Second Yogiños Yoga for Youth DVD Honors Indian Culture

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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Comment below to enter this giveaway. Contest ends Friday, October 14th at 9:00 pm MDT.

The good folks over at Addriya have done it again. Created another fab yoga card deck, this time with a focus on small spaces.

Yoga for Small Spaces includes 52 large sized (5″x7″), heavy duty cards that can withstand lots of use. Each card features a yoga activity which can be done in a small space such as an office, classroom or airplane. The front of each card has a fun graphic which shows the pose and an object the pose is inspired by. The back is packed with information including step-by-step instructions, benefits, modifications and a positive affirmation.

One of the things I like best about the cards is the color coding system. Each card has a border which defines the health and behavior benefits such as Red: to help ground and support especially good for people that are nervous, anxious or fearful or Yellow to help foster self-esteem, risk-taking and leadership. I find this super helpful as a reference tool when preparing classes.

For years I have taught a popular Yoga with a Chair class in schools and for professional development workshops. Everyone is always amazed at the thorough and fun workout you can get by sitting in a chair. This yoga deck added to my repertoire of poses and is handy for a quick yoga game.

So if you think you can’t do yoga unless you move the furniture or have a yoga mat, block, strap and other props, think again. With Yoga for Small Spaces yoga can be done anywhere and the poses are ideal for all ages and abilities.

You can purchase your own deck for $19.99 from the Addriya on-line store.

To enter to win leave a comment below sharing the most unique location you’ve ever done yoga.

Additional Entries:

• Follow Addriya Yoga on Facebook and comment back here
• Share this review on Facebook with an @yogainmyschool.com mention (multiple entries allowed-max of one per day)
• Tweet it including an @DonnaKFreeman mention (multiple entries allowed- max of three per day, one hour apart): “Small Spaces Yoga Cards #giveaway @DonnaKFreeman @addriya“

Addriya generously donated resources for this review and giveaway. The opinions expressed here are completely my own.

Contest ends Friday, October 14th at 9:00 pm MDT. Winners will be contacted by e-mail and will have 48 hours to reply. Winners names will be published here, on Facebook and Twitter.

Update: Congrats to Julie Johnston who was very excited to win the Yoga for Small Spaces card deck.

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Comment below to enter this giveaway. Contest ends Friday, October 7th at 9:00 pm MDT. 

Children’s yoga expert Leah Kalish along with a group of talented individuals have launched yet another well produced and extremely useful resource. Move with Me Action Adventures boasts 9 DVDs ideal for active indoor play for ages 3 to 7. With child friendly topics such as Monkeying Around a the Zoo, Lost and Found in Africa, and Coral Reef these DVDs appeal to young minds and help develop imagination and creativity.

Each story tells of an adventure taken by Scooter and the Boy. Children act out the adventure and are able to become various parts of the story including thunder, animals, flowers, motorcycles and so much more. Teacher Wendy is cheerful and energetic as she moves through the activities demonstrating each movement.

I’m a firm believer in the power of story telling to assist in learning and love how Kalish and her team have developed these fun adventures using yoga poses, Brain Gym, Exercise Science and other modalities which address and develop the whole child. Individual DVDs take 20 minutes to complete which along with the story line and many fun activities keep children attentive and asking for more. These DVDs are perfect for the upcoming gift giving season for your fave little yogi. As well,  they make a valuable resource for teachers or homeschooling families to explore the world in a fresh, integrated way.

Move With Me Action Adventures is giving away three copies of individual DVDs to three lucky winners. Each winner can choose between The Birthday Gift, Monkeying at the Zoo or Possum’s Tail.

How to Enter

Enter to win by leaving a comment of  how yoga develops the whole child: body, mind and heart.

Additional entries can be made by:

• liking Move With Me Action Adventures on Facebook – comment here letting me know you did
• sharing this contest on Facebook with an @Yogainmyschool.com link – one entry per day allowed
• Tweeting this contest and including an @DonnaKFreeman tag – 3 entries per day allowed at least one hour apart each

Contest ends Friday, October 7th at 9:00 pm MDT. Winners will be contacted by e-mail and will have 48 hours to reply. Winners names will be published here, on Facebook and Twitter.

Enjoy this video trailer of Move with Me Action Adventures.

DVDs can be purchased individually, in a series (Body, Mind, Heart: each with 3DVDs) or a 9 DVD box set from Move with Me Action Adventures.

Move with Me Action Adventures generously donated copies for this review and giveaway. The opinions expressed here are completely my own.

Listen here to an interview with Leah Kalish.

Update: Congratulations to our winners Kim Davis, Dee Wilkinson and Alissa Hearn. Watch for more great give-aways on YIMS. Enter often for your chance to win some fab yoga swag.

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Three sets of books will be given away. To enter leave a comment mentioning your child’s fave animal yoga pose. Contest ends Aug 26, 2011. This contest is now closed.

Meet Buzz. “Buzz is a curious little bee” and he wants to “bee a yogi.” To help him on his way, four friends (Dog, Cow, Cat and Frog) teach him their favourite poses. This is the idea behind Buzz Learns Yoga! by Kami Evans & Jackie Y. Lee, the creative duo who strive to make yoga fun, interactive and meaningful to little yogis. Inspired by her daughter Hannah, Kami Evans became a certified kids yoga instructor with a specialty in yoga for children with special needs. (Read her story.) She founded Elahi Yoga as a way to enrich all lives through creative movement and yoga.

Buzz was launched into the world in Buzz Learns Yoga! There are a number of things I like about this sweet, little book. First it’s short and ideally suited to the attention spans of young children. Second it’s colour rich as each animal/pose has an assigned colour (Cat = Orange, Frog = Green) which reinforces the poses in a visually appealing manner. Third, even though Buzz is the newest kid in yoga class he also has something to teach the more experienced yogis. The lesson ‘that everyone has something to offer’ is one we all need to incorporate into our lives.

The Elahi Yoga Student Workbook is another fab resource for pre-school children. Following the alphabet, animals are used as the basis for yoga inspired movements and poses: B for BEAR, N for NIGHTINGALE, U for UNICORN and 23 others. Each page has an animal to colour, letters to trace to spell the animals name and instructions on how to perform the pose. At the end of the workbook are a number of pages with fill in the blanks and creative drawing & writing to further enrich your little one’s understanding and integration of the concepts and ideas. This is a perfect example of how yoga develops early literacy skills.

Elahi Yoga has provided three sets of books (one Buzz Learns Yoga! + one Elahi Yoga Student Workbook) for this giveaway. Leave a comment below stating your child’s fave animal yoga pose to enter to win.

Since you’ll want to enter more than once, additional entries can by made by:

• Liking Elahi Yoga on Facebook – comment here once you do this
• Posting a photo of your child practicing their fave animal yoga pose on the Yogainmyschool.com Facebook page
• Sharing this contest on Facebook with an @yogainmyschool.com link
• Tweeting about the contest with an @DonnaKFreeman mention

Contest ends on Friday, August 26th, 2011 at 9:00 pm MDT. Winners will be contacted by e-mail and will have 48 hours to claim their prize. Winners names will be listed here, on Facebook & Twitter. GOOD LUCK!

To purchase copies of these resources visit Amazon (Buzz/workbook) or Barnes & Nobles (Buzz/workbook) online.

Disclosure: Elahi Yoga generously provided copies of Buzz Learns Yoga! and the Elahi Yoga Student Workbook for this review. All views are expressly my own and I am in no way compensated for this review and giveaway.

UPDATE: Congratulations to our winners: Anita Kaiser, Eve Agush and Sarah Womer. Thanks to everyone for your fab comments, photos and tweets. It’s always such fun doing a give-away and seeing everyone’s participation.

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Make a Splash with Whale Yoga

If you are looking for a creative and engaging way to teach children to respect their bodies and the environment, it has arrived. Whale Yoga by Next Generation Yoga founder, Jodi Komitor, is sure to be a hit with children aged 2-8.

Inspired by the humpback whales off Maui, Jodi created a series of yoga poses imitating the behavior and movements of these OMazing animals. The photos and videos of whales and the ocean help children to identify with these beautiful creatures and increase their imaginative play as they become whales through fun and creative yoga inspired activities, which include: Whale Breath, Swimming Whales, Ocean Waves, Sleeping Whale, Breaching, Humpback Pod, and more.

The love Jodi has for children is evident in all she does. Her smile, engaging demeanor, playful attitude and easy to follow instructions will resonate with young yogis. They will also enjoy the sweet child yogi models who accompany Jodi on her Whale Yoga adventure providing a wonderful example of how children perform the poses.

In addition to the 20 minute yoga class, this DVD includes a Whale Yoga flow ideal for older children or once your child is familiar with the poses, an interview with Jodi, and a music video for the song ”Wild and Living Sea” by Ron Franklin and the inspiration for Whale Yoga.

This DVD is perfect for teaching appreciation for the ocean and respect for the amazing creatures with which we share our world. Homeschooling parents and teachers will easily be able to incorporate this DVD into lessons plans and science curriculums. My own children now have listed a whale watching tour as their top pick the next time we visit the ocean. I especially liked the video footage of a momma and baby whale waving their tails. My youngest and I were glued to the screen as we waited for the baby to imitate it’s mother’s actions. Too cute!

Watch this trailer of the splashing good time that is Whale Yoga.

Next Generation Yoga generously provided a copy of this DVD for review as well as the giveaway.

Whale Yoga is available for $18 USD with 2% of proceeds being donated to Save the Whales. Buy it here.

Enter to win a copy of this DVD by leaving a comment telling of an experience you’ve had with whales.

Additional entries:

• Follow Whale Yoga on Facebook & leave a comment back here
• Facebook Entry: Share on FB including the link to this review and a @Yogainmyschool.com insertion in your facebook post – multiple entries allowed
• Tweet it including an @DonnaKFreeman mention – multiple entries allowed: “Amazing Whale Yoga DVD #giveaway http://bit.ly/b4Huok @DonnaKFreeman @NGYoga”

Draw date is November 30, 2010 at 10:00 am MST. Enter often and share the Whale Yoga love.

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Trilingual Kids Yoga Program offers Insights into Hindu Art and Mythology

This DVD features a 25 minute child’s yoga class conducted by Beth Reese which teaches acceptance, compassion and communication while developing strength and flexibility. The theme for the class is the story of how Ganesh became the elephant prince and I thoroughly enjoyed the creative use of yoga poses to tell the story. Beth does a wonderful job of presenting insights into and an appreciation for Hindu Mythology.

A distinguishing feature of Yogiños is the tri-lingual nature of the class using Spanish, English and Sanskrit. As a language teacher I applaud this use of language instruction in a natural, culturally appropriate and meaningful manner. The DVD also comes with a complete Spanish translation.

Beth is a natural with the children, encouraging while using clear, precise and age appropriate instructions for the poses. She allows each child to discover their own pose, leading by example through individual, partner and group yoga poses.

My own children were fascinated by the story while enjoying the progression of yoga poses. You can watch a trailer for the video here.

Additional features on this DVD include:

• Remy’s OHMazing Day – a brief exploration of how one young girl incorporates yoga into her daily routine.
• Gifts from Ganesh – where Amy Hofland, director of the Crow Collection of Asian Art in Dallas, TX explains some of the symbols used in two Ganesh sculptures.
• 11 individual poses (including Crow, Dancer, Eagle & Downward Dog) demonstrated and explained by young yogis

Yogiños graciously provided a DVD for this review as well as the give-away.

Buy yourself a copy of the Yogiños: Yoga for Youth DVD here through PayPal for $15.95 USD.

To Enter: Comment below stating something about Hindu mythology that you appreciate or about which you’d like to learn more. (You must do this first before additional entries will be considered.)

Additional entries:

• Comment on any one of the videos on the YogaInMySchoolTV Channel on YouTube
• Like Yogiñoson Facebook and comment
• Subscribe to Yogainmyschool.com (RSS or e-mail) and comment

The give away ends on September 30th at 9 pm. The winner will be chosen at random and will be contacted by e-mail.

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My First Yoga generously provided a book for this review as well as a copy for the give away. Leave a comment saying how you share yoga with the little yogis in your life and your name will be entered in the draw. Draw date: June 30, 2010.

I’m often asked when should children begin to practice yoga. My response is always “They are never too young.” In fact my children began soon after birth and toddlers believe the entire world is their yoga mat while many of their intuitive actions resemble yoga poses.

My First Yoga: Animal Posesby Abbie Davies is a lovely book ideal for the youngest yogis. The book comprises 10 animals poses including Monkey, Flamingo, Dog, Lion, Butterfly and others, accompanied by basic explanations and one major benefit for each. I especially like Mark Dormand’s darling illustrations of the animals and then a child doing the pose on the facing page making it easy to use and understand.

Ideally this book is suited for children ages 18 months to 3 years old. Older children may find it too simple. Personally I’d love to see a board book version which could withstand the rigors of regular use by busy little people.

There is also a handy iPhone app which provides flashcards of the illustrations in the book along with a narrative. I can definitely see using this in daycare centres and pre-schools or even handing it to your toddlers for them to amuse themselves.

Truly My First Yoga is a wonderful introduction to yoga and a great way to share mind/body activities with the little ones in your life. Leave a comment saying how you share yoga with your little yogis and your name will be entered in the draw. Draw date: June 30, 2010.

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Learning about the body is fun! That’s the message Dr Heather Manley, a naturopathic physician based in Hawaii, is sharing with kids, parents and teachers.

Recently Manley sent me a copy of Battle with the Bugs, the second audio story and workbook in the series of Human Body Detectives. Each story takes Marrin and Pearl, characters based upon and voiced by Manley’s daughters, on health mysteries where they are magically transported into the body on an adventure.

With each audio CD comes a workbook full of crosswords, games, puzzles, jokes and stickers. My children immediately gravitated toward the stickers and colouring pages, while I had to gaffaw a few times at the corny jokes.  For example:

• “What do you call a germ who wants to have a good time? A FunGi (a fun guy)“
• “What did the left eye say to the right eye? Between us something smells.” 

I was most impressed that Manley didn’t simplify terminology (how many children’s books do you know that use the word ‘macrophage?’), but provided real information in a kid friendly manner. And don’t be surprised if the adults in the room also learn a thing or two about how the body works. Here is a teaser of the book for your enjoyment.

If you are looking for a fun, creative resource where children are teaching children in an engaging way, you’ll want to get your hands on these great books. They can be found at Human Body Detectives and on Amazon.

I can’t wait for the release of The Heart Pumping Adventure, Marrin and Pearl’s third adventure into the human body, due out this spring.

Dr Heather Manley has generously donated a copy of Battle with the Bugs to one lucky Yoga In My School Reader. Leave a comment below to enter into the draw.

Extra entries:

Email this post to 3 deserving friends and cc: donna@yogainmyschool.com.

Contest runs through April 30, 2010. Good luck.

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Lazy Lizards has offered a Lazy Lizards grape coloured kids yoga mat and DVD set (a $38.00 value) to one lucky Yoga In My School reader. Leave a comment on our Facebook Fan page under this attachment to enter to win. You have until March 30th.

Young children can benefit greatly from practicing yoga. They have seen their parents take out their mat at home or head off to yoga class and are eager to participate just like Mom or Dad in their own yoga session. Lazy Lizards Yoga offers a DVD, yoga mat and clothing specifically designed for ages three and up.

My five-year-old was thrilled the day her mat arrived. She eagerly unwrapped it on the kitchen floor and immediately starting doing the poses printed on it. A few days later she proudly brought her mat to Kids Yoga class where the other students checked it out throughly, again imitating the poses conveniently displayed on it’s surface. This yoga mat made her feel like the coolest kid in the class.

Some poses are given child-friendly names which was somewhat confusing to my child as she has been doing yoga for years and was somewhat confused when Tree Pose (vrksasana) was called Flamingo Pose. Yes, it does look like a Flamingo, but I always make an effort when teaching children to let them know the real pose names as well as any adaptations we’ve created. Renaming yoga poses, however, is nothing new to yoga for kids as the process (movement, breathing, looking inward, etc.) is more important than the label.

The program’s principle focus is obviously the children. Throughout the DVD, fun, creative poses and activities are taught at age appropriate levels. A sense of play and exploration prevails as the instructor gently leads children through a warm-up, mat poses, and additional activities in an outdoor park setting. My personal favourite was making a pizza which focused on forward bends. The DVD also gives adults a good sense of what a yoga class or practice will be like with pre-schoolers, and how to encourage them to try the poses and stay on task.

 The combination of DVD and mat help make practicing yoga an independent activity. Children are able to take ownership of their yoga practice which builds self-esteem.

Based on the Radiant Child Yoga program developed by Shakta Kaur Khalsa, Karen Allaire’s Lazy Lizards Yoga is a fun introduction to yoga for young children.

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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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