This is a guest post by Bernardette Kalyan-Salgado and is part of our My Favourite Props series.

Scarves are a typical prop for dance classes however I have found them to be very useful in yoga as well.

Body Awareness

Use the scarves during warm up. Waking up the body placing the scarf over the toes, knees, etc. Younger children and those with special needs in particular love the idea of “waking up” the body parts.

Asana

Use the scarves as a prop to hold with several asanas/poses, it is a challenge for older students. Poses such as Warrior (arms up holding the scarf open looking up, focusing on the scarf), Dancer and for balancing poses such as Crow it can be used as a focal point.

Games

Common games such as freeze dance become fun and different with a scarf in hand. It also gives a difference sense of spatial awareness for the child.  Playing games such as “Yogi Says” is also fun, ex. “Yogi Says, place your scarf on your head.”

Scarf Breathing

Laying down placing the scarf on the belly creating awareness for deep belly breaths. Placing them over the face and blowing them upward attempting for lift off.

I find scarves to be such a handy prop. It is easy to be creative with them they can become water, clouds etc. in a story or movement experience. Most importantly they are light in weight if you have to carry them around. Having a set in two different types of material is also very interesting to see the children explore the texture and how it moves differently.

Bernardette is a RYT 200 instructor based in Florida. She combines her background in dance with yoga to create fun Movement Yoga for Children classes.

If you enjoyed this post be sure to check out all the ideas on the our My Favourite Prop page. Learn how to use feathers, hula hoops, stones and stuffed animals to name a few.

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Guest post by Bethany Winston

It seems difficult to leave the comfort of bed, maybe just for few minutes, before actually beginning to execute the ‘to-do’ list. But if you can wake up in the quietness and soothing calm of a refreshing morning, you will be delighted to find its charm. A warm cup of water with lime can get your digestive system going. Try giving a similar dose to your mind as well.

Everyone seems overwhelmed with daily chores; whether it is managing the ever-demanding boss, creating portfolios to channel your hard earned money or catering to the big requests of children. Reasons are endless. But within the busy and tight chores, finding some time for your self is imperative. An open secret that it is, the body and mind needs replenishment. And this goes beyond taking a healthy diet! Spending exclusive moments with self is not a tall order. Determination is the key.

What to Include

Yoga is an inexpensive tool when working for a better mind and body.

Working when the rest of the world sleeps can give an immense satisfaction and contentment. When beginning try moves and stretches to prepare your body for more elaborate postures which follow. Balasana can start your session, followed by other stretches like Cat-cow. Thereafter, you can move on to the more extended postures. For resting, Sukhasana is appropriate. And when performing each of the postures, watch the breath going in and out of the nose.

Finding a morning yoga schedule is recommended. It will encourage an active and complete yoga session, concluding with Savasana (Corpse Pose). While some postures are energizing, others, like forward bends, are calming. Sun Salutations produce heat and flowing movement linked to breathing. Standing poses can help in building strength and stamina. For improving concentration, balancing poses are appropriate. You can also practice twists, which detoxify the body relieving stress in the head, neck, and back. If you want to examine the world with a different dimension, inversions (upside down) are apt postures.

The Benefits

The short, yet meticulous, session is meant to work not only for the muscles but also the nerves. Early morning practice helps in setting the tone for your entire day. Sessions can be one reason to leave the bed few minutes before your usual timing, a natural compulsion. For many yogis early morning hours are lively and energetic. Your yoga session can potentially connect you to the energy, contributing to a healthy living.

A dedicated morning practice certainly produces encouraging results, boosting up your energy to meet the demands of the day. Irrespective of the day, try to maintain a similar structure in your practice sessions. When you can stick to the format, penetrating further becomes easier. Some find it helpful to incorporate a ritual blend in their practice sessions, giving a more meaningful and tempting edge to the early morning practices. Sun Salutation is a popular choice.

Before grabbing that aromatic cup of tea or coffee and the newspaper, spend a few moments with yourself. A good beginning is kick-start your day.

About the author: Bethany is a blogger by profession. She loves writing on environment and technology. Beside this she is fond of books. She recently read an article on nail care and liked it a lot. Few days ago she bought some Bathroom Lighting for her home.

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idea submitted by Alicia Watins

with additions from Yogainmyschool.com

The Fourth of July is Independence Day in the United States of America and is usually feted with fireworks, BBQs, picnics, parades, fairs, concerts, family reunions and all manner of fun summer activities. Red, white and blue and the stars and stripes abound in decorations, clothing and food choices. If you are looking for a fun and healthy addition to your 4th of July celebrations be sure to chorale the kids for this inspiring kids yoga sequence.

Fun Children’s Yoga Poses for 4th of July

Star: start as a baby star and grow big, reaching arms and legs wide. Twinkle hands and toes. Alternatively practice star pose.

Stars & Stripes: have children stand in a row side by side, an arm’s distance apart. Every other child is a star and the others are the stripes (mountain pose, tadasana). When you ring a bell they switch. Like half jumping jacks.

American Eagle: eagle pose (garudanasa)

Statue of Liberty: mountain pose (tadasana) with appropriate arm actions to imitate the torch (right hand) and tablet (left hand). Mantra to repeat: I stand for Liberty, Peace, Democracy.

Golden Gate Bridge: bridge pose (setu bandha sarvangasana)

Swimming: lie on stomach and imitate breast stroke and front crawl. Pause for a moment then reach the right arm and left leg away from one another. Rest. Reach the left arm and right leg away from one another in a lateral stretch. Rest. Reach the right arm, left arm, left leg & right leg, lifting everything then relax completely and bask in the sun, floating on your stomach or back.

Yoga Picnic: in groups of 3-5. One person can get into table top pose (hands and knees or like a crab with belly up). Other kids sit is hero’s pose (virasana) around the ‘table’ and pretend to have a picnic. After a few ‘courses’ (the children say what foods they’d like at a picnic) they can switch places and another child can be the ‘table.’

Lemonaid Squeeze: children sit up and hug their knees into their chests and squeeze everything (hands, feet, belly, face) – this is the squeeze part. Then, let all the juice flow out as they lay back on the mat to release and relax. Repeat 3-5 times.

Apple Pie: wide angle seated forward bend (upvistha konanasa), sit with legs extended and wide apart making a piece of pie triangular shape. Mix the pasty dough, roll it out. Slice apples and spread a nice thick layer. Season with cinnamon, brown sugar, nutmeg, etc. Layer top crust evenly making sure to touch toes and crimp the edges. Brush with cream. Sprinkle with sugar. Bake (lean forward putting your pie in the oven). Count down from 10 until your pie is done and you can eat it all up.

Two Scoops (of Ice Cream): a partner variation of child’s pose (balasana) where one child is the bottom scoop (does child’s pose) and the second child does child’s pose on their back becoming the second scoop. Decide what flavors of ice cream you are depending on the colors you are wearing ex: green = mint chocolate chip, pink = strawberry/bubblegum, turquoise = blue raspberry, etc.

Fireworks: squat down into a ball and jump up high, arms and legs extending out. Don’t forget to shout “Boom! Pop!”

Rocket Fireworks: tree pose (vrksasana) with arms overhead in temple mudra (clasp hands, intertwining fingers, index fingers extended like a steeple)

Hot Dog: roll kids up in their yoga mats for final relaxation (savasana). Be sure to let them choose their condiments first.

Guided Visualization: imagine you are a firework, waiting until the perfect moment on a clear summer evening to burst forth, showing the world how amazing and incredible and beautiful you are. Decide what type of firework you will be. One that is loud, booming high overhead. Maybe one that dances and spins with light spilling in all directions. Maybe you shoot higher than all the others. Or pop and crackle quickly, sparkling in the night. Imagine what color you are as you burst across the sky: red, purple, yellow, orange, green, blue, silver. Hear everyone ‘ooh’ and ‘aah’ in delighted amazement at your intensity, brilliance and splendor.

Ignite the light and let it shine, just own the night like the 4th of July

Cause baby, you’re a firework, come one show ‘em what you’re worth

Baby, you’re a firework, come on let your colors burst

~Katy Perry

If you enjoyed this post be sure to check out our other holiday inspired kids yoga class including Halloween, Valentine’s Day, Cinco de Mayo.

Alicia Watins is the founder of Wee Warriors Yoga Playtime in NYC. She has trained with Karma Kids, Every Kids Yoga for Children with Special Needs and Post Partum Yoga with Baby Om. She has a passion for sharing the benefits of yoga with children while stimulating their imaginations.

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What to expect when you attend kids yoga summer day camp

Children are often intrigued by the idea of yoga camp. However they and their parents may not have any idea of what they are really going to be doing during their time at camp. Here is a list of some activities you can expect from a well organized kids yoga camp.

Yoga Poses: Children will learn numerous yoga poses and spend time each day practicing physical yoga. In doing so they will develop strength, flexibility, balance and confidence. However, many camps are half day, or about 3 hours long. Logic, and a child’s attention span, tells you that children will not actually be practicing yoga poses the entire time. What else happens at yoga camp?

Mindfulness Activities: Learning to tune into your mind with awareness and compassion is an essential skill to developing emotional and social intelligence. Mindfulness activities may include meditation, mindful eating, mindful listening, mindful movement, breathing exercises, communication games, and more.

Yoga Games: There are numerous yoga games ideal for camp environments. Games teach social skills, patience, turn taking, reinforce concepts, and provide oodles of fun. Some of my fave yoga games include Yoga Jenga, Musical Mats and Swami Says. Visit the Yoga Games page for a full listing to make your yoga camp the best ever!

Stories: Children love a good story. By combining physical movement with creative story telling the stories take on new dimensions, fully explore meaning and integrate learning. Yoga Adventure Stories, children’s literature classics and creative story telling all find a home at kids yoga camp.

Environmental Appreciation: Part of practicing yoga is learning to appreciate and care for the environment. Many of the yoga yamas and niyamas support eco-conscious living including ahimsa (non-violence) brahmacarya (conservation) and tapas (self-discipline). Re-duce, re-use and re-cycle will be taught in word and deed.

Crafts: Imagination and creativity abound at kids yoga camp. Crafts teach fine motor skills, reinforce themes and develop a sense of accomplishment. They also form a link between the child’s camp experience and home where children can share what they have learned and proudly display their crafts.

Music: From chanting to expressive movement and much more music is an integral part of yoga. Mantra yoga is the yoga of sound. Kids yoga camp may use a Tibetan Singing Bowl, drums, and other instruments to create sound or have numerous songs on a kids yoga playlist to encourage creativity & self expression, teach rhythm & coordination, and improve mood & well-being. Discover the benefits of music in a Kids Yoga Class.

Relaxation: Imaginative relaxation helps children to de-stress and increases self-awareness. They may float on clouds, drift down a river or imagine their favourite colour. Each day of yoga camp will include some form of relaxation leaving children refreshed and renewed.

This summer Yogainmyschool.com is offering week long Kids Yoga Camps at The Water Garden at The Enjoy Centre. Running July 11-15 from either 9:00-12:00 or 1:00-4:00 children aged 5-11 can experience a yoga intensive made just for them. Call 1-780-504-5022 to register.

For more information on kids yoga camps visit Benefits of Kids Yoga Camp.

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Discover how to take a basic yoga tree pose (vrksasana) and make it into something playful, creative and interesting. From tree pose with namaste hands to tricky tree and beyond you’re sure to find inspiration for your next kids yoga class in Ten Trees. All these versions of tree pose build balance, focus and concentration while increasing creativity, poise and grace. And best of all they’re FUN!

Which is your fave?

How many varieties can you come up with?

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Ah, Dinosaurs! Kids love ‘em and most pre-schools, early education programs and elementary schools include units which study these amazing creatures. So if you have a budding paleontologist in your home or are looking for a fun way to get your kids moving, learning and engaging their imagination here are a number of suggestions for Dinosaur Yoga. A word of warning before beginning: some children get scared of an entire room full of kids roaring and imitating dinosaurs and may end up in tears. Be sure to let everyone know that this is simply pretend and for fun. If someone is not comfortable with the noise level or the fierce nature of the poses encourage them to cover their ears or have the entire group be quiet dinosaurs.

Dinosaur Yoga

Dinosaur Breath: Inhale through the nose and exhale with a roar! Repeat. Vary the volume, length of exhale/inhale.

Pterodactyl: Sitting or standing use your arms as the wings in Flying Bird Breath: raise your wings as you inhale, exhale and lower your wings. Vary the speed of each part of the breath to glide, swoop and dive through the air. My classes often fly through the space, skimming over the water, diving down mountain cliffs, soaring on the up currents, plunging to grab a prehistoric fish from the lake, etc.

Dinosaur Nest: Have students become dinosaur eggs in a nest, huddled together in child’s pose. Depending on the number of children, feel free to have more than one nest. One child per nest gets to be the Maiasaura mother and take care of the nest, going to collect food and feed the young as they hatch. Alternatively have them hatch out of their nest and imitate baby Maiasaura – this is super cute.

T-Rex: Stand with feet shoulder’s width apart, knees bent, hips extending behind you in chair pose. Bend arms at the elbows close to your sides, hands hanging down with two fingers extended for claws. Growl and hunt for prey trying to imitate the tyrant lizard.

Velociraptor: Come into Warrior III by stepping forward with one foot, lifting the back leg off the ground and leaning forward. While balancing on one leg use your arms to try to catch imaginary dinosaurs. Repeat on the other side.

Triceratops: Sit in horse stance with legs wide apart, bending the knees. Make your arms into horn shapes by bending the elbows and aiming them forward at an angle, reach the neck long to create three horns and imagine the bony frill.

Brachiosaurus: Version A – stand in mountain pose and reach arms as high as they can to eat leave off the trees. Version B – step into standing splits by placing one foot in front of the other then raising the back leg as high as possible while lowering the hands to the ground and head toward the knee. Use the raised foot as the brachiosaurus’ head to eat with the toes nibbling the leaves off the branches. Repeat on the other side.

Ankylosaurus: Come into Table pose with the hands under the shoulders, knees under the hips. Imagine your back is covered with bony armor. Extend one leg out behind you and gently swing it back and forth using the foot as a club tail. Switch legs and repeat.

Woolly Mammoth: Imitate a woolly mammoth by crossing the arms, keeping the top arm extended to use as the trunk, bend the bottom arm and bring the fist to your chin to create a tusk. Imagine thick shaggy hair and long curly tusks as you slowly cross the frozen tundra and glaciers. Pretend to pick up items off the floor with your trunk.

Dino Stomps: Lift one leg high, say “boom!” as you stomp the foot firmly onto the ground. Repeat alternating legs. This is a lovely way to ground and connect with the earth. Or play Laurie Berkner’s We Are the Dinosaurs while children act out the song.

More Dino Music:

Visit Dinomusic.com.au for lots of fun options.

Game:

Dinosuar Hide ‘n Seek: Have children hide in child’s pose throughout the space. Teacher (or one student in turn) pretends to be T-Rex looking for a meal (keep it fun & light) and dinosaur stomps among the sleeping dinosaurs.

Craft Suggestions:

• Dinosaur Paper Plate Craft from Kids Craft Weekly
• Dinosaur Feet from Activity Village.

Additional Fun:

I fell in love with these cute Dinosaur jokes on book marks to print and give to kids or simply use to have fun with during class.

Much thanks to all those who contributed ideas including Sandi Posey of Enlightened Child, Amy Bevan of The PranaMama, Lisa Flynn of Childlight Yoga, Aruna Kathy Humphrys of Young Yoga Masters and Jennifer Hess of Karmaspot’s Blog. Love it when we collaborate!

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Flower pose is a fun individual or group pose which resembles a flower blooming. This pose builds core strength, develops coordination, teaches body awareness and improves balance. It’s an ideal pose for spring or whenever you teach a garden theme.

Flower Pose

Hi yogis, this is Donna from Yogainmyschool.com. Today we’re here to teach you how to do a really fun pose for spring: Flower Pose. Alea is with me to demonstrate.

First thing you need to do is put the soles of your feet together in baddha konanasa (bound angle pose). From there put your hands on your feet and sit up nice and tall.

Next, place your hands underneath your ankles. At this point a lot of kids will try and do it this way. So you need to make sure that their hands are underneath their ankles.

And then…you lift up and off. Make sure you are lifting your heart to the sky just like a flower opening under the gentle rays of the sun.

You can make this into a partner pose or a group pose by being close enough and maybe at a little bit of an angle to one another, often done in a circle with an entire group. Again, knees are wide, hands go under, lifting off. And then grasping hands with the people beside you.

And that’s flower pose.

For more videos and ideas on teaching yoga to kids please visit Yogainmyschool.com. Have a wonderful day. Namaste.

For more yoga poses for kids visit Yogainmyschool.com’s Alphabetical List of Poses.

photo courtesy of Mountain Mom Report

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Welcome to Yogainmyschool.com. Today we are going to learn how to do a forward bend that helps to energize the body, calm the mind, and improve circulation and flexibility.

Jillian is here to demonstrate. First she is going to reach way up on a big inhale, and exhale she is going to flop all the way down with her knees slightly bent and her arms are going to go up behind. Inhale reach all the way backup. Exhale come down again. Perfect.

Now we are going to get Jillian to turn to her side so that you can see it from a different angle. She is going to do this 10 times in a row in quite quick succession inhaling and exhaling at her own pace.

This is a great exercise. It…

• teaches how to move with the breath
• teaches how to take complete inhales and exhales
• improves flexibility in the back body while being a soft exercises, available to all
• helps to improve brain function - stimulates the proprioceptors through movement

For more information about yoga in classrooms and yoga for kids and teens please visit Yogainmyschool.com. Namaste.

Be sure to visit Yoga In My School TV on YouTube for more great videos on teaching yoga to kids.

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Musical chairs meets yoga. A fun, inclusive version of the classic game combining upbeat music, kids favourite yoga poses and loads of energy. This will be a hit with your group and can be played with any age, including teenagers. It is especially fun for Family Yoga and with groups of varying ages and abilities. Musical Mats is an enjoyable way to improve listening skills and social skills.

Musical Mats

Teacher Prep

Set out one yoga mat per participant. I often do this in a circle, oval or large rectangle with all mats facing into the center. Onto each mat place a yoga pose card. Try ABC Yoga Cards for Kids, The Kids Yoga Deck, Elevator Series Pose Cards, or make your own using our alphabetical list of poses. Have a bunch of fun, upbeat music uploaded to your iPod.

How to Play

Before beginning to play, review all poses to make sure everyone knows what they are expected to do and how to practice the poses properly and safely. Have students stand in a circle on the outside of the mats. When music plays students walk, skip, hop, walk backwards, etc. (something different each round is fun) around the mats. When the music stops each student claims a yoga mat and performs the corresponding pose on the mat’s yoga card. Encourage students to find a new mat each time.

Teacher’s Assistant Variation

Put out enough mats for one per student minus one (i.e. 15 students, 14 mats). Each time the music stops one student will be left without a mat. They are the Teacher’s Assistant and get to help everyone else perform their pose, giving suggestions and encouragement. Sometimes children will delay choosing a mat in order to be the Teacher’s Assistant. Make it understood that everyone will only get one opportunity to be the assistant. If someone really doesn’t want to be the assistant make a pose into a partner pose and go onto the next round.

Partner Poses Variation

Choose a partner. As the music plays walk together around the mats, holding hands or arms linked if desired. When music stops claim a mat and perform the partner pose which corresponds to that mat. This is great fun for a Family Yoga class or anytime you want to build connections and develop cooperation and social skills.

Themed Musical Mats

Pick a theme and choose only yoga poses and music which correspond to the theme. This is great for birthday parties, to reinforce concepts in a school unit (Insects, Shapes, Amazon, etc) or for seasonal yoga classes (Valentine’s, Cinco de Mayo, Halloween, etc)

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In this video we demonstrate how to teach three bug yoga poses: butterfly pose, dead bug pose and spider pose. This is a fun activity for children who are interested in the outdoors and the many creepy crawlies found there. It is also an ideal way to incorporate yoga into the science curriculum or a unit on insects and engage kinaesthetic learning.

Bug Yoga

Preschool children love bugs. So today we are going to learn how to do some Bug Yoga. I’ve got Garner and Marcus here to help me.

The first pose we are going to do is butterfly pose. This pose stimulates the heart and stretches the thighs. You can tell the differences between a butterfly and a moth by the directions that their wings stay when they are at rest.

The second pose that we are going to do is dead bug pose. This is a great activity to open the hips and build listening skills.

The third bug pose that we are going to do today is spider pose. Sitting in row like a train while in easy pose we are going to sing the song Itsy Bitsy Spider. Switch places and sing various versions of the song. For example: The Edmonton Spider.

The Edmonton spider went up the water spout

Down came the snow and froze the spider out

Out came the sun and it didn’t do a thing

So the Edmonton spider stayed frozen until spring.

I hope you have enjoyed Bug Yoga today. The next time that you are out walking and your kids are totally engrossed in the creepy crawlies across the sidewalk make sure you come home and do some bug yoga and get them into their bodies, into their minds, into their spirits. For more ideas on teaching kids and teens yoga please visit http://www.yogainmyschool.com. Namaste.

What other Bug Yoga poses can you think of?

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