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You are here: Home / Archives for Aruna Kathy Humphrys

Aruna Kathy Humphrys

Research on Why Kids Yoga Improves School Performance

There was a time when school recess was considered a way for kids to burn off energy so they would sit still for book learning. Now a days, thanks to scientific research, we know exercise is indeed good for the body but it is also great for the brain.

Research shows physical activity improves memory in the elderly and encourages neuronal growth in the young.

How can we harness this type of research to convince schools, daycare centers, and parents to get enthusiastic about kids yoga? Wouldn’t it be great to have scientifically supported evidence to promote yoga for kids?

Well good news, a group of scientific researchers gathered to investigate the effects of exercise on kids’ brains and shared with the world their consensus on the benefits of exercise!

In the year 2016 this happened at the aptly named Copenhagen Consensus Conference. Researchers from eight different countries came together to issue a joint statement on the effect of exercise on kids’ health.

Kids are ready to go in the Kids Yoga Teacher Training
Taking exercise breaks, like running games in the gym, are good for kids academically.

Consensus on the Benefits of Exercise for Children from Researchers

They agreed on the easily guessable, common sense stuff, that exercise improves kids’ bones, muscles and hearts. They also agreed that the fitness levels of these in kids is a good predictor of whether or not the they will go on to develop heart disease, diabetes or other chronic diseases later in life.

8 Reasons why Exercise, Like Kids Yoga, Improves School Performance

The Copenhagen Consensus didn’t stop at the physical benefits of exercise; they reported on the mental and emotional effects of exercise.  They agreed that:

  1. Physical activity improves brain structure, brain function and cognition.
  2. Physical activity before, during and after school improves performance in other school work.
  3. Learning to master physical movements improves performance in school work
  4. Regular physical activity can improve kids’ self-esteem and relationships with peers and adults
  5. Focused physical activity creates a good motivational environment for kids
  6. Exercise programs promote life skills and core values in kids
  7. Two additional points that the Copenhagen Consensus group agreed on are worth highlighting. They agreed that a single session of physical activity helps kid’s brains. That means a single game of soccer, a single recess of tag, a single yoga class can result in measurable benefits to kids mental activity.
  8. The next important point the group agreed on was that spending time being physically active doesn’t sacrifice performance in school work. On the contrary, spending time on physical activity helps overall school performance.

In other words, schools (and parents) have absolutely no good reason to declare their kids don’t have time for an exercise program because they are focusing on school work. Exercise increases performance in school work.

kids yoga teacher training, yoga for children
Even an exercise break in the classroom is good for kids brains.

Exercise to Improve Scholastic Performance

As yoga teachers we can stress the importance of exercise by asking: do you want kids to study for the sake of studying, or do you want kids to improve their scholastic performance?

Because if the aim is to create better students, then kids should spend some time with a ball instead of a pen and some time doing downward dog instead of sitting behind a desk.

You can read the full statement by The Copenhagen Consensus Conference 2016 here.

For ideas to bring kids yoga into schools, check out these two resources:

  • 5 Tips from Principals for Kids Yoga in Schools
  • A Game to Help Kids Develop their Networking Skills

 

Filed Under: Kids Yoga, Research Tagged With: business development, new classes, news, yoga science

Free Earth Day Kids Yoga Lesson Plan and Coloring Page

Earth Day Lesson Plan for Kids Yoga

Earth Day provides a great theme for kids yoga to show our love of the planet, yoga style. Here’s an Earth Day lesson plan and free coloring page for your consideration:

Earth Day Kids Yoga Lesson Plan

Starting Your Lesson With an Opening Reflection Circle

To begin your class set an intention and reflect on Earth Day.  Use the breathing ball (as shown in photo) as an analogy to teach awareness.  The breathing ball starts out small, but expands into a larger circle. Our thinking can expand the same way the ball does. We start out seeing the small view and then expand our awareness to see the big picture.

Ask your students open question like: “What can you do to connect with the Earth?” They can share their responses when they hold the ball.

children pass a brething ball in a circle in kids yoga class to share their thoughts and feelings
Kids Pass the Breathing Ball as a way to share their thoughts and feelings.

Start your Children’s Yoga Class with Playful Movement

Use the 3 R’s, Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, for fun in your kids yoga class.

Reduce: Don’t Forget Your Bags!

Plastic bags make up tons of landfill that you can reduce by bringing your own bags.  Take a shopping trip on a row of mats (give children cushioning to crawl around) with these ideas:

  • Select Your Groceries Wisely: Make up Yoga poses for various grocery store items. What do you get at the grocery store? Cookies (the kids can think of a cookie pose (eg: bow pose), bananas (crescent moon pose) or butternut squash (triangle pose). How can you reduce your waste when you shop?
  • Check Out: Crawl under Downward Dog pose to send your groceries down the conveyor belt to the cashier
  • Human Grocery Bin: Put each item in your reusable grocery bag (Boat pose) after they come off the conveyor belt, do boat pose to make a bag for the groceries to go in. If someone doesn’t do boat pose, they forget their grocery bag and can jog home to get it (jog on the spot).

Discuss items that get forgotten when it comes to recycling and composting in the home.  You’ll be surprised how the little things can reduce your impact:

  • toilet paper rolls be recycled in paper
  • used tissues can go in compost
  • skip the clear plastic bags for produce when possible (your bananas don’t need to go in a bag!)
downward dog tunnel in kids yoga with yoga teacher trainers during certification
Crawling under downward dog to put your groceries away.

Reuse: Hand-Me-Down Game

This game can teach kids about passing down clothes and other reusable items that they don’t want any more.  Did you  know some people have taken a pledge of zero waste and they only shop at second hand stores?

  • Kids can play Hand Me Down Ball and pass a ball like a hand me down, passing over and under the other kids as they do different poses like Warrior, Bridge, and Tree Pose

Recycle: Yoga poses

  • 4 children can pick 4 yoga poses, then the rest of the class can put them in order from largest to smallest to demonstrate minimizing waste and reducing recycling. For example, flow from Warrior to Downward Dog to Camel to Child Pose. Continue till everyone has had a chance to pick a pose.
relaxation during kids yoga class and kids yoga teacher training
Relaxation provides time to reflect on on the theme of the Lesson Plan and then relax.

Complete Your Lesson Plan with Relaxation

Earth Day parnter yoga coloring page for kids yoga For relaxation invite your students to rest on their backs and become still. Reflect on what you’ve talked about today.  Imagine you do something for Earth Day.  What will it be? Will you reduce, recycle, reuse, compost?  Who will support you in your goals?  How can you share your idea with your community, friends and family?

After the relaxation, ask if anyone would like to share any final thoughts from class.

Draw a picture of your idea to bring home if time permits. Try this .Earth Day Coloring Page

Hope you love this lesson plan and look forward to April 22nd as much as we do. Have fun celebrating Earth Day!!

Upcoming Events:

Upcoming Kids Yoga Teacher Training Courses and Dates in Toronto at this link
Our next Kids Yoga Teacher Training starts soon – Check out next dates!

Filed Under: Kids Yoga, Lesson Plans Tagged With: Earth Day yoga, kids yoga activites, kids yoga poses, lesson plans

Insights from a Kids Yoga Teacher in India

I have a new love in my life.  I found her far away on a trip-of-a-lifetime during 8 weeks of travel. Her name is India and Wow! I’m head over heels!

Going to India was easier than I ever imagined. Everything, even the public washrooms, were not the scary mess I was warned about. India has shifted into modern times with all the deliciousness of a great thali meal.

My husband and I planned our trip for 3 years. Now we’re back with beautiful memories and some post-trip sadness, you know the slog that comes when a dream is fulfilled and you wonder; when’s the next adventure?

I’m determined to hold onto the feeling of the trip but that’s like trying to hold onto sand slipping through your fingers. You end up with granules.

So I want to share these Insights into Incredible India while still basking in the glow of my new love affair:

Aruna a kids yoga teacher visits Indai and stands infront of a 20 foot Ganesha statue
Here, I’m in Hampi in a tiny dark building housing only this Ganesha Statue that’s been chiseled from one massive piece of stone.

Insight 1: Gained from Traveling to a lot of Cities

Whether we physically go to another land or not, we are all travelers. We are passengers in our body moving through phases of life.

Physical travel taught me lessons I’ll cherish for a lifetime. Yet as I traveled I felt the impermanence of my adventure. Time marches on wherever you are, whether you travel or stay in one place. Enjoying life as the sand moves through the hourglass is more important than where we go. It’s about how we feel as we go.

After a month of travel, my hubby and I developed an inside joke about another day seeing another market, another temple, another monument in another city. It was all blending together and losing its sparkle. That rut can happen anywhere. Our inside joke stopped being funny. so we stopped too, for 8 nights in a town called Hampi. We needed to get grounded.

Ironically, travel reminded us that it is not the destination, it’s the journey. Sometimes you travel better when you’re in one place.

Wherever you are, you are traveling, so best enjoy the journey.

a yoga teacher in india with two suitcases being carried on the head of a porter through the train station
We could barely keep up with this porter as he carried both our suitcases on his head.

Insight 2: Gained from Overweight Luggage

It’s a cliché, but living from a suitcase really shows you how little you need to be happy. Along our journey, we attended numerous wedding events which meant a lot of party clothes to lug along. How I longed to be like the many light-luggage travelers we met along our journey. Some were traveling for a year, across Asia, out of backpacks. I began to hate my big heavy suitcase.

So we created a mantra to help us accept our situation. Whenever we moved we calmly reminded ourselves, “We have baggage.”

We had to accept our baggage or literally leave it behind.

I learned that it’s nice to have things, but not necessary. I love my closet and bed even more now but they, along with all my other possessions, exist for my comfort and sometimes become a burden. Things aren’t what make you happy and they don’t make you you.

This woman is the only female rickshaw driver we ever had and the first one in her town.
This woman is the only female rickshaw driver we had and the first one in her town.

Insight 3: Gained from an OMG! Car Ride

Change can be uncomfortable but rewarding. Different is not bad. Growth means expanding into new environments.

Here’s what I mean. The ride from the airport on the first day in Delhi was thrilling in an OMG (or as they say in India, Hey Bhagwan) kind of way. Stop lights are suggestions, cars weave in all directions including toward you, and honking is more common than signaling. We got out of the car wide eyed and shaken.

By the time we left India we had tried every kind of transportation you can imagine: auto-rickshaw, bicycle rickshaw, train, sleeper train, bus, sleeper bus, airplane, taxi, and boat. At the Taj Mahal, we even took a camel drawn carriage.

We got used to the traffic. One day I rented a moped and drove myself around India.

New things take time to get used to, but pushing through pays off. Without a meditative mind India might feel like a thousand monkeys trapped in a cage. I thank meditation for allowing me to love India and letting India fill me with its strangeness, harshness and exquisite beauty.

yoga retreat eating dosa in Mysore India
My husband and a travel friend eating Paper Dosa and Ghee Masala Dosa in Mysore

Insight 4: Gained from a Thorough Search for Good Dosa

If you take care of your body, your body will take you to great places. I thank my yoga practice for giving me the fitness which allowed me to explore. To walk through bazaars, across fields and up mountains. To travel and do all these things. Another good reason to keep doing yoga!

You need a healthy body to have stamina while travelling. We looked for healthy food as we searched for the best dosa in India. We got all the immunizations needed for India. We took a water purifier. When we inevitably got sick, we rested and ate well to get over it as quickly as possible.

Christmas Day with the entire wedding party of 30 people posing with Santa Hats in Pune Indian
Christmas Day at a beautiful family wedding in Pune India was the only thing that made missing Christmas at home bearable.

Insight 5: Gained from a Santa Claus Hat in India

Life is love, loving people and loving family.

We went to exciting places but what surprised us both was how amazing the people we met were. They were from all over the world and they were friendly, talkative, helpful and fun to be with. We met seekers on the spiritual path, volunteers educating farm worker’s children, artists creating and expressing the world around, adventurers exploring all they could on tiny budgets. They inspired our trip in ways we hadn’t anticipated.

We were also invited to two weddings (and attended three). We discovered the deep bonds of laughter and love with family. Even when you don’t see someone for a long time, you can pick up the connection with a hug and a cup of chai, or a Bollywood dance, or a goofy Santa hat.

And for the first time I missed Christmas with my family in Canada. I didn’t know how much being away would hurt physically as well as emotionally. My next trip will be planned around major holidays.

Now that I’m Back…

After all this adventure it is hard to sit in one place, working away at my computer, but I’m grateful I get to reflect on these insights as part of my work. For me, it is better to travel and return, than only to travel the mall.

As I ease in, I’m reconnecting with the things I do look forward to, the great people I will meet in yoga teacher training and classes, friendly, talkative, fun to be with adults and children. I also look forward to the places I’ll be traveling to next, it will be both work and pleasure. Until then I plan on fully enjoying the comforts of home.

I’m integrating my insights so I won’t forget them. I’m focusing on the journey not the destination, seeing my baggage, being open to change, taking care of my body and mind, and loving.

And I’m dreaming of how I can get back to my new lover, India. Can you hear her softly calling too? Maybe I’ll offer training there, go on a Himalayan retreat, or a back-water beach vacation. Maybe all three.

After all, I am creating a very special trip, the trip of my lifetime.

Do you have any travel insights or stories?  Share them in the comments.  I love hearing from you.

 

Upcoming Events

Kids Yoga Teacher Training Yoga Alliance Registered Childrens Yoga School
Click this link for all the upcoming Kids Yoga Teacher Certification courses

Kids Yoga Teacher Training is always a welcome adventure.  Join us for one or all of these events:

Kids Yoga Teacher Training -Toronto
Feb. 27-28, 2016 Weekend: Early Registration Extended to Feb. 21!
Inclusive Yoga Module Certificate

Toronto Yoga Show
April 1 – 3, 2016
Metro Toronto Convention Centre (Front St.)
Come take advantage of the show specials at our booth!

Adult Yoga Retreat
April 22-24, 2016:
Kundalini Yoga Spring Getaway
– Ecology Retreat Centre, Hockley Valley, ON, Canada

Kids Yoga Teacher Training
April 23 – 24, 2016 Weekend:
Ages and Stages Module Certificate

Kids Yoga Teacher Training
May 28-29, 2016 Weekend:
Branching Out Module Certificate

Summer Certification 2016

New Orleans, USA

95 Hour Summer Intensive – July 7 – 17, 2016
– Wild Lotus Yoga Studio, New Orleans, USA

Ontario, Canada

95 Hour Summer Certification – August 7-19, 2016
– Waterfront Hotel, Burlington, ON, Canada

See all dates, rates, and locations here.

You’ll Be Glad You Came

Filed Under: India, Inspiration, Kids Yoga Tagged With: India

Transforming the Life of “That One Child”

Kids Yoga makes a difference for this one teacher who brings yoga to kids with special needs to help deal with lonliness and isolation.There is always “that one child.”

All the children run exuberantly across the field, all but one.  Alone in the field, perhaps just standing there, looking at the sky, the clouds, or perhaps even running the opposite way from the others.

Working intently on their projects, focused and eager, the children do not notice as one child circles the room wandering from desk to desk, perhaps silently, perhaps quickly and staccato like in movement. For a moment attention is disrupted.

Or when everyone is excited and eager, twinkly eyes, fast beating hearts, presents are opened, hugs exchanged. Then one notices a simmering fire, then a yell or scream or dissolving in tears to the floor, melting, melting, melting alone in sorrow.

All of us teachers of children, many of us parents, have most likely had that child in our classes, in our family. Perhaps there was forewarning in the staff room in a file. Perhaps no warning when the child appeared in the classroom and one sensed in seconds something a bit different, indefinable and obvious in its magnitude.

As an educator for many years, a special educator and now a yoga and mindfulness instructor, I was often given/gifted these particular kids. Years ago sitting with my colleagues divvying up our caseloads, there was a pause as my coworkers looked at one huge file filled with reports, anecdotal information, too full for child of 8 years old. Before they said the child’s name I knew and said “yes I will work with Bobby.”

Getting Through the Walls

As I entered his classroom days later I sensed a small body peering at me with an expression, perhaps of curiosity, perhaps of resentment and fear, a look unreadable in many ways. He had skepticism that’s unusual for a child so young. I smiled and quietly sat down next to him, observing as he worked and interacted with others, just quietly providing space with warmth.

Soon it was time for us to start our sessions, working on his IEP goals. As we worked together I could sense that underneath his prickliness, stubbornness, frustration, there was a small child saddened, hurt, by his peers and others in his world.

Year after year, we worked together and slowly, very slowly, he softened and opened up. He shared his fears, his feeling of being alone, not noticed and yet singled out, bullied and simultaneously disregarded.

When the time came for him to graduate from high school he was unsure. Maybe he would work or maybe join the military. His plans uncertain and unclear.

In fall I transferred to another district to be closer to my family. Years went by and life became full with a family of my own. I had a new job with new joys and challenges.

Then a year ago I happened to look in the “other” inbox on Facebook, a place I assumed was full of Spam and found hidden away a message from “Bobby.”

The message read: “Finally, I have found you! I have been trying to find you for 20 years. You were the one person who believed in me, who knew me, understood me and was there for me. I want to thank you.”

And that was it, just these words, simple and profound. I responded back, thanking him, curious about his life now and just like his fleeting message, he disappeared again.

As teachers we may be gifted students who challenge us, who push our buttons, whose lives are tumultuous. We may never know the pain these students carry inside or perhaps years later they will reach out to you with gratitude.

May each of you teachers of the heart, soul and mind, know that for one small child, a life is being changed as you share yourself, your heart and your gifts. With but a smile and a glance that sees beneath the thorns of “that one child” you could be “that one teacher.”

About the Author: Macy Ratliff

Macy Ratliff teaches a group yoga pose to children with the sitting forward bend making a big flower
Macy Ratcliff

Macy lives and works in the greater Seattle area and brings her years of teaching children, her love of reading, her passion for yoga and her strong exuberance for life to these mini yoga journeys. When not teaching yoga and mindfulness at local private and public schools, you might spot Macy around town enjoying one of her many other passions like running, swimming, kayaking, hiking, and of course, YOGA!

Connect with Macy:
Facebook:  facebook.com/Macyratliffyoga/
Website: MacyRatliffYoga.com

 

Your Act of Kindness Can Make a Difference
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Filed Under: Kids Yoga Tagged With: yoga for special needs

5 Tips for Teaching Yoga to Tweens

Let’s face it, being a tween is hard! You are not a kid anymore and you are not quite a teenager. Tweens come to yoga class each week, like adults, with many issues or concerns. Last spring I had a girl come into class crying because she was upset that her younger brother was getting an iPhone for his birthday, she didn’t think it was fair.  Another day  a couple of girls arrived very upset because there had been an issue on their bus ride home from school.

All these situations, big or small cause stress for today’s tweens. Coming to yoga can help alleviate some of that stress while also teaching them techniques to manage their stress.

Tweens Live Somewhere in the Land Between

Tweens are described as youth between the ages of 9-12 or 10-13. They are stuck in this sort of “in between” land, trying to navigate their way from childhood to teen land.

My name is Maura Bradley and I am the founder of Bee You Yoga. I teach kids of all ages with a primary focus on “tweens” because while this age group is growing up quick, they still like to play games, act silly and have fun!

After teaching “Tween Yoga” for years I have developed these 5 Tips for Teaching Yoga to Tweens.

5 Tips for Teaching Yoga to Tweens

Tweens doing tree pose in yoga with hands connected and smiling and being silly.
Make it Fun so Tweens want to keep coming back!
  1. Relax – Tweens are smart; they can smell fear a mile away and they catch on real quick if you try to be something you are not. Just be yourself with the kids, learn to laugh at yourself and realize each and every class will not go 100% as planned. Let go of your expectations.
  2. Make it Fun – Tweens are still kids and kids love nothing more than to have fun! I include games in all of my yoga classes and camps and the kids LOVE it. Playing games during yoga class helps to build confidence, build camaraderie between the kids and the games also work as a great icebreaker for larger groups or shy kids.
  3. Share – Tweens want to learn more about you. This helps them relate to you on a personal level. They begin to see you more as a person and less as a scary adult/teacher.  Often times, I share stories with my tweens about my own kids. I’ll tell them funny things that have happened in our house or maybe a joke one of my kids told me, they love this! The kids will relax and share more if they relate to you.

    Tweens doing the wheel pose in yoga and learning to master the challenge of difficult poses.
    Challenge Tweens to master difficult poses.
  4. Challenge Them – Tweens love a challenge, whether it’s mastering a difficult posture, winning a friendly tree pose competition to see who can hold the pose longest, or sharing about themselves. All challenges lead to growth, which helps to build confidence.
  5. Savasana – Tweens today are busy! Introduce your students to savasana during the first class. I love to watch the kids fidget and giggle and move around during their first experience with savasana….as the weeks go on, they get quieter and quieter and more and more still. They now ask for savasana in the beginning of class! Kids need time to unplug, relax, and be still. Be sure to offer them this time in each and every class.

These are a few of my top tips for teaching yoga to tweens. I hope you have found this interesting and helpful to you as you share yoga with your students.

Please share in the comments below any tips that you have for teaching tweens.

About the Author

Maura Bradley of Bee You Yoga
Maura Bradley

After years of working with cancer patients, Maura Bradley was introduced to kids yoga while teaching at a summer camp for children affected by cancer. This was such an amazing experience Maura is completing her 95-hour children’s yoga teacher certification.

Maura has taught hundreds of children in weekly classes, summer camps and specialty workshops.  Currently, Maura teaches kids & family yoga in a variety of studios and schools throughout Monmouth County, NJ.

The founder of Bee YOU Yoga for kids, located in Manasquan, NJ, Maura has completed her 200-hour yoga teacher training with YogaWorks, Levels 1 & 2 of Yoga for Cancer Teacher Training with Tari Prinster in New York City, and is currently completing her 95 Hour Childrens Yoga Teacher Certification with Little Flower Yoga.

Please be sure to like Bee You yoga on:

  • Facebook: www.facebook.com/YogaMaura
  • Instagram @beeyou_kidsyoga
  • and visit her website: www.beeyouyoga.com

 

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5 Tips for Teaching Yoga to Tweens - read these great tips at Young Yoga Masters dot com
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Filed Under: Kids Yoga Tagged With: Easy tips, tween yoga

Happy 300th! Announcing My Next Exciting Scary Steps

300 Blog Posts About Kids Yoga!

Welcome to the 300th blog post of Young Yoga Masters. I can’t believe I’ve made it!

I started this blog in 2007, with an aim to put kids yoga on the map and legitimize what I was trying to promote.  Yoga for children is everywhere now, but there was a time when people didn’t know kids yoga was a real thing!

I also wanted to create a place to connect with others.  You may know the feeling, when you are really into something and you start feeling isolated from everything else.  You’re teaching kids, you’re networking for new opportunities and creating buzz, and if you don’t do something, it doesn’t get done.

Sometimes you feel like a lone wolf.

This blog was a way to connect with others who I could relate to.

Back then, my kids yoga teacher training was only a weekend and going strong. Now, 300 blog posts plus a 95 hour RCYS plus a 200 hour RYS later, I’m flabbergasted by how its all grown.

Kids yoga is here to stay!

tree pose with kids yoga teacher trainer Aruna Kathy Humphrys
This is one of my earliest pictures of me teaching kids, I think its around 2001, these kids are 21, 19, and 16 now!

I’m honoured to have blog friends who’ve been here from the beginning. You’ve seen my ups and downs, like my first blog post describing the hot mess of my first class , to helping others with their kids yoga business, to some harrowing family experiences.

If you’ve just discovered my little corner of the kids’ yoga world. Thanks for reading and being part of it now. I hope this blog serves you and helps you feel a sense of community.

Before I get to my announcement, I want to let you know how much you, as a reader, mean to me. My eyes light up every time I see a comment. The other day when I saw someone, other than me,  shared one of my articles, it made my day.

So to help me celebrate go ahead and leave a comment to wish me a Happy Blogiversary.  It’s encouraging to know I’m not writing into a void.

Next Up for Young Yoga Masters

This feels like the perfect time to announce my imminent adventure beginning November 1st.  Its a journey that fulfills a lifelong dream of mine, perhaps you share this dream if you’ve ever wanted to travel to the birthplace of yoga. If you haven’t guessed already – I’m going to India!

kids yoga teacher looking at luggage for india trip
Is this a beautiful bag or what?!

My husband and I are going together for 10 weeks to celebrate our 10th wedding anniversary. I’m on the edge of my seat with excitement. I spend every spare minute researching on my computer, now every ad I see is optimized towards travel products.

So many decisions have to be made. I’m salivating over the Osprey Meridian 28” wheeled/backpack bag, but it costs over $500 bucks! Could I travel with a carry on for 10 weeks? What to wear to the two weddings we’ll be attending?  Should I use packing cubes?  What’s the best water purifier for India?

I’ve got to figure it all out and still get my work done. I’m not sure how it will happen yet so there’s a sprinkling of stress building, but yoga is keeping me together.

Who Wants to Connect in Vancouver, Seattle, India?

Because I just can’t leave work behind, it’s who I am after all, I’m sending out feelers to connect with other like-minded souls on my travels. Maybe for tea? Maybe you want a mini Kids Yoga workshop? Maybe a roti? If that’s you, or someone you know, message me at [email protected].

I’ll be in Vancouver and Seattle in early November, then India from mid-November to mid January. It would be great to connect with others face to face instead of screen to screen.

Dharamsala and Delhi

This is the guide book I’m using- do you recommend any others?

Of course I’m anxious about stepping foot on India’s exotic soil which means parting with all the comforts of home. Yet, I’m more troubled by the idea of not doing it.

It’s what my yoga teacher would call walking the double edged sword. Too much routine is on one edge. Too much adventure away from those comfy surroundings, and you find the other edge. This trip will be about walking the middle path while we’re roaming.

I’m grateful my noble partner and I share the same vision of our travels. After we leave Vancouver and Seattle, we’ll be heading to the Himalayan mountain town of Dharamsala where the Dalai Lama lives. We’ll be starting the trip by slowing down for a minimum of two weeks where our only plan is to gaze upon the mountainside, do yoga, meditate, and drink chai. From there we head towards a family wedding in Pune and 6 more weeks exploring India.

While I’m exploring, I’ll be looking at potential places to hold a Kids Yoga Teacher Training in India too.   Anyone interested in seeing the birthplace of yoga and getting your Kids Yoga Teacher Certification?

Stay In Touch and Share Your Tips on India Travel

While I’m away, you can stay in touch on Instagram, which auto-posts to Facebook and Twitter.

Hopefully I’ll have time and wifi to connect, but if you don’t hear from me from November- February, just imagine me riding an elephant or walking through a temple.

Watch for guest posts from other kids yoga teachers and a “Best of Young Yoga Masters post” while I’m gone too.  If you have a certain YYM article you’d like to nominate for the “Best of” post, leave a comment.

Do You Have a Travel Tip?

I also need your help with travel tips on packing, luggage, places to visit in India, Seattle, or Vancouver.  Or share any other good wishes before I head out.

I’m gonna miss you when I’m gone : )

Wishing you a happy holiday season and a few good adventures of your own.

Yours truly,

Aruna

 

Upcoming Events

While I’m prepping, Janet Williams will be leading the What I See, I Can Be Kids Yoga Teacher Training Certificate on Oct. 24-25 in Toronto.  This weekend certification is packed with resources and also counts towards your 95 Hour Certificate.

You don’t want to miss it!

There is still time to get the details and register here.

Kids Yoga Teacher Training in Toronto, Ontario Canada
Training Oct. 24-25, 2016 Toronto. Registration Now Open – click the picture for details.

P.S.  I’m just curious – is anyone interested in getting their Kids Yoga Teacher Certification in India next year?  I’ll be looking for a location on this trip and wonder if you find this intriguing.

Filed Under: India, Inspiration, Kids Yoga Tagged With: India, personal, travel

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