure to subscribe by RSS or e-mail.

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Sesame Street Yoga – Bert Shares His Favourite Pose

DonnaKFreeman — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 21:37:19 +0000

Sesame Street revolutionized children’s television back in 1969 combining education with entertainment. Today it is the longest running children’s program on television and is well known for its lovable Muppets (Big Bird, Oscar, Kermit, Grover, Elmo, etc) and timeless songs (I Love Trash, Bein’ Green, Rubber Duckie, C is for Cookie, among others).

I love Sesame Street and so was thrilled when YogaDork posted this video and have been singing “Doing the (coo, coo) pigeon” all day. So press play and enjoy doing Pigeon pose with Bert. He now joins the ranks with Kermit as a true yogi. Can’t wait for Oscar the Grouch to find his bliss while doing Warrior pose.

I would love to have a pose-able Grover to take to classes. Already have a Babar which I have to wrestle away from my children, but I think Grover would be super flexible and lots of fun. Which childhood character would you like to see doing yoga and what would be their favourite pose?

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Yoga Workshops for Teachers

DonnaKFreeman — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 15:23:57 +0000

February is Teacher Convention Month in Alberta, Canada. This is a time for teachers to enrich themselves personally and professionally. I teach various workshops to help teachers bring yoga into their schools and lives. Each workshop lasts approximately 75 minutes at conventions, but are ideally suited for 2-3 hour in-service sessions. Here are a few workshops which can be used for in-service or PD Days. If you are interested in learning more or in booking a workshop for your group/school please contact donna@yogainmyschool.com

Once Upon a Pose

Yoga stories for children fulfill numerous curriculum requirements and are a fun, fully interactive teaching methodology. Learn how to use basic yoga poses in story format to enrich the classroom experience, improve physical fitness, reduce stress, increase attention span, and engage students on a totally different level. Stories in French also provided. A fun, high energy workshop with great ideas to use today. Come prepared to actively participate. K-6 applications in Language Arts, Social Studies, Math, Science, Art, Music and PE. Also meets the DPA Requirement.

Yoga for Teens

The ancient practise of yoga can have a tremendous positive impact on adolescents. Benefits include improved self-esteem, better academic performance, increased attention span, and greater stress management. This fully interactive workshop will progress through seven types of yoga poses (standing, balance, forward bends, back bends, inversions, twists and arm balancing) as well as include relaxation techniques and breathing exercises. Come prepared to actively participate and discover how to use yoga with your students. Applications to Physical Education, Fit for Life, CALM, Physics, Biology, Algebra, Social Studies, English, Foreign Languages, Drama, Counselling and school athletic teams.

Yoga with a Chair

Yoga with a Chair is a fun way to work yoga into your everyday routine. Reduce fatigue, prevent carpel tunnel, improve posture, strengthen your core, and open your hips all while using a standard chair. This workshop will surprise you as you discover the many adaptations to the poses and the incredible workout you can get while sitting down. Come prepared to participate and leave with numerous tips and techniques on how to use yoga at the office, in the classroom or while in a wheel chair.

These are just a few of the possible Professional Develoment workshops offered. For a complete listing of in-service workshops visit the In-service Page.

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Kids Guided Yoga Flow – Review and Give Away

DonnaKFreeman — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 12:22:02 +0000

Light Connections Press has generously donated a copy of What I See, I Can Be to one lucky commentator. Leave a message below and enter to win. Draw date will be March 1, 2010. Good luck!

Janet William’s book What I See, I Can Be is a lovely guided yoga flow for children. The book is beautiful with engaging colour illustrations of each object and two sweet children, one boy and one girl, doing the corresponding pose. Some of the poses included are mountain, tree, triangle (kite), cat, cobra, child’s (mouse), bow, and seated forward bend (oyster). The yoga flow itself is well thought out and child appropriate, with step-by-instructions that are easy to follow.

Williams has done a lovely job of engaging children’s imaginations with her vivid descriptions. I especially like Bridge pose (drawbridge).

I lie on my back and I place my feet on the ground. I bring my feet close to my bottom and my knees point to the sky. A ship is ready to leave the harbour and head out to sea. I put my hand on my back and lift my tummy high into the air. I breathe as the ship slowly sails under the bridge. I am a Bridge. When the ship is through, I slowly lower the Drawbridge by bringing my back flat onto the ground.

I fully appreciated the included audio CD as it enabled my five year old to follow along independently doing the poses with the book at the front of her yoga mat. When asked which pose was her favourite, she answered, “The lying down one” referring to the Meadow page where the children are lead through an active progressive muscle relaxation while in Corpse pose. I think this age is ideal for the book and they will enjoy the calming music while being able to do yoga all by themselves. The book is aimed at children 3-9 years old.

The series of supporting materials is one of the great things about this book. A colouring and activity book, poster of poses, and teacher resource materials help round out this resource for teachers, parents, day-care providers or health professionals who may not have a back ground in yoga but want children to enjoy its many benefits.

Williams firmly believes in promoting healthy and active children. This book is a wonderful way in which to do exactly that.

The book has a special introductory price of $23.97 CAN +taxes and is available at Childrens Yoga Books.

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