Yoga Chanting for Kids & Teens

Often when I visit a class for the first time a number of kids come in right away, sit cross legged, hands in the air, thumb and index finger joined, and spontaneously chant “om.” Their natural curiosity and receptivity always makes me smile. They are so adorable in their sweet innocence as they connect with this universal sound and mudra (hand position).

Teaching Om

Now for a little guidance.

One of the easiest, and most approachable, ways to teach “om” is to break it down into A-U-M.

Sit cross-legged, place your hands on your knees in gyan mudra (thumb and index finger forming a circle, other fingers elongated). Aum is generally considered to have 3 1/2 measures: A, U, M and silence. Close your eyes, inhale then exhale as you perform Aum, repeating three times. The sounds ahhhh starts in our chest at the heart center, moves upward with the ooooo sound in the throat center, and ends with the sounds mmmmm, which vibrates the higher centers in the head. (~Once Upon a Pose, p. 4)

It’s fun to play around with variations in volume, pitch and timing. As with any yoga practice, approach “om” with curiosity and openness to see what feels right to you.

Three Symbols of Om

If you’d like to go all Hindu with your students you can explore the symbolism behind the sound. According to the Mandukya Upanishad,

Om is the one eternal syllable of which all that exists is but the development. The past, the present, and the future are all included in this one sound, and all that exists beyond the three forms of time is also implied in it.

Each tone of “om” relates to a time of life, a power and a Hindu deity/philosophy.

A = birth, creative power (Brahma)

U = life, sustaining power (Vishnu)

M = death, destructive power (Shiva)

silence = bliss, pure consciousness (Turiya)

How do you teach “om” to kids and teens?

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Original Air Date: January 9, 2012

Donate to Bridge of Diamonds HERE. To get involved with the Bridge of Diamonds Haiti Mission contact:

or call 301-656-9606.

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Yogainmyschool.com is thrilled to announce the release of The Pet Store, an interactive Kids Yoga Flipbook.

This flipbook is a wonderful way to share the joys and benefits of yoga with kids. Enjoy imitating animals found at a Pet Store – kittens, puppies, parrots and more – using yoga poses. With engaging full color photos and detailed pose instructions little yogis will be captivated and eager to participate in this child friendly yoga practice. Visiting the Pet Store will never be the same.

Enjoy this audio version of My Favourite Colour Guided Visualization - text accompanies corpse pose.

If you’re looking for a hardcopy, a PDF version is also available HERE for only US$1.97.

Discover how to teach yoga using children’s picture books during our upcoming teacher training webinar: Yoga for Literacy Pt 3: Ohmazing Children’s Literature, Tuesday, Jan 17, 2012, 9:00pm EST/6:00 pm PST.

Subscribe to our newsletter to receive the Instructor’s Guide for The Pet Store filled with additional information on the what, why and how of using thematic yoga adventure stories when teaching yoga to kids. You’ll also get monthly tips and updates on all the fabulous Yogainmyschool.com resources.

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To realize the value of One Year,

Ask a student who failed his or her AP exams.

To realize the value of One Month,

Ask a mother who gave birth to a premature baby.

To realize the value of One Week,

Ask an editor of a weekly magazine.

To realize the value of One Day,

Ask a daily wage laborer who has six kids to feed.

To realize the value of One Hour,

Ask the lovers who are waiting to meet.

To realize the value of One Minute,

Ask a person who missed their train.

To realize the value of One Second,

Ask the person who survived an accident.

To realise the value of One Millisecond,

Ask the person who won a silver medal in the Olympics.

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Most children’s yoga classes are of the yang variety: energetic, strong, mobile. This reflects kids natural tendencies toward movement, activity and spontaneity. However, kids sometimes become overwhelmed, anxious, fearful, overtired and sad. At our home this is often the case in the weeks leading up to the Christmas holidays. There is so much going on with concerts, parties, shopping, exams, get-togethers with friends and family, etc. that my kids (and I) simply need some down time.

The Winter Solstice provides a lovely opportunity to delve into a child friendly yin practice. This is a wonderful way to provide space and time for purposeful relaxation. Yin yoga also assists in turning inward and helps children connect with their intuition and personal wisdom, finding peace in a quieter, slower yoga practice.

Yin Yoga Poses for Kids

• Child’s Pose – balasana
• Rag Doll Pose
• Wide Angle Forward Fold - upavishta konasana
• Happy Baby Pose – ananda balasana
• Sphinx Pose
• Legs up the Wall Pose - viparita karani
• Sleeping Swan (aka Reclined Pigeon)
• Reclined Twists
• Reclined Cobbler’s Pose – supta baddha konasana
• Savasana with Eye Pillow & a blanket
• Supported Savasana – legs on a chair or a bolster under the knees

Kids Yin Yoga Best Practices

• Allow the children to set the pace holding poses for as long as children allow, once they start to fidget, move along
• Encourage longer holds with a timer or counting breaths
• Approach with curiosity and wonder
• Speak slowly, calmly – children will take their energy cues from you
• Pretend you are practicing in deep water, every movement is slow and purposeful
• Allow space for feelings of sadness, fear, anger
• Most important – Breathe

Meditation for the Winter Solstice

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Enter to win a copy of this DVD by leaving a comment telling about a challenge you’ve overcome to get where you are today. Contest closes November 30, 9:00 pm MST.

Vishnu’s Ohmazing Journeys is the newest DVD from Yogiños Yoga for Youth and is a celebration of Indian culture. This kids yoga DVD recounts three different adventures of Vishnu, a supreme God of Hinduism and Indian mythology.

Vishnu’s Ohmazing Journeys recounts three Hindu myths with Vishnu taking on a different role/ avatar in each one to overcome challenges and find great treasures.

The first is of Vishnu as the Tortoise, the second with Vishnu as a Boar and the third is Vishnu as the Boy Krishna.  Yogiños founder, Beth Reese does a fabulous job of intertwining yoga poses with the stories and includes clear alignment cues such as root to rise, hug the mid-line and shoulder blades on your back, thereby teaching body awareness and mindful practice of the poses.

A continual theme throughout all three stories is that of making “ohmazing” choices and trusting in your strong foundation in order to meet and overcome life’s challenges. The links between yoga practice on the mat and application in everyday life off the mat are clear, age appropriate and useful. In addition, Yogiños stays true to their tri-lingual base intertwining English, Spanish and Sanskrit throughout the DVD and including a full Spanish version.

The Bonus Tracks extend the educational aspect of the DVD expanding knowledge about the Crow Collection of Art, a herb garden and environmental conservation through prAna’s Natural Power Initiative.

I found this DVD ideal for tweens as it is smart, educational and culturally rich. I especially appreciated the beautifully performed story of Krishna and and Kaliya told through Indian dance. Enjoy this video trailer.

To Enter: Enter to win a copy of the DVD with a comment below stating a challenge you have overcome to get to where you are today.

Additional entries:

• Comment on or Like any one of the videos on the YogaInMySchoolTV Channel on YouTube – comment here so I have your e-mail
• Like Yogiños on Facebook and comment
• Share this giveaway on Facebook with an @Yogainmyschool.com mention or on Twitter with an @DonnaKFreeman tag (share daily for maximum chances of winning)

The give away ends on November 30th at 9 pm MST. The winner will be chosen at random and will be contacted by e-mail. The winner will have 48 hours to claim their prize.

Buy yourself a copy of Vishnu’s Ohmazing Journey here through PayPal for $15.95 USD. Yogiños graciously provided a DVD for this review as well as the give-away. The opinions expressed here are completely my own.

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Founder of the  program Still Quiet Place, Amy strives to teach mindfulness skills to youth (Pre-K to college) so that they can reap the rewards and live a engaged, full, calm and rewarding life. Join us for easy to implement techniques which are proven to develop focus, increase attention, decrease anxiety and allow you and your children to interact with compassion with yourself and others. Tap into your “Still Quiet Place” within.

Original Air Date: November 14, 2011

Connect with Amy on Facebook or on StillQuietPlace.com.

Stay tuned for Reflections 2011 with guests Amy Ippoliti, Christina Sell, Kristin McGee, Roseanne Harvey of It’s all yoga, baby and more.

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This activity, inspired by Thich Nhat Hanh’s pebble meditation, connects students to aspects of nature and the different kinds of strength that make up the whole.

In this Little Flower Yoga version of a pebble meditation practice, we incorporate movement, drawing and journaling, along with the a mindfulness practice, to create a complete experience for our students. You can do this activity all at once, or you can break it up into smaller parts and practice it with your children over several sessions. Using small stones to represent each of element is something that supports the students and provides a grounding energy to the activity. Four different colored stones will represent the following: mountain, tree, flower, still water.

To introduce this activity you want to give the students a chance to explore the feeling of each element. A wonderful way to do this is to allow the students time to draw each element as part of their practice.

1. Give each child 4 stones (one of each color – and tell them that these stones represent a mountain, a tree, a flower and still water) and 4 index cards, and ask them to put them on their mat in front of them.

On the first card, ask the students to draw a picture of a mountain. Now pick up your first pebble, which will represent a mountain (you can let the students choose which color best represents a mountain to them). Tell the students that a mountain represents strength and stability, and that inside each one of them is a mountain that is strong and steady, no matter what is happening around them. Have them hold the stone they have chosen, come into mountain pose, and then practice saying the following together: “Breathing in I see myself as a mountain, Breathing out I feel strong.” Repeat this 3 or 4 times, and then take one or two breaths silently together. Have them write along the bottom of their drawing Breathing in I see myself as a mountain, Breathing out I feel strong. Optionally, on the other side of the card, they can draw a picture of themselves in mountain pose.

2. The next element to explore is a tree. Invite the students to draw a tree on the next index card. Then pick up the pebble that represents a tree, and come to stand in tree pose. Tell the students that a tree represents balance as it reaches its roots down into the earth, and it’s branches up to the sky. Let them know that they have the balance of a tree inside each of them, and that this balance will help them live a healthy life. Practice saying together: “Breathing in I see myself as a tree, Breathing out I feel balanced.” Repeat 3 or 4 times, and then take one or two breaths silently together. Have them write along the bottom of their drawing Breathing in I see myself as a tree, Breathing out I feel balance. Optionally, on the other side of the card, they can draw a picture of themselves in tree pose.

3. The next element is a flower. Have the students draw a flower on their third index card, and have them choose a stone to represent flowers. Then come into flower pose. Tell them that a flower represents joy and beauty. Inside each of us is a flower that is always growing, keeping us joyful even during hard times. Practice saying together: “Breathing in I see myself as a flower, Breathing out I feel joyful.” Repeat 3 or 4 times, and then take one or two breaths silently together. Have them write along the bottom of their drawing Breathing in I see myself as a flower, Breathing out I feel joyful. Optionally, on the other side of the card, they can draw a picture of themselves in flower pose.

4. The final element that we will explore is still water. Have the students draw still water on their fourth index card. They might need more support with this drawing, and you can discuss still water being a lake or pond. Tell the students that still water represents calm and peacefulness. Inside all of us is a vast lake of calm still water that helps us keep our life peaceful. Have them hold their last stone, and come into savasana. Practice saying together: “Breathing in I see myself as still water, Breathing out I feel peaceful.” Repeat 3 or 4 times, and then take one or two breaths silently together. You can extend this element by allowing the children to rest in savasana either in silence or with some gentle music playing. Once they have come out of savasana, have them write along the bottom of their drawing Breathing in I see myself as still water, Breathing out I feel peaceful. Optionally, on the other side of the card, they can draw a picture of themselves in savasana.

5. After children have explored the feeling of these elements through postures and visualization, a journaling activity helps make the experience even more concrete and meaningful, and gives them time to reflect. You can use pages that you have created and photocopied for the students, or you can just have them write and complete the following thoughts in a journal:

Mountain: I feel strong when_________________________________

Tree: I feel balanced when___________________________________

Flower: I feel joyful when____________________________________

Still Water: I feel peaceful when________________________________

Jennifer Cohen Harper is a leading voice in the children’s yoga community and dedicated to making yoga and mindfulness practices accessible to all children regardless of circumstance. She is the founder and director of Little Flower Yoga. Based in NY, Little Flower directly serves over 700 children per week in NYC schools, and reaches many more through staff development, school consultations, and a world wide network of trained teachers. Jennifer leads the well respected Little Flower Yoga Teacher Training for Children program and frequently collaborates with other organizations to bring yoga for children to places as diverse as tent cities in Port-au-Prince and FAO Schwarz in Manhattan. Jenn is a  founding member of the Yoga Service Council, and an active member of the International Association of Yoga Therapists and the Association for School Yoga and Mindfulness. Children love Jenn’s willingness to engage in mutual silliness, while also appreciating the genuine respect that she has for her students of all ages.

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Thanksgiving Yoga Playlist

• Turkey in the Straw
• Over the River and Through the Woods
• Thanksgiving Day by John McCutcheon
• Thank You For the Music by ABBA
• Thank You by Dido
• Kind & Generous by Natalie Merchant
• What a Wonderful World by Louie Armstrong
• I Thank You by Sam & Dave
• The Thanksgiving Song by Mary Chapin Carpenter
• Somewhere Over the Rainbow by Israel Kamakawiwo’Ole
• Thank You, Mom by Good Charlotte
• Thanksgiving Theme by Vince Guaraldi from “A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving”
• Beautiful by Marillion
• Sanctuary by Donna De Lory

Thanksgiving Kids & Teens Yoga Class

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This 3-part series includes:

1. Once Upon a Pose: What, Why & How of Yoga Adventure Stories – Tuesday, Oct 25, 2011
2. Reading Readiness with a Twist: Yoga & the Development of Early Reading Skills – Nov 2011
3. Ohmazing Children’s Literature: Books that Rock Kids Yoga Class – Jan 2012

Register for Part 1 – Once Upon a Pose

In this series you will learn:

• the proven most effective teaching modality for kids
• the 8 components for fun, creative kids yoga classes
• how to incorporate reading readiness skills seamlessly into your yoga classes
• the best books to inspire and engage kids

Who should attend? Yoga for Literacy is ideal for:

• pre-school and elementary teachers
• yoga instructors
• day care providers
• health care professionals (OTs, PTs, speech pathologists, pediatric nurses, pediatricians, etc)
• camp organizers and counselors
• parents & grandparents

For more information and to register for Part 1 Yoga for Literacy: Once Upon a Pose – Oct 25, 2011, 6:00 PDT/9:00 EST

Sign up for our newsletter (see RH side bar) for dates and times of Part 2 and 3, coming November 2011 and January 2012. All those who attend all three webinars will receive a Yoga for Literacy Certificate from Yogainmyschool.com.

Access the YIMS Library of Teacher Training Webinars

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