Yoga 4 Kids is specifically developed to teach yoga & meditation
to children of all ages & abilities from toddlers to teens.
to children of all ages & abilities from toddlers to teens.
Yoga 4 Kids offers professional development workshops for adults which qualify as continuing education
units (CEUs) through Yoga Alliance and Yoga for the Special Child® Teacher Training Programs.
units (CEUs) through Yoga Alliance and Yoga for the Special Child® Teacher Training Programs.
|
I love teaching yoga to children. Every day I travel all over the city, teaching children of all ages and abilities from different cultures and backgrounds. I meet children who are happy and carefree, serious and intense, anxious, sad, shy, easily distracted, or who need individual help to move more efficiently. I love to see the subtle and sometime profound transformations that occur. I have marvelous and often whacky conversations that teach, tickle and inspire me. I enjoy hearing from parents how their child teaches them their favourite yoga poses or is found sitting alone in meditation, silent and still. I love the heart-felt greetings, warm hugs, and enthusiasm. I love the drama, the chaos, and I get to play, sing, and dance almost every day.
Teaching yoga to children is challenging, exciting and rewarding. I am continually encouraged by the positive results, both physical and emotional, that I observe in children who take yoga regularly. Children’s spontaneity, innate joy, natural innocence and wisdom are always an inspiration....and we have lots of fun. As adults, many of us have discovered how yoga works on many different levels. How it has a healing effect on the body, the mind and the emotions. Let’s give our children the opportunity to develop a supple healthy body, to lessen anxiety and to stimulate creative thinking and intellectual growth. |
Yoga with Pre-school Children
|
A class of 2 ½ - 4 year olds starts their yoga class with a song that encourages them to close their eyes while one child counts to 5. A little boy who is only 3 years old shows me how he can count from 5 to 1. I am very impressed and ask the class, “Who else can count backwards?” Sophie responds, “I can.” I am momentarily distracted by some discussion going on in the class and when I look at Sophie again she has turned her back to the circle. Sophie is facing backwards and counts for us, “1, 2, 3, 4, 5.”
A group of four and five year olds are practicing a cleansing breath that helps clear excess mucus and phlegm from their sinuses and respiratory tract. “I really needed that,” says one child as he pauses to blow his nose. “Me, too.” “Me, too.” The others chime in with authority. This is an ideal time for children to begin a yoga practice. Their young minds are naturally curious and creative. They learn by playing, singing, moving and imitating. They learn to wait, take turns and by watching each other. |
|
Yoga, adapted for children, inspires their imaginations to teach them about nature and their environment, helping them to learn about the real world. Bunnies hopping, frogs leaping, crabs dancing, herds of elephants marching develop body awareness, language, good listening skills, cooperation and powers of observation. Moving their hands while singing teaches them rhythm, melody and visual-motor coordination. Balloon breaths, buzzing bees, panting dogs and hooting owls all prepare a child for the breathing techniques used in yoga. A short period of relaxation or activities that encourage children to close their eyes briefly calms them down and prepares them for meditation. Role-play, game play and make-believe develop self-discipline, conceptual thought and problem solving skills.
School Age Children
|
Sherry: “Sally, can you stretch just a little further in that pose.”
Sally (6 years old): “No!” Sherry: “Why Not?” Sally: “My bones are in the way.” Sherry: “Let’s practice our tree pose. Feel your roots growing deep into the earth and feel steady and strong as you balance on one leg. Do you feel your roots?” Mimi: (7 years old): “Yeah, I feel roots, but I don’t think they’re mine.” Practicing yoga poses, pranayama (breathing techniques), visualization, deep relaxation and meditation help to improve the learning abilities of school-aged children. Calm and self-assured children learn better and are able to manage their daily challenges more successfully. Other benefits include: • Develops flexibility, strength, stamina, agility, balance, coordination and cardiovascular fitness. • Emphasizes proper body alignment so children avoid injury. • Promotes a positive attitude toward exercise. • Builds cooperative skills and good social behavior by working with a partner or in a group. |
• Promotes positive communication and good listening
skills which foster self-respect, compassion and respect for others. • Builds self-confidence. • Encourages children’s creative imagination and self- expression. • Suitable for all ages and physical abilities. |
|
Pre-teens and Teens
Pre-teen and teens learn about anatomy and physiology in greater depth in their yoga classes. We discuss how muscles and joints allow bones to move; how yoga and meditation affect digestion, immune and neurological functions and the nervous and glandular systems; how yoga and meditation can help them study for exams and cope with the stress and pressures of daily life. The classes are physically challenging and provide a complete workout for young bodies, but when I ask why they enjoy yoga, the most frequent response is, “It’s relaxing.” “It’s fun.” |
|
|
Meditation
Meditation improves focus, concentration and memory. It facilitates better retention of information and the integration of ideas and concepts. “Meditation is a state of poised, highly directed concentration, focused not upon a train of thoughts or ideas but upon a single, clearly defined stimulus. The mind is held lucid and still, alert and watchful and free from losing itself in thinking.”(1) Meditation improves mindfulness, which is “the ability to be aware of what is happening around us and turn our attention from one thing to another as it makes its appearance.”(1) Learning to consciously regulate the breath (pranayama) is an integral part of yoga and meditation. Children learn to value their breath. Meditation deepens and slows down the breath which decreases heart rate and blood pressure enabling children to be calm and inward focused. As a result they are better able to cope with challenges and |
are less prone to have negative emotions such as irrational fear, anxiety, irritability and anger. A proclivity for depression is replaced by an increased sense of well-being and intuition which develops self-understanding and the ability to cope with stress.
Learning stress and anger management through yoga and meditation give children a healthy alternative to deal with daily challenges and creates different cognitive ways for children to perceive themselves and the world. Meditation is a valuable skill that they can utilize their entire lives.
Learning stress and anger management through yoga and meditation give children a healthy alternative to deal with daily challenges and creates different cognitive ways for children to perceive themselves and the world. Meditation is a valuable skill that they can utilize their entire lives.
|
Yoga for Children with Special Needs
A 4-year-old girl whose speech and development is delayed shouts out “rock pose” as she demonstrates the yoga pose for her class. Developing a yoga vocabulary has given her movement to help express herself.
A 4-year-old boy diagnosed with autism was preoccupied with images of monsters when he started his yoga practice. He now envisions butterflies, cornfields, buzzing bees and children playing in the park. He is more composed and verbally expressive. His attention span and ability to learn has improved. A 6-year-old girl with mild cerebral palsy can walk, jump and run with greater ease. She can make transitions effortlessly from lying down to sitting upright and then to standing. Balance, coordination, strength and stamina have noticeably improved. She has also gained social independence. |
|
A 13-year-old girl with a developmental disability that bends and twists her spine is beginning to achieve posture that is more erect. This enables her to breathe deeply and consequently strengthens her lungs. As a result, her over-all health and vitality are positively affected.
Sonia Sumar, Director of Yoga for the Special Child®, LLC has designed a yoga program specifically for children and adults with Special Needs.
The program works well with infants and children on an individual basis. It reduces hyperactivity and improves concentration to help children with learning disabilities, autism spectrum disorders, ADHD and ADD gain self-control. It increases basic motor, cognitive and communication skills in children with developmental disabilities such as Down Syndrome, Cerebral Palsy and Spina Bifida. It helps to soothe the emotionally disturbed, destructive and aggressive child. www.specialyoga.com
Sonia Sumar, Director of Yoga for the Special Child®, LLC has designed a yoga program specifically for children and adults with Special Needs.
The program works well with infants and children on an individual basis. It reduces hyperactivity and improves concentration to help children with learning disabilities, autism spectrum disorders, ADHD and ADD gain self-control. It increases basic motor, cognitive and communication skills in children with developmental disabilities such as Down Syndrome, Cerebral Palsy and Spina Bifida. It helps to soothe the emotionally disturbed, destructive and aggressive child. www.specialyoga.com
Introduce Yoga into your Child’s Daily Routine
|
Nowadays many yoga studios, dance studios, private clubs, community centers and camps offer children’s yoga. Other effective ways to introduce yoga into your child’s life is in daycare, in kindergarten, at school, or at home. A children’s yoga teaching specialist can enrich daycare programs or go into the schools to run 45-60 minute lunchtime or after school programs. Yoga in the classroom is simple, effective and affordable. One does not need any special equipment or much space. Students can participate in a 10 -20 minute yoga session while sitting or standing at their desks. They can do simple yoga stretches, eye exercises and deep breathing to help regain attention and renew vitality. Teachers can make curriculum connections with yoga in physical education, health, music, drama, dance, science & visual arts.
|
|
Yoga with the Family
Establishing a time to do yoga and meditation with your children will help cultivate a healthy life-style and reinforce the bond between family members. Parents and siblings have fun doing yoga together.
Make yoga part of your daily routine. Set aside space or a quiet peaceful corner in your home. Dim the lights and play soothing music. Light a candle and create an altar with photos of loved ones.
Put aside 20 minutes before breakfast to do a series of Sun Salutation, simple yoga stretches and deep abdominal or alternate nostril breathing. You and your children will feel more relaxed, focused, and mentally alert during the school or workday. Practice yoga & sit in meditation together in the evening before bedtime. It will help everyone sleep better. There are so many ways that you can make yoga part of your child’s life. Teach them to be tolerant, generous, and to do good deeds; to be present and patient; to be grateful; and to cherish life. This is Yoga.
Establishing a time to do yoga and meditation with your children will help cultivate a healthy life-style and reinforce the bond between family members. Parents and siblings have fun doing yoga together.
Make yoga part of your daily routine. Set aside space or a quiet peaceful corner in your home. Dim the lights and play soothing music. Light a candle and create an altar with photos of loved ones.
Put aside 20 minutes before breakfast to do a series of Sun Salutation, simple yoga stretches and deep abdominal or alternate nostril breathing. You and your children will feel more relaxed, focused, and mentally alert during the school or workday. Practice yoga & sit in meditation together in the evening before bedtime. It will help everyone sleep better. There are so many ways that you can make yoga part of your child’s life. Teach them to be tolerant, generous, and to do good deeds; to be present and patient; to be grateful; and to cherish life. This is Yoga.
|
1. Fontana, David & Ingrid Slack
1998 |
Teaching Meditation to Children. Element
Books Inc. Lockport, MA |