Kids Yoga Class this week we learned how to meditate. The kids didn’t really understand what it meant to meditate and most likened it to relaxation. So with the help of Meditation Owls (thanks Alluem Kids) we discovered how easy it is to meditate and look inside to learn more about ourselves. They really liked the Sa Ta Ma Na to the Twinkle, Twinkle melody and my five year old keeps singing it this evening. One of the parents was very impressed when her child explained what it meant and showed her how to do this simple meditation technique before leaving. She said, “I can’t believe it. They remember everything. I’ve been coming to yoga for 4 years and still can’t get it straight.” Maybe the adults need a Meditation Owl as well. After creating the Owls and practicing our meditation, we did a variety of poses after the theme – Things that Fly: Pigeon, Eagle, Crow, Helicopter, Airplane, Superhero. We also snuck in a quick game of Swami Says before finishing in savasana. It was a great class. Here are a few photos for your enjoyment.

gluing the owls together

cutting out hand prints for wings

our meditation owls

Mantras are sounds, syllables, words or phrases which can create change. A saying from the Vedas states “Speech is the essence of humanity.” As such, our speech has the power to influence ourselves and our world through vibration and intent. The most well known mantra is Aum or Om. Kids and teens love to chant mantras. They offer a way to connect with their inner selves, to heal, to become grounded, to access hope and to increase positive emotions by stimulating the left hemisphere of the brain through their vibrations.

Please enjoy Two-ey and Minty as they sing the mantraLoka Samasta Sukhino Bhavantu from the indomitable Beth Lapides.

Loka Samasta Sukhino Bhavantu
Loka Samasta Sukhino Bhavantu
Loka Samasta Sukhino Bhavantu
OM
Shan’ti Shan’ti Shan’ti

This chant means

• Loka = world
• Samasta = the whole/together
• Sukino = the transcendal happiness
• Bhavantu = let there be 
• Shan’ti = peace

or “May peace and happiness be unto the world.”

Enjoy the trans-formative powers of this mantra anytime. This video will bring a smile to your face while the words will change your heart and perspective on the world. Om, Shan’ti.

Christmas morning dawned amid blue skies and hoar frost. It was a balmy -15 celsius out, so I snagged my husband’s Nikon and the dog and went to explore a nearby park. Here are some photos from my walking meditation to celebrate the season.

Benefits of Yoga Twists

Twists are some of my favourite yoga poses. Yoga twists require the work of the abdominal muscles, oblique muscles, spine, neck, shoulders and pelvis. They help to balance the body and improve posture. Twists exercise the spine from the coccyx all the way to C1, gently creating space between vertebrae, releasing tension in the muscles and lubricating the joints. In addition, twists massage the internal organs, increase energy, aid with digestion, and release fatty deposits in the abdomen. They invigorate the body and get the blood flowing. B.K.S Iyengar, yoga guru, describes this action as “squeeze and soak.” You compress all the internal organs during the twist, squeezing out the toxins. Then when you release, fresh blood flows in carrying with it oxygen and nutrients. Somewhat similar to an internal bath.

Most kids, however, don’t care about all these benefits. They like how twists feel. And they feel terrific!

One of the most effective uses of twists in the school setting is similar to wiping a black board clean after finishing one topic before moving onto the next. By taking five minutes to perform a simple seated twist in between subjects or activities, kids are able to erase previous tension, clear their minds, and prepare themselves physically and mentally to move on to other endeavours.

When teaching twists I use the image of a wet towel. To effectively wring out the towel you must twist from both sides. So when twisting, you must ground yourself in one direction while rotating in the opposite direction. For children who are tactile learners you can even use this as an object lesson.

Yoga Twists for Kids

Simple Seated Twist

Sitting on a chair or cross legged on the floor, ground the left hip by imagining it super-glued to your seat. to the right. Inhale and sit up tall, lengthening the side body. Exhale and begin to twist deep in your abdomen.  Inhale a second time, exhale twisting through the torso, trying to get your shoulders to line up parallel to the long side of the yoga mat. You can use your left arm to help pull your body to the right. Be sure to keep your shoulders away from your ears as you inhale a third time. Exhale and look behind you, taking the twist into the uppermost portion of the spine. If you want, you can even employ some Face Yoga and twist your mouth and eyes toward the right. Otherwise, gaze gently behind you. Inhale and return to centre. Remain here for one breath. Repeat the entire process on the other side.

washing machine pose

 Washing Machine Pose

Sitting cross-legged, cross your arms over your chest placing hands on opposite shoulders. Twist left and right while saying “swish, swish, swish.” Continue for one minute. An alternative name to this is Sprinkler Pose where the hands are placed on top of the same shoulder and while twisting say, “pssh, pssh, pssh” immitating water coming out of a sprinkler.

These two seated twists are easy to use anytime, anywhere and will really help clear the mind and refresh the body.

Standing Twist

Stand 6 inches to a foot away from a wall, with your back to the wall. Inhale and actively ground your left foot into the floor. Exhale as you twist to the right. Initiate your twist in the lower body. Inhale lengthen, exhale twist  through the chest, reaching your arms behind you to touch the wall. Inhale, keep your left leg actively working, exhale and complete the twist through to the crown of your head. Inhale and return to facing forward. Repeat on the other side.

This is a great twist to do while standing and waiting in line. It will help keep overactive kids engaged instead of allowing them opportunity to nudge, poke, kick, and otherwise bother their neighbours.

marichiyasana iii

Marichiyansana III

Sit with your legs straight in front of you. Bend the right knee, placing the foot along the left thigh a hand’s span distance from the leg. Activate your left leg, reaching the ball of the foot away from you, spreading the toes, and engaging the quad. Inhale, hug the right knee to your chest, exhale being certain that you’re sitting on your sitz bones by giving a little wiggle to feel them connect with the floor. Inhale, circle the right arm over head and reach it behind you onto the floor as you exhale. Inhale lengthen the body and reach the left arm up, exhale bend the arm and place the elbow on the outside of the right knee if possible. If not, continue to hug the knee. Inhale, sit tall maintaining the activity in the left leg. With the exhale twist to the right. Remember that you begin the twist deep in the belly. Imagine lifting each of your internal organs ( kidneys, pancreas, liver, stomach, intestines, etc) and placing them individually over to the right. Inhale, lengthen. Exhale, twist the center chest to the right using the contact between the left arms and right knee to help push yourself into the twist. This feels really good. Inhale, lengthen. Exhale, look behind you.

Now that you’ve perfected your twists, crack out the Twister game and get twisted.

Watch next week for Part II in this series on twists when we’ll take twists up a notch and discover Yoga Twists for Teens.

Next week, my husband is taking me to Montreal. Yippee! I’ve wanted to go since grade school and finally have a chance to explore, discover, and shop in this beautiful city. Can’t wait.

However, that also means leaving four kids with a sitter with calendar, prepared meals, clean clothes in the drawers, rides to extra-curricular activities arranged, and all the makings for healthy school lunches available. Mix in having the house completely under control for someone else to live in, rearranging my schedule so that I can drop everything during the hectic month of December,  and being at least semi-prepared for the last week of school before Christmas break. Add to that, my husband’s and niece’s birthdays. And for good measure a rounded portion of trying to get my book finalized and to the printer before I leave. Voilà: a recipe for STRESS.

So I was wonderfully pleased when YogaMint sent out this lovely Keep Cool affirmation video and spent six luxurious minutes breathing my way to calm, cool bliss. It also helped remind me how beautiful winter can be as we head into the deep freeze with snow flurries.

I often use stuffed animals when teaching children yoga, especially pre-school and elementary aged kids. They love the classes when I bring a bag full of various stuffed animals that we get to play with. But using stuffed animals in a yoga class is more than just a way to entertain children. There are numerous educational reasons to employ these cute and cuddly helpers. Stuffed animals help to:

• focus attention
• inspire discussions
• guide story topics
• develop fine motor skills
• stimulate tactile learners
• provide visual cues to poses

Here are a few ways I use stuffed animals to teach kids yoga.

They are great for teaching belly breathing when everyone lies down and places the stuffy on their abdomen. They then try to make the stuffy swim (rise up and down) using their breath. This is a wonderfully visual way to teach correct breathing technique.

I also use them to represent the various poses we are going to perform during our class. For example when teaching the yoga adventure story The Pet Store I will use a cat, dog, rabbit, parrot, gold fish, etc. Sometimes they are:

• hidden in a bag that the children get to reach into and pull out, one at a time
• lined up in a row and we’ll do them in order (this works very well for Autistic children or others needing form, organization & logic)
• distributed (one per child) and then we work around the group, performing each pose in turn

I also have a posable Babar elephant who helps to demonstrate various poses. Often before I go to use him in class I have to track him down in the house as my children will rob the yoga class props stash looking for him to play with. He is actually very fun, and I have even used him in adult classes.

Then of course, there are various puppets that are fun to pull out and use to tell stories, make comments, sing silly songs, etc. Kids love puppets and they can do many things mere humans cannot. You can give them special powers, or they can roll play scenarios, which help children process life experiences, face their fears, tap into their strengths, etc. Here is a great article on how to use puppets in the classroom.

There is also a site, YogaZoo, that sells stuffed animals performing their pose – a cat doing cat pose, camel doing camel pose, even a dead bug. They are rather adorable so I had to share.

Teaching Kids Yoga has an article on how to choose toys for babies according to developmental age which may prove helpful to those who aren’t simply going for the cuteness factor (how my girls choose) or for the feel (how I choose) of a particular stuffed animal.

So next time you are planning to teach a kids yoga class be sure to raid your children’s toy box and find some wonderful stuffed animals to serve as teaching aids. Your job will be easier and the kids will love it.

If you enjoyed this post be sure to subscribe to receive more tips on how to teach yoga to kids and teens.