This is Part 1 in a four part series on Om for Kids and Teens. Watch for Part 2: Chanting OM: How to Teach Kids to Chant (Video), Part 3: To Om or Not to Om and Part 4: The Benefits of Om coming soon.

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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Music to Express Gratitude

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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Stephanie Gottlob and Yuji Oka are on a mission. These two are the creators of Movement, a physical re-education program for children and teens with special needs. Their unique training program includes an holistic somatic approach including adaptive yoga. Their goal is to teach a core physical vocabulary of 12 movements through creative play. They join us to talk about their innovative approach and its incredible success in helping youth with ADHD, Autism, Down Syndrome, hyperactivity and emotional disturbances. Youth in their program learn not only physical skills but self-confidence, social skills and control. Based out of the Spiral Movement Centre in Toronto, Canada, Stephanie and Yuji transform lives one spin, hop and breath at at time.

Original Air Date: October 3, 2011

Connect with Stephanie and Yuji at Movement for Kids with Special Needs or the Spiral Movement Center on Facebook

Access our extensive library of interviews with leaders in the yoga and mindfulness community on iTunes. Guests include John Friend, Elena Brower, Cora Wen, Waylon Lewis, Sydney Solis, Sadie Nardini and many more.

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This is an excerpt from Integrity is a Muscle: a program developed to empower children and teens as they connect with themselves developing a firm foundation of skills and attitudes in order to increase identity and understanding and withstand negative forces.

It may seem simple but the greatest act of kindness you can perform is to breathe. Not the everyday, not paying attention to it, kind of breath, but one that is long, slow and deep. Breathe in a way that invites you to slow down, releasing the tension in your body. Turn your awareness inward. Connect with yourself.

As you are breathing listen carefully. Close your eyes if it helps to focus your attention. Don’t force it. Allow the breath to naturally expand the lungs and rib cage, gently finding space. Be relaxed, yet alert. Quiet and still the mind. Allow it to drift with the inhalation and the exhalation like a toy boat floating along a stream. Let go. Tap into your true nature, the inner core of joy, serenity and creative potential which lies inside you. Smile gently from deep inside.

As you breathe deeply and slowly, the chatter in your head will quiet, the fluctuations of the mind still. You will clear your mind, increase healthy and vitality, realize greater understanding and focus, and discover a reservoir of peace.

If you enjoyed this post be sure to sign up for our newsletter to hear more about Integrity is a Muscle as it is released Fall 2011. You’ll also receive a copy of our free e-book The Pet Store.

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guest post by Barbara Jolie

It can be very difficult for parents to remember what it was like back in the day when they were teens, so if you have a teenager or two in your household, they may seem like aliens from another planet. The biggest problem with teenagers, the problem from which nearly every middle and high school kid issue arise, is their inherent lack of self-confidence. And while self-esteem usually comes with time, it must absolutely be actively built. Here are some easy-to-follow tips to better understand your teenager, and to help her grow into a mature and confident adult.

1. Remind yourself that there is a physiological reason for lack of confidence in teens.

One of the primary problems that causes adults and teens to clash so harshly and so often is that we and our teens are in completely different stages of life, both emotionally and physiologically. Teens so often lack self-confidence because their hormone levels are fluctuating constantly and they are usually going through some physical and psychological growing pains that initiate the proverbial “awkward phase.” As such, it is important to be understanding of this before you try to help your teen build self-confidence.

2. There is a big difference between building self-esteem and over-praising. Do the former.

One big mistake that many parents make is that, in their anxiety to help their teen emotionally develop, they praise every single good deed that their teen accomplishes. While praise is absolutely instrumental in building confidence, when given too much, it completely loses its value. Subsequently, over-praised teens will be the diametrical opposite of self-confident adults. They will never learn to accept criticism, work out their own problems, or deal with failure, all of which are necessary components of healthy self-esteem.

3. Solid diet, hygiene, sleep and exercise habits play a much bigger role in naturally building self-confidence than you think.

If you are a consistent practitioner of yoga, then you probably understand the importance of developing good health-related habits. At the same time, however, teens will often not be as interested in maintaining a good diet, sleeping regularly, and engaging in a consistent exercise routine. As a parent, it is vital that you establish and enforce a daily schedule that emphasizes a holistic and healthy lifestyle. Teens are most able to build their self-confidence when they’ve slept and eaten well. Rigorous exercise is not a must, but engaging in light but, most importantly, consistent exercise, like yoga, swimming, or simply walking, does wonders in regulating mood and performance.

4. A healthy social life is absolutely instrumental. Help your teen build a close-knit network of friends and family.

Especially in modern and developed countries like America, many other things in life take priority over strong social relations. Whether for good or ill, we are an isolated society. Many of the developmental problems that teenagers undergo arise from a sense of isolation. As a parent, you are often charged with the task of guiding your child’s social life. While you can’t necessarily pick your teenagers friends, encourage your child to participate in activities that foster a sense of community and togetherness. Spend quality time with your family, even if your teen doesn’t appreciate it at the moment. They’ll thank you later.

Raising a self-confident teen obviously does not happen overnight. It can be a very exasperating process, but emphasizing the right habits and principles will reap plenty rewards, the dividends of which you will still see once your child becomes a full-fledged adult.

This guest post is contributed by Barbara Jolie, who writes for online classes. She welcomes your comments at her email Id: barbara.jolie876@gmail.com.

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In a previous life (or at least sometimes it feels that way) I was a French teacher. French was in fact my third language after spending a year in Brazil as an exchange student picking up Portuguese along the way. When I decided to learn French I knew that the most effective way to learn a language was through immersion because then it wasn’t simply a subject in school. The language became a tool for living whether it was taking the bus and knowing which stop to get off at or ordering from a menu to get the food I wished to eat. So off I went to the Faculté St Jean in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada to study.

Slowly French began to seep into my brain. I quickly discovered I retained more the days I rode my bike to and from campus, which thank heavens was most days, even when it was -20° celsius and snowing. The language also opened an entire culture and the world became more reachable, the people more understandable.

Years later while living in Cape Town, South Africa I was introduced to yoga. It was love at first pose. Immediately I began to look for ways to incorporate my language background with this new endeavor. The interconnections between mind and body were like learning an entirely new language, this time the one spoken of by my mind and body. I began to more fully understand the Upanishads where it says:

It is not the language but the speaker we want to understand.

Combining my two loves I realized that yoga provides a wonderful avenue for introducing foreign language education to children and youth. There are two ways this is done. 1) Yoga in the second language classroom and 2) second language usage in the yoga classroom.

Yoga in the Second Language Classroom

It has been proven that exercise increases neural pathways and neurogenesis (see Brain Rules #1Exercise Boosts Brain Power). Increased movement makes us more alert, provides a better sense of well-being and improves memory. Using yoga in the classroom allows teachers to harness the power of movement and to create an enriched learning environment. Yoga is easy to incorporate into the classroom as it requires no additional equipment, is adaptable to all individuals, can be done alone, with partners or in a group, and has a flexible time requirement (as little as one breath to an entire period).

In addition yoga partner poses, such as Tricky Tree and Two Scoops, provide a unique opportunity to engage learners in cooperative work requiring communication (in the target language, of course). Yoga Jenga, Swami Says and other yoga games will also encourage students to use their bodies and communication skills while having fun. Using yoga in adventure stories will increase vocabulary and maintain interest and attention.

Second Languages in Yoga Class

Second languages are easy to incorporate into yoga class. In fact, most yoga instructors will use Sanskrit terms for poses (asanas,) breathing (pranayama) and relaxation (savasana). Where ever you go in the world Sanskrit is the international language of yoga. You may not know which pose is “l’aigle” but if they say “garudanasa” then you are set. If you are unfamiliar with the Sanskrit names the alphabetical list of poses provides the English and Sanskrit names for each. In addition, the Online Sanskrit Pronunciation Guide will prove invaluable to acquaint learners with proper pronunciation.

Other languages are also easy to incorporate into yoga class in creative and fun ways. Positive attitudes toward target languages and speakers will result, as will improved cognitive development. Second language acquistion promotes more complete and more complex connections between the right and left hemipsheres of the brain. So not only will children have increased body memory, they will also have improved communication skills and greater appreciation for the world.

Here are a list of resources which will prove useful when using yoga for foreign language learning.

Kids Yoga Resources in Foreign Languages

• Once Upon a Pose: A Guide to Yoga Adventure Stories for Children by Donna Freeman – English/French/Sanskrit
• Shanti Generation Yoga Skills for Youth Peace Makers DVD - English/Spanish/Japanese
• Yoginos: Yoga for Youth DVD - English/Spanish/Sanskrit
•  Yoga con cuentos: Como ensenar yoga a los ninos mediante el uso de cuentos
  by Sydney Solis – Spanish
• Karmakids – German
• Yoga pour les enfants by Liz Lark – French
• La casa nella prateria: Yoga Con I Bambini - Italian

BYKI is a great site to learn languages on line with free resources in 70 languages.

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Mindful Breathing Focuses Energy

Pranayama, yogic breathing, is a wonderful way to focus and balance energy. Being aware of one’s breath is a way of pulling in scattered energy and mindfully focusing it. This is a great game for teenagers to take advantage of this simple technique by playing it whenever they need to center themselves and regroup. This game helps to deliberately focus attention so that you become aware of being present in each moment. It also helps teens become aware of how easy it is to get distracted and how to get back on track.

Ten Breaths

In this game you pay attention to your breathing for the next ten breaths. This is not purposeful, controlled breathing, but an awareness exercise of simply observing the breath.

On the first inhale, say to yourself, “I’m breathing in one.” As the body exhales, mentally observe, “I’m breathing out one.” On the next inhale say, “I’m breathing in two,” followed by, “I’m breathing out two,” and so on.

You’ll probably notice that different breaths have different rhythms. Sometimes they will follow at regular intervals, sometimes there may be long gaps between breaths. Some are shallow, others deep. All you do is observe and name the number.

This is much easier said than done.You’ll probably go on mind trips, getting distracted by passing thoughts. That’s okay. Congratulate yourself on noticing the detour and get back on track starting at the beginning: “I’m breathing in one.”

The fun and challenging part is to see how far you can go before you mentally tune out. Some days it may be the fourth breath that you can’t get past before forgetting what you were doing. Other days it will be easy to focus and you may go for longer than “Ten Breaths.”

Variations

Sensory Awareness: While waiting for the body to breath in or out, use that moment to notice what your senses are experiencing. Hear the sounds. Feel the temperature. Notice the air movements. Become aware and part of the environment.

Counting Steps: If sitting won’t work for you try going on a walk and counting each step. Become aware of the sensation of your feet as they push off from the ground and then land again. How your body transfers weight from one side to the other. Feel your arms swing by your sides. Concentrating on your steps is calming and helps you to stay present with the walking experience.

Take Five is a fantastic breathing game/exercise for younger yogis. Be sure to visit the Yoga Games page for many more ideas to inspire you and your kids to play yoga today.

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New Leaf Yoga strives to bring the calming benefits of yoga to at risk youth in gang intervention initiatives and youth detention facilities in Ontario, Canada. Laura Sygrove, executive director of New Leaf Yoga, joins us to discuss how yoga is changing lives one asana at a time. Tune in an be inspired as youth learn to manage anger, live a healthier life style and learn to like themselves for who they are inside and out.

Original Air Date: September 30, 2010

The highlight of this interview for me was Laura’s approach to presenting yoga to at-risk youth as a safe environment where there is mutual respect and a place where they can find moments of peace amid the chaos and stresses of life. To learn more about New Leaf Yoga visit their website or Like them on Facebook.

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