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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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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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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Original Air Date: October 28, 2011

Learn more about the Prison Yoga Project on their website, Facebook and Twitter @PrisonYoga.

You can also access a 4 part series of articles regarding yoga for prisoners on Elephant Journal.

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A mala is a set of beads used during meditation or chanting in order to keep count of mantra recitation. They can be made of 19, 21, 27, 54 or 108 beads long. Jewels of Saraswati uses semi-precious stones to create one of a kind malas which you can custom order/create to your own tastes and preferences. Great care is taken with each piece produced and the high quality of craftsmanship is immediately evident. The entire range of jewelry, which includes malas, necklaces, bracelets, earrings and purse charms, is inspired by yoga to provide you with something special for your life and yoga practice.

copper & czech glass earrings

Jewels of Saraswati has generously donated a 27 bead hand-knotted chakra mala with a pewter peace charm to one lucky winner. All of the 7 chakras are represented by black obsidian, red jasper, aragonite, rose quartz, blue aventurine, rainbow fluorite and crystal quartz (see photo above). Enjoy the flowing, healing energy that comes from the beauty and usefulness of this mala. In addition, a second place winner will receive a pair of stunning copper and czech glass earrings.

Both of these would make ideal gifts for a special yogi this holiday season but, if you’re like me you’ll have to order more as all your friends will be requesting them. Check out Jewels of Saraswati’s entire range of stunning products on their Estsy shop.

How to Enter

Comment below with your fave yoga quote to enter to win.

Additional entries can be made by:

• Liking Jewels of Saraswati on Facebook – comment here to let me know you did this
• Sharing this give-away on Facebook with an @Yogainmyschool.com mention – max of one entry per day
• Tweeting the contest with an @DonnaKFreeman tag – max of 3 entries per day one hour apart

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Original Air Date: August 24, 2011

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Mark Your Calendar: Our next interview is Friday, Sept 2nd with Shakta Kaur Khalsa, author of Fly Like a Butterfly and founder of Radiant Child Yoga.

We are beginning to put together the all star line-up for Reflections 2011 which will run throughout December: Amy Ippoliti and Christina Sell already confirmed. Who else would you like to hear from?

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Original Air Date: June 15, 2011

Learn more about Dr Dan Siegel’s work on his website or connect with the International Conference on Mindfulness with Youth on Facebook.

Enjoy Free itunes downloads of this and any of our extensive library of amazing interviews. Coming next is Dr Catherine Phillips, founder of the Mindfulness Institute.ca, who will discuss mindfulness in schools.

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Why should college students practice yoga?

Yoga can provide college students with many benefits such as stress reduction, emotional wellness, flexibility, improved strength, enhancement of the immune system, and improved balance and postural alignment. Those are good things! Yoga is actually easy for anyone to practice, and you don’t have to be able twist into a pretzel!

Yoga Improves Concentration

The meditative practices of yoga will improve the ability of college students to concentrate. Focusing on studying and ignoring distractions such as a television, conversations, and loud music will, of course, result in better grades. According to a Time magazine article, due to advanced brain scanning technology, researchers are beginning to show that meditation directly affects the structure and function of the brain – changing it in ways that seem to increase attention span, improve memory, and sharpen focus. Richard Davidson, director of the Laboratory for Affective Neuroscience at the University of Wisconsin, said, “Attention is the key to learning, and meditation helps you voluntarily regulate it.”

Yoga Enhances Mood

Wellesley College faculty yoga specialists co-authored a study examining the psychological benefits of yoga. The authors of the study found proof that yoga improves mood and decreases anxiety. This study looked at a neurotransmitter in the brain known as y-aminobutyric acid, or GABA. The authors determined that decreased levels of GABA correlate to depression and anxiety. They also report that the medical community is interested in learning how to increase GABA in order to combat depression. One of the researchers, Liz Owen, stated, “Yoga, just the practice of yoga, increases GABA levels.” She also said, “Yoga breathing practices are so easy and simple. You could be sitting in a stressful classroom situation and you could just take a yoga inhale, do a yoga exhale, and it might make a difference.”

Yoga Strengthens the Body

Another recent yoga study of college-aged men and women (between 18 and 27 years of age) who participated in two yoga sessions every week for eight weeks saw a 19% to 31% increase in arm strength and a 28% increase in leg strength.

Yoga Relieves Stress

According to some experts, stress is the #1 trigger of ailments in peoples’ physical, emotional, and endocrinal systems. Practicing yoga is a great way to reduce stress caused by academic pressures. Yoga helps college students avoid stress-induced eating and it helps them sleep better. It can give students a sense of balance and mental clarity.

By practicing yoga, college students will improve their mood, strengthen their body, relieve stress, and concentrate better. This will certainly help them make the most of their college experience!

Brian Jenkins has been writing about various career and education topics for BrainTrack.com, including careers in fitness training, since 2008.

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