Attitude

How to Spot the the Signs of Trauma

Recognizing the Signs of Trauma, Anxiety, and Stress

In the Monthly Kids Yoga Teacher Check-In we look at some of the signs of Trauma and how to help children and teachers relax.

In all honesty, this topic is my own request. I know I need help.

When my presentation at the Kids Yoga Conference and live teacher training were completed at the beginning of this month, I felt exhausted.

Since March of 2020, when COVID hit with the first lock-down, it’s felt like non-stop work:

First there was moving the training online and all the work that took,

Add in the murder of George Floyd that we all witnessed and the long overdue focus on racism in our police forces, institutions, and social constructs,

Add in revelations of gross misconduct and abuse by the “Master” teacher of the yoga that I practice,

Add in lock-downs, lack of contact with my support network, not to mention fear of catching a deadly virus!

And, I understand that this pandemic has been much harder for many people for so many other reasons.

I Couldn’t Slow Down

May of 2021 was my first chance to take a long break since everything began. I planned a week off work but I couldn’t stop working! Checking emails, checking social media, reviewing spreadsheets, it was an addiction,

Slowing down wasn’t coming naturally,
I needed to make an effort to slow down.

Slowing down wasn’t coming naturally, I needed to make an effort to slow down. I took the Facebook app off my phone and made other moves to help me unplug. I got help with my business. I stepped away from my computer.

For a few days I mostly slept, watched TV, and went for walks. Eventually I had some energy for restorative yoga.

Then I pulled out my ukulele and started playing again. My fingers burned from lack of practice but it felt good to sing and strum.

I started playing ukulele in my classes with just 3 chord songs!
(This picture is from 2013)

Then one day, for no particular reason, I had a good cry, a big release of pent up energy. I had a good talk with a loved one about it, and after that it felt a lot easier to relax.

Spotting the Signs of Trauma

When there is a traumatic event, like the pandemic, we may need to just push through to survive. When we move out of the the trauma, we can turn an eye towards addressing some of side effects, like these symptoms of post-traumatic stress:

feelings of hopelessness,
difficulty maintaining relationships,
losing interest in activities you once enjoyed,
difficulty feeling positive emotions/feeling numb,
trouble sleeping,
trouble concentrating,
and more

For many, yoga and relaxation creates a space to process these feelings and reconnect. But they may not work for everyone, and each person needs to find their own helpful tools.

I’m not an expert in trauma, I recommend consulting those who know much more about this topic than me. I’ve listed some resources at the end.

This stressful, exhausting year has resulted in trauma for children and for Teachers

I wish I had a magic wand that would help everyone through it, but I’m still figuring it out myself.

One thing I do know, you need to be extra kind and compassionate with yourself during this time. To check-in with yourself and with the kids around you and look for the symptoms of trauma that may be present.

Then try something, anything, to help yourself.

Maybe its showing up to the Monthly Check-In to connect with others, maybe its something else.

My wish is that you know you are not alone and that people care.

The Monthly Check-In Question:

What yoga tools help you relax?

How do you help kids relax with yoga?

Personally I’m indulging in restorative yoga. For me, it’s a delicious rest, though I start off feeling the challenge of settling down and stop doing, doing, doing. I feel restless at first, then usually about 10 minutes into it, I deeply relax.

I did a class yesterday with a 25 minute supported savasana (all in silence) that was very refreshing.

It reminds me of when I worked in a daycare in the nap room. Kids just don’t fall asleep right away, each child had their own routine to help them. Sometimes rubbing a back, sometimes tucking in a blanket tight, and sometimes a favourite toy. Then eventually kids would settle into deep rest.

So whatever works for you – do it! No judgement here.

Lately, I’ve been spending a lot of time watching the hockey playoffs. It has absolutely has nothing to do with yoga but takes my mind off of everything.

Whatever it takes to help you make it to the days when we can be with our loved ones again!

Just do what you can to make it through to the times when you can be together with loved ones. (I want to get photo-bombed again! Like in this picture from training in Nanaimo, BC, 2018)

Mental Health is Health

If you have any suggestions for relaxing, come out on Saturday or leave a comment. After the Monthly Check-In, you can get the replay here.

Here are some resources for mental health that you may find useful:

Coping with COVID-19 Mental Health Resources
Free Online Therapy Resource for Ontario Residents
Other Healthy Ways to Cope with Stress

How to Meet the Needs of Kids in Yoga

My suitcase is at the front door and I’m heading out for a Kids Yoga Teacher Certification in New Orleans tomorrow. Though it is the 7th time I’ve taught this 95 hour program, I’m as excited as the first time. I’ve been learning some new training techniques and I can’t wait to try them.

One that’s on the forefront for this course is putting the needs of the participants before the needs of the activity.

As a trainer, this concept is realized by changing some of the typical rules of training, for instance, we don’t always cover every square inch of the manuals. Rather, we make sure learners thoroughly grasp each idea and concept and stay engaged. If I see anyone’s eyes glaze over, I’m not doing my job, even if I am covering the manuals!

The same is true of kids yoga.

kids activities must meet the needs of the kids not the needs of the activity — Using a lower net makes the game fun!

Some of the rules of yoga go out the window. Imagine a five year old playing basketball. The rules of basketball state the basketball net is supposed to be 10 feet high. Now if rules were rules, that five year old would think basketball was the worst game ever because they could never get the ball in.

So we lower the net so a five year old can have fun playing. We break the rules.

Why? Because we put the needs of the participant ahead of the needs of the activity.

One problem many adult yoga teachers come across when they teach kids yoga is that alignment takes a back seat to engagement. For a yoga teacher from a strict alignment background (think Iyengar or Bikram), this feels like torture.

Alignment is important but does not always meet the needs of the learner. To meet the needs of kids:

we may choose a pose, like a standing forward bend, simply because someone mentioned an Elephant in our story. The standing forward bend may not normally go next in a sequencing protocol, but any pose works in a play based kids yoga class
we may play Yoga tag and not check alignment because they’re not “It” anymore
we may make noise in a yoga pose, when we are supposed to be breathing deeply.

We put the needs of the participant ahead of the needs of the activity.

This is one method of an effective kids yoga teacher. It’s also a mark of a good training too. So for all those joining me on Friday in New Orleans be ready for lots of interactive activities that make learning fun.

For those of you teaching kids yoga, in what ways do you put the needs of kids before the needs of yoga?

Upcoming Events

Kids Yoga Teacher Summer Certification

Complete your 95 Hour Certificate with Young Yoga Master’s Yoga Alliance Registered Children’s Yoga School training. Check out our upcoming schedule here:

Kids Yoga Teacher Training Yoga Alliance Registered Childrens Yoga School — Click this image for prices and more details of the Summer Certification

Adult Yoga Retreat

Looking for a great Yoga Get Away to deepen your own practice of Adult yoga?

I’ll be teaching at this yoga retreat for adults with a host of other wonderful teachers and musicians. Come give yourself a weekend that will deepen your personal practice. See my upcoming adult yoga schedule here.

Yours truly,

Aruna

YoungYogaMasters.com

Benefits of Yoga for Kids

Looking for the benefits of Yoga for Kids for a proposal, advertisement, or even to convince your own children? These benefits just might convince someone that yoga for kids is a great choice.

Benefits of Yoga for Kids

All Kids Can Do Yoga: One of the major benefits of yoga for kids is that you don’t have to be an athlete to do it. In yoga, kids won’t stand in line waiting to be picked for a team, and you won’t let a team down if you don’t have skills. Yoga meets you where you are at, whether you touch your thighs, your knees, or your toes. Saying you’re too stiff to do yoga is like saying you’re too old to have fun! it just doesn’t make sense. Yoga is for everyone willing to try.

a grandmother and young girl and young boy do the forward sitting bend in yoga pose — Yoga is for Every Child

Learning for the Joy of Learning: In yoga you can learn because you enjoy it, not because you have to follow a lesson plan or fulfill a curriculum. Now I know that notion may be hard for some of us who were raised in authoritarian classrooms where you learned because you had to pass. Imagine if you also got to learn because you were interested.

Yoga gives children and teachers permission to be in the moment and explore what interests them. If everyone is enjoying a pose or activity you can stay with it a little longer. Kids benefit from slowing down, not rushing from one thing to the next, and taking the time to know yourself and your preferences.

As the yoga proverb goes: we are human beings, not human doings.

Mother and Daughters share a tender moment in Kids Yoga Camp. — Yoga Lets You Go At Your Own Pace, To Speed Up or Slow Down as You Wish

Child Directed Play and Learning: If you have a group of children who aren’t interested in what you have planned, you can change the plan. This is a HUGE benefit because school teachers HAVE to get through a curriculum. Yoga teachers have to build community and trust with their students, which means yoga teachers can listen to their students and take direction from them. Yoga allows children to set the course, which means children are more likely to enjoy what they are doing and keep coming back.

We discovered that education is not something which the teacher does, but that it is a natural process which develops spontaneously in the human being.
– Maria Montessori

The Science of Yoga is recommended from to learn about the health benefits of yoga. — Recommended to learn about the health benefits of yoga.

Health Benefits for Children:

As yoga becomes steeped in our culture, more studies are surfacing on the benefits, and also the dangers, of yoga.

If you are looking for a scholarly look at the health benefits of yoga, I recommend The Science of Yoga by William J. Broad. Broad takes a relentless look at the claims made by yogis, and aims to bring yoga into the world of science. He asserts that, gasp, you can’t just say something to make it true.

I was surprised by some studies, like how yoga breathing actually works. I was reassured by other studies, like the proven emotional benefits of yoga. Broad also explains why it is so important that teachers become properly trained to help students avoid injuries. This book is well worth the read to educate you on the science behind the yoga.

Students enjoying Kids Yoga Teacher Training doing yoga poses and smiling. — Going to Yoga Teacher Training puts a smile on your face!

Going to Yoga School is Fun: Every once in a while I’ll have a stress dream about taking an exam or writing an essay and I don’t even know the topic. Its a throwback to my school days when you learned what you were told to learn because it was on the curriculum. School took discipline, homework, and study. School could be really stressful.

Now before you object, I agree that it takes dedication to be a kids yoga teacher too. But you will see so many happy faces in a kids yoga teacher training because people are there because they want to learn. Plus, it’s just plain fun to learn through play. Its fun to remember what its like to be a kid again. How does this benefit kids?

You know, a happy teacher makes a happy classroom.

There are other benefits not listed here, I invite you to add them in a comment. What benefit have you seen kids experience because of yoga? What benefits have you experienced?

Thanks for reading.

Aruna

P.S. there are many amazing things coming up for you to consider – please take a look below and see if any of them will benefit you:

Upcoming Kids Yoga and Other Yoga Events

Training that Counts!

To See our latest schedule of Kids Yoga Weekend Training and Summer Certification Programs visit our Teacher Training Page.

Click Here for Upcoming Dates for the childrens yoga teacher training — Click Here for Upcoming Dates

Yoga Alliance Registered Children's Yoga School Seal — Take a kids yoga training that counts!

Young Yoga Masters is a Yoga Alliance Registered Children’s Yoga School.

What I Learned From My Week of Continuing Education

Last week I trekked down to Palm Springs California for the Yoga Alliance Leadership Conference. Reflecting on my week, here are my 3 big takeaways:

Wear Many Hats as a Yoga Teacher: I learned that as
I saw this spider with many legs, which reminded me of all the hats a yoga teacher must wear.

a yoga teacher I must play many roles. Yoga teachers need to lead a great, safe class, but at times, must put on other hats. Like your business hat if you want to make enough to pay your living expenses. You wear your marketing hat to tell people about your services. Plus the hats like friend hat, confidante hat, parent hat, citizen hat, activist hat, employee hat, boss hat and on and on. While all these roles are interconnected, giving yourself permission to change hats when needed, lets you resist giving everyone free yoga classes, or find the courage to invite people to your classes. All these hats will help grow your yoga teaching.
Being a Yoga Teacher Requires Planning: I generally feel good about many of the business choices I have made, but I learned that I need to do much more planning. Planning, as in setting the direction for a whole year rather than just one week or a project at a time. Having business plans and timelines are practices of successful businesses.
Student`s Want to Feel Special: I also visited two studios in Los Angeles, studios that I had never been to before. It was great to do yoga, but even more illuminating to be reminded of what it is like to be a new person in a yoga class. I wanted to connect in those classes, and these studios did not let me down. Whether for kids or adults, we all want to go into a class and feel acknowledged. That feeling is what keeps people coming back to yoga.

Yoga Alliance friends — The Friendly Yoginis I Met Were so Supportive!

These were just the top three eye opening experiences from my week of continuing education. It was a delight to learn from experts who understood what it is like for me, who could save me the trouble of figuring everything out by myself, and most importantly, could help me recognize the mistakes I was making.

What kind of insights have you gained from continuing education?

Upcoming Events

and now to put on my announcer`s hat:

Announcing:

Join the faculty of the Young Yoga Masters Children`s Yoga School as we introduce the upcoming Teacher Training program to you and answer any questions that you may have.

Here are the details:

Open House Webinar

Wednesday, November-07-12 at 9 PM Eastern Standard Time.

https://global.gotomeeting.com/join/920195413

Topic: 95 Hour Certification in Kids Yoga Teacher Training

Use your microphone and speakers (VoIP) – a headset is recommended. Or, call in using your telephone.

Canada: +1 (647) 497-9372

United States: +1 (805) 309-0027

Access Code: 920-195-413

Audio PIN: Shown after joining the meeting

Meeting ID: 920-195-413

Join us for this info session to find out more about full Certification to become a Kids Yoga Teacher. To see more details about the November 17 – 18 Weekend Teacher Training visit here. This program is eligible for Continuing Education Credits and is a Registered Children`s Yoga School with Yoga Alliance.

How the Olympics and Yoga Can Inspire Children to Believe

How the olympics and yoga can insprie Children to believe

“I Don’t Want to Play If I Get Out!”

At the end of a kids’ yoga class I announced, “Now it’s time for a game.”

To which one child responded, “Is it a game where people get out? I don’t want to play if I get out.”

Today’s blog post is about olympic spirit and the joy of playing. It includes important yoga philosophy that can help children, especially kids who have trouble with losing, understand why it really isn’t whether you win or lose, its how you play the game.

Competition for Kids: Good or Bad?

This yoga lesson plan aims to show kids that competition is not necessarily good or bad, rather our perception of competition is what makes it so.

When competition is seen as a rivalry, it’s easy to understand why kids don’t like to play. They risk the chance of becoming “losers” rather than participants. The root of the word competition means “to strive together.” In this sense of the word, competition can be a wonderful experience of completely involving yourself in a task, bonding with a team, improving a skill, and striving towards a goal.

Take the example of the school children in this picture. They broke the world record for the largest Olympic rings.

children, competition and the Olympics — School children work together to break the world record for largest Olympic rings

To give kids a fresh look at competition, consider a lesson plan with this insight from my yoga teacher, Yogi Bhajan. He said we all have three minds: the Negative Mind, the Positive Mind, and the Neutral Mind.

The Negative Mind

The negative mind is not negative meaning bad. It is awareness of the negative, the dangers and obstacles that will result from a choice. Simply put, the negative mind may think “if I play a game then I might lose”, which might make someone less inclined to play at all. The negative mind thinks that losing makes a person a loser. It pays attention to all the things that could go wrong in any given situation.

Ask the kids for examples of the negative mind in their life or with family or friends.

The Positive Mind

The positive mind is not necessarily the good mind because of the word “positive.” It’s thinking that helps us see opportunities and pleasant outcomes. The positive mind may think, “I’ll play and I’ll win, and that will make me a winner”. It is the mind that realizes that there is value in trying your best, no matter the outcome.

Ask the kids for examples of the positive mind.

The Neutral Mind

The neutral mind weighs both the positive and the negative, and then decides. It quickly recognizes that everything can potentially have dangers and opportunities that can be evaluated before a decision is made. The neutral mind also sees how both negative and positive events help you grow.

The neutral mind thinks, “I may lose or I may win, but that will not determine who I am. I will play for the fun of doing my best, being part of a team, and becoming a stronger player.”

Ask the kids when they have noticed their neutral mind in action.

Yoga Poses for the Neutral Mind

To strengthen the neutral mind, try yoga poses that raise your energy from the base of the spine upwards. Examples include:

cat cow
bridge pose
bicycle legs
leg lifts

Then move to yoga poses that open the heart:

archer pose
warrior poses
yoga mudra (hands clasped behind the back) while standing, sitting in rock pose, or resting in child pose
bow pose

Squeeze and Release Relaxation

Finish with a body scan for relaxation. Squeeze your feet tight, hold, then release your feet. Squeeze your legs, hold, then release them. Continue through the body, from the feet to the face. This body scan show kids that many things, like tension, can be both harmful and useful depending on how they are used.

Leave a silent period at the end to let the children rest in a neutral space during relaxation.

The Olympics are wonderful example of striving together. Try watching the Olympics together to observe athletes handling both victory and defeat. These athletes can be valuable role models to help children discover the joy of striving, regardless of whether you win or you lose.

With a neutral mind, what matters is playing the game.

Share your thoughts and ideas in the comments below!

Upcoming Kids Yoga Teacher Training Certification

May You Be Blessed Like This

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! A quick message of Thanks Giving for those celebrating today and those who posses an attitude of gratitude everyday. May you be blessed with a quiet moment to reflect on the things that you are thankful for.

Here are five things I’m thankful for:

The enthusiastic three year old who answered my question, “What is Bliss?” by pointing to her foot and saying “It means you have a blister!” We sing the song: I am the Light of my Soul. I am beautiful, I am bountiful, I am bliss. I am. I am. Finding out what children think it means is sometimes a shocker. I’m thankful that I’ve been blessed to enjoy kids yoga and their delightful surprises.
Give thanks for your blessings with the joy of a child!
Running water, electricity, a roof over my head.
All the Teachers who have guided me along the path. Teachers who told me your job as a teacher is not to get students but to make teachers who are ten times more powerful than yourself.
After last weeks Teacher Training weekend one student left this comment on my Facebook wall: “EVERYTHING is different. I absolutely loved it, and highly recommend it. Aruna is definitely a gift sent to us by the Creator of imagination.” To all the students I get to teach: THANK YOU for being there so I can pass on what I learned from my teachers. Don’t let the wisdom die with you. Make those kids ten times more powerful than yourself!
The belief that I can make the world a little bit better.

What are you thankful for? Please spread your blessings in the comments to help inspire anyone out there who has forgotten.