Tag Archive | "relaxation"

Kids Restorative Yoga for Winter Solstice


Yin Yoga Helps Kids Relax & Connect

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

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

Enjoy celebrating the solstice by using light as a symbol for change. I like using flashlights as they are safe with kids. With teens you may want to use candles. Sit everyone in a circle. Provide a light source for each participant. Turn the lights on/light the candles. Going around the circle, each participant says farewell to something they need to or are ready to let go and extinguishes their light. When all the lights are off, sit silently in the dark (how long you sit in darkness will depend on your group).  Allow your past hurts, heartaches, regrets to gently drift away. Turn your attention inward, enjoying the quiet stillness. Smile gently from deep within yourself. Begin to look toward the future. Once again go around the circle, this time each participant shares how they will welcome change and embrace love as they turn on their light.
Wishing you a lovely Winter Solstice.

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Finding Your Still Quiet Place with Amy Saltzman


Dr Amy Saltzman knows the benefits of accessing the “Still Quiet Place” deep inside each individual and works tirelessly to bring those benefits to children, teens and parents.

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

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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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From Monkey Mind to Peace of Mind


Psychiatrist & clinical lecturer on pyschiatry at the Univeristy of Alberta, Dr Catherine Phillips is dedicated to bringing the benefits of mindfulness to others. She joins us to discuss how MBSR (Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction) techniques can work equally well with teens as with adults to reduce stress, improve connections with self and others, and lead to greater happiness and contentment. Founder of the Mindfulness Institute.ca and one of the key organziers of the upcoming International Conference on Mindfulness with Youth (July 15-17, 2011), Catherine works tirelessly to promote mindfulness meditation in the areas of education, health care and society at large.

Original Air Date: June 30, 2011

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Connect with Catherine on the Mindfulness Institute.ca Facebook page.

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The Blissology Project with Eoin Finn


Eoin Finn joins us to share insights on how to achieve bliss in our lives. The Blissology Project encourages doing good, feeling better and creating an upward spiral through the Five Big Easys. Discover exactly how these simple steps can change your life, creating more peace and contentment. Eoin will also share his experience on TEDx Talks and the keys to hammock enlightenment in order to slow down and connect with our inner wisdom and one another.

Original Air Date: May 4, 2011

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Connect with Eoin through Facebook, on Twitter @eoinfinnyoga or his website.

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Yoga Helps Kids Get Enough Sleep


Guest post by Laurie Jordan

Yoga for kids is popping up everywhere — and a good thing it is!  With their busy schedules, hectic home lives, and increased social demands, kids these days are under more pressure than ever before. No wonder they’re often cranky, clumsy, over-stimulated, distracted, unfocused, lacking energy, or hyperactive.

Add to the mix, the fact that most kids aren’t getting enough sleep at night. When a child becomes sleep deprived, they are likely to have a hard time controlling their emotions. This can lead to potential problems at home and at school, and it can be exhausting for parents!

As if parenting isn’t hard enough, having a child with sleep problems can make your job even more difficult.

But why are our kids having such a hard time getting to sleep?

Worry and Stress: It’s easy for kids to feel overwhelmed with busy schedules, academics,  hectic home lives, and increased social pressures. For many kids, it’s hard to refocus their mind away from worrisome thought patterns, especially when they are trying to fall asleep.

Separation Anxiety: Youngsters often feel anxiety when separated from their parents. A child is likely to become anxious if you aren’t there or may become preoccupied by the thought of missing out on something. This makes it hard for them to relax and fall asleep.

Major Life Changes: Moving, divorce, death, etc. If adults have a hard time handling such monumental periods of transition, imagine how difficult they must be for our kids! They learn how to cope by watching us.

Bedtime Fears: Kids have active imaginations. Remember the monster under the bed?

Nightmares: Kids are more likely to have bad dreams if they watch violent or scary movies before bed.

This is where bedtime yoga can help. Yawning Yoga (a bedtime yoga series designed specifically to help children enjoy a restful sleep) is kid tested and mother approved! It’s careful sequencing makes it perfect for bedtime and helps children establish a bedtime routine that is proven to work.

Try these these exercises before going to bed….

RAG DOLL: Fold in half, with your head near the ground. Shake your head no and shake your head yes to let worries go.

THE TWISTER: Twisting at night to the left then the right makes your tummy and spine feel so fine!

WISHING STAR: Imagine a star way up in the sky. Paint it a color in your minds eye!  Picture its starlight shining in you.

Laurie Jordan is the Creator of Little Sprouts Yoga for Kids and the Director of Kids Programming at Kaia Yoga. She has a Masters in Social Work from Columbia University School of Social Work and is a certified yoga instructor for children and adults.  Be on the lookout for her upcoming book, “Yawning Yoga” based on this successful bedtime series. You can learn more about Laurie and her work at www.jordanyoga.com and www.kaiayoga.com

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My Favourite Yoga Prop – Eye Pillows


Guest post by Cheryl Crawford and Amy Haysman

Eye pillows are one of those little things that make a big difference. The simple gesture of placing an eye pillow on a student as they transition into savasana (corpse pose) builds trust and becomes a ritual that kids and teens look forward to each class.

As teachers, when the students move into savasana, we are able to quickly assess who is fidgeting and having trouble closing their eyes. We use eye pillows because the shape contours to the face, blocks out light and calms the active muscles around the eyes. By applying gentle pressure to the pillow, we help relieve tension in the eyes and forehead and impart our tranquil energy to settle each student. We say “If your eyes are still moving, your attention is in your head. Invite your eyes to the back of your head.

Bring your attention to your heart center and breathe there.” Expanding the heart space is a sure way to turn inward and center. When we are in our heart, we experience more joy and can truly connect with others. Kids and teens thrive when they feel connected and of service. We teach them how to place an eye pillow on someone’s eyes with reverence, cradle the friend’s head and lengthen the back of their neck and then gently lower their head back down.

We also use eye pillows to teach balance and breathing techniques. In balancing poses, an eye pillow on top of the head helps students keep their head and body steady. The weight of the pillow provides a slight resistance that the students can use to extend into. They love the challenge of keeping the pillow on their head as they transition from one balancing pose to another.

When lying down, placing a pillow on a particular part of the body helps the student bring their awareness and breath to that area. The pillow isolates an area such as the low belly and gives students a tactile and visual cue to the flow of their breath. Savasana is the perfect pose to teach beginners how to focus on their breath. It is easier to tune into the breath with closed eyes and an eye pillow helps especially young children keep their eyes closed for minutes at a time. Savasana can be silent or a beautiful song may enhance the experience. Reading an inspirational poem or guided visualization while the students’ minds and bodies are calm and receptive is a powerful way to reinforce the yogic theme.

We believe eye pillows are so valuable that we created our own product line. Our eye pillows are made of organic hemp with removable washable covers. The lavender ones enhance relaxation through aromatherapy. We also offer unscented ones for those who have sensitivities to smell. For more information please email info@gogrounded.com.

Cheryl and Amy are the founders of Go Grounded and can be found via the Go Grounded Facebook page.

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