Resources

5 Quick Tools for Kids Yoga Teachers

Times are busy so here are 5 quick tools for kids yoga teachers:

Kids Yoga Tool #1: Updated Free Yoga Alphabet to Learn Names for Back to School

Free Yoga Alphabet Printable Download — Get this free Alphabet Poster by clicking on the Poster above or the link – no strings attached

I updated the Free PDF of our Yoga Alphabet Poster, changing the Letter U to Umbrella (and pose Reverse Table Top). It used to be Shoulder Stand (U for Upside Down), but some schools don’t allow Shoulder Stand Pose.

This printable poster is really helpful to learn the kid’s names in a new classroom.

Do the first letter of each child’s name and you’ve got yourself a kid’s yoga class!

Kids Yoga Tool #2: Racial Equity Resource

Because everyone has a responsibility to educate themselves and the children in their lives to stop racism. This website has very valuable resources including these Social Justice Standards

Kids Yoga Tool #3: Free: Kids Yoga Teacher Training Workshop and Check-In

We meet online for a free kids’ yoga teacher training with an activity from the Young Yoga Masters’ manuals for you to play and teach! You’ll also get your kids’ yoga questions answered with Lead Trainer, Aruna, who has been teaching yoga for over 20 years.

Then meet other kids’ yoga enthusiasts in the small group activity.

It’s all online through Zoom.

This free check-in is for:

anyone interested in enhancing their kids’ yoga skills.
those taking the Young Yoga Masters training,
and graduates of the training,

It’s a chance to connect with old friends and meet new people who are into yoga and mindfulness for children.

Registration is now open for the free Training at the link below.

You can also watch the replay of last month’s check-in there too.

Free: Monthly Kids yoga teacher check-in

Kids Yoga Tool #4: How to Meditate in Stressful Times

“Meditation is an important part of getting nourishment as human beings.”
– Parampreet Singh, Meditations Questions

If you haven’t had the pleasure of meeting my husband, you can hear the insights he shares from 40 years of meditation practice on his podcast: Meditation Questions. Here is one of my favourites about How to Meditate in Stressful Times.

Kids Yoga Tool #5: Create a Sales Page that Sells!

I signed up for a course with my remote business mentor called Sales Star Masterclass. I like this trainer, she swears like a trucker, but amuses me to no end, and helps me stay on task to complete my goals. These are affiliate links, and I also paid for these courses myself and am currently taking the Sales course to help me review my sales pages. I have also paid to take:

If you need help in any of these departments, I recommend these courses because they are reasonably priced, helpful, and I find them enjoyable to get through (unlike other courses I have paid for that are too dry/boring to get through). Check them out to see if this is for you.

That’s it for the tips and tools for this month.

Aruna

Teaching Yoga to Boys

What happens when you are used to teaching one age group, then get a class with a whole new demographic?

I got a letter about this from Jeri Cresson, a Graduate of our 95 Hour Training. In it, she shares what happened when she taught her first group of boys.

Dear Young Yoga Masters,

Over the past few years, since my training at Young Yoga Masters, I have been working exclusively with the preschool age group. I’ve used your methods, frog yoga cards, themes, and games to develop an effective and engaging program at our Dojo.

We’ve created structure and focus to the practice of our littlest ones, helping them become quiet and still. They learned to alternate, at will, between wild playful abandon to quiet stillness, cooperation, focus, and attention. They began recognizing cues for when each was most appropriate.

It is sacred, glorious PLAY!

Learning to Teach Kids Yoga to a New Age Demographic

the cover of the inclusive yoga module of the kids yoga teacher training shows a superhero male yogi on a rocketship doing the cobra ygoa pose — The Inclusive Yoga manual cover.

However, I found myself with the opportunity to use my training with a new group of boys, in the 7-9 age group. I was afraid that I might not be able to transition from the younger age group to this one. I didn’t need to worry, as it turned out.

I cracked open the Inclusive Yoga manual and tried the Yoga Man vs. The Stressor activities. The Universal truths contained within them just flowed naturally – and suddenly, the sun salutation that started as rote memorization turned into a meaningful sequence.

The “why” dawned on me, as I was (with trepidation and anxiety) pouring over the what and how.

It was triggered when I reviewed how to introduce the breath – breathing in the Big Me, breathing out the Little Me. And I mentally added to help me realize: Breathing out the little ol’ me.

Deepening My Understanding of the Breath

I realized these 4 parts of breath:

Observing Stillness, in intentional solitude and contemplation, is a normal, still, but a conscious breath,
The Breathing in of Prana -the secret power of everything – that which is infinite and Universal,
The breathing out of the little me – is what I can personally choose to do to take action with the energy and power that I have been given,
and finally, a silent contemplative suspension of breath, feeling, experiencing gratitude, and taking inventory during rest before beginning the entire cycle over again.

a kids yoga teacher uses her whole body to demonstrate yoga breathing, with her fingers beside her nose to give kids a visual cue to breathe through the nose — Breathe in the Big Me, Breathe out the Little Me: Use your fingers beside your nose to help the visual learners remember to breathe through the nose.

From an Ordinary Person to a Hero!

“I realized that Yoga Man was once, just an ordinary person, just like me. But he learned how to harness the power of breath…”

I realized that Yoga Man was once, just an ordinary person, just like me. But he learned how to harness the power of breath, intention, focus, action, rest and reflection to outwit and outmaneuver The Stressor at every turn!

Each day he trained with this secret weapon so his powers grew. He became so strong he could leap over obstacles, dodge danger, and even rescue others – almost effortlessly.

In class we reviewed the yoga sequence, practiced with breath, and used the Yoga Man stories about the secret powers he can use when confronted with problems and challenges. Then we played a game of throwing stars.

Taking an Intentional Breath for Focus

a yoga superhero doing yoga cobra pose to help boys like yoga using images they enjoy — Yoga Man – the Yoga Super Hero doing cobra pose

Without any cues or prompting I noticed students stopping to take aim, taking an intentional breath, and then exhaling automatically with the exertion of their throw. When they did this, they were more accurate and more powerful.

Then they realized how much the breath helped.

It was magical. They were genuinely filled with glee, realizing that they, like Yoga Man, could harness the secret weapon of Breath.

Class ended with an age-appropriate, short savasana, then they joked around, touselling each other, as boys will do, each talking excitedly about how they were going to try out some “Breath Power” on something or another.

And their moms, clad in their own yoga clothing smiled, knowingly, checking that one task, “Get my boy to settle down and breathe” off the list.

Best,

Jeri Creson

Program Director – The Dojo Covington
Covington, LA, USA

New Orleans Kids Yoga Teacher Graduating Class of 2017 — Jerri (2nd from right) graduated from the 95 Hour Training in 2017

Try the Sun Salutation for Boys

Yoga Man uses breath to stay calm when facing The Stressor. I created The Yoga Man Training download and added it to the Inclusive Yoga Module because too many boys, including my three nephews, thought yoga was something their mom’s do.

Getting boys involved took some thought to get boys to participate. I even got two of my nephews to be my models in this video. The other nephew did the original drawings that eventually got digitized in Yoga Man!

Yoga Man does the Sun Salutation.

We are at Kilbear Provincial Park, in Ontario, Canada.

Check your volume and press play to bring yoga to your children!

Give Kids Hope on Earth Day

While planning my kids yoga classes for the daycare’s theme “Earth Day” I set to work looking for a book or some kind of visual for supporting material.

First I remembered a children’s book I bought a while ago but never used called, 100 Facts – Saving the Earth by Miles Kelly. Great, a lesson plan ready to go!

But when I flipped to the first page, there sat a message of doom and gloom: the earth in danger, the planet a mess, temperatures rising, extinction probable!

I quickly closed the book as if trying to put Pandora back into her box. The idea of the end of human existence simply wouldn’t do as a theme for Earth Day. I needed plan B – to share the message of hope and mindfulness about our big blue planet.

Now I’m curious if this negativity pervades kids attitudes about the Earth.

Getting to Know the Mind in Kids Yoga Class

The negative mind, as it’s called in Kundalini Yoga, is akin to the part of the mind that sees danger and helps you avoid getting into trouble. The negative mind is the first and fastest function of the minds, so it’s no surprise we are bombarded by information that feeds into our fears and insecurities. Marketing all around us tries to connect to that negative mind to get your attention.

The solution to counteract this way of thinking is to use the Positive Mind to cut through the negative. Then the Neutral Mind can weigh the negative and positive to make a decision.

In the Yoga Sutras it is called Pratipaksa Bhavana.

“34. When disturbed by negative thoughts, opposite (positive) ones
should be thought of. This is pratipaksa bhavana.”
Book 2.34, The Sutras of Patanjali, Translation and Commentary
by Sri Swami Satchidananda p. 120 -122

Use Your Curiosity to Teach Children about Mindfulness and the Mind

I’m curious about the level of negativity children experience when they think about the Earth. I’m going to start my kids classes by asking them what Earth Day means to them. I wonder if it will be negative or positive? The rest of the yoga class will flow from their answers.

We may become Earth Warriors to cut through the negative and find a positive.

Or maybe we’ll do yoga poses for all the earthly elements and animals that are happily named.

Whichever way it goes, we will to finish with hope and gratitude for all the Earth provides for the plants and animals on the planet (including humans). We can practice Pratipaksa Bhavana to combat the negative thoughts. Then Earth Day will be a reason to celebrate the hope the planet offers.

Kids Yoga for Earth Day, April 22, 2019

Earth Day parnter yoga coloring page for kids yoga — Earth Day Printable Colouring Page

Download the printable Earth Day colouring pages here:

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And if you’re looking for some Earth Day activity ideas for your kids yoga classes, you check out the links below.

Earth Day Warrior Printable Colouring Page for Kids Yoga — Earth Day Warrior Printable Colouring Page

More Earth Day Activities for your Kids Yoga Classes:

Kids Yoga makes a World of Difference!

Conscious Intention Setting for Teaching Yoga – Free Workbook

Welcome to the first newsletter of 2017. Today I have a free downloadable workbook that I’ll explain more about below.

I also want to make sure you know about the Early Registration Special that runs to the end of the weekend on the next module of Kids Yoga Teacher Training. The upcoming Themes and Dreams Certificate is a favourite because of all the songs, stories, meditations and philosophy for Kids. If you are planning to get Certified as a Kids Yoga Teacher this year, register now to reserve your spot. We’re also polishing up the details of the 95 Hour Summer Certification 2017 – you can get a sneak peak here. Let me know if you have any questions about Kids Yoga teacher training.

Tools to Consciously Set Your Course for 2017

The beginning of 2017 marks the beginning of a new year and the passing away of an old one. Appreciating the fact that all things are temporary, they are born, they grow, and they pass away is an integral part of the yogic life. It helps us truly appreciate them while they exist and to learn from them to create better tomorrows.

A new year brings a natural opportunity to reflect on the year that just passed and to consciously set intentions for one that is coming up. My meditation teacher always warned that if you don’t set your own vision for your life, you will be living the vision of someone else. I have lived other people’s visions of what life should be and I prefer to set my own course!

Writing Your Goals to Create Your Life

For this reason I started keeping journals of my goals, plans and desired lifestyle when I started meditating regularly. When I look back through my journals I can see that everything I’ve done, including Young Yoga Masters, Ambassador Yoga and even finding my husband, were shaped by the intentions I wrote in my visioning journals.

The benefits I got from my visioning practice inspired me to start teaching a yearly workshop for Conscious Intention Setting seven years ago. It is always offered at the beginning of the year and it’s called the Kundalini Kick Start (I got my adult yoga training in Kundalini Yoga). During the workshop we do yoga, meditation and conscious intention setting.

Historically the workshop sells out and many who attend are past grads. I love to reconnect with you all in person through yoga and meditation, the practices that brought us together. I know we teachers have to consciously make time to keep our own practice healthy! This is one great way to do this.

Kundalini Kick Start 2017 is a 3-hour workshop happening in Grimsby (between Hamilton and St. Catharine’s) on Saturday Saturday Jan. 14 and in Toronto on Sunday January 15 (with co-teacher Daya Kaur Khalsa)

Conscious Intention Setting for Yoga Teachers Using the Free Download Worksheets

However not everyone is able to make it to Toronto for this workshop, so this year you can use the worksheets below to participate in the process. Having a conscious intention setting ritual to begin a new year helps us to create the work and life we want for the upcoming year and beyond.

In Kundalini Kick Start we do a thorough yoga set and one or two x 11 minute meditation sessions before we dive into the visioning for the new year. Consider attending a yoga class or doing an hour of yoga at home, then meditating before you start. Make an afternoon of it. You’ll be glad you did! It will help you look at what you want more clearly.

Then use this free downloadable workbook (modified from Kundalini Kick Start) to guide you through the process. It’s a way to think through and vision the year ahead for yourself personally, socially and professionally. Below are descriptions of what’s in its pages.

Reflections on 2016- Page 1

Yoga Teacher worksheet to reflect on the past year, what worked, what didn't work in 2016 — Page 1 of Workbook

Reflection on 2016. You can start with positives and what went right for you in your personal, social and professional life. Or you may be drawn to look at What Didn’t Work first. Some yogis say the mind comes up with negatives first and fastest so that you can avoid danger. You can fill this out in any order that suits you.

Then take the reflections from what went right and what could have worked out better to draw some lessons to carry forward into 2017.

Your Vision for Yourself for 2017 – Page 2

Yoga teachers use this worksheet to look at what they want in the year ahead for business, personal, and community. — Page 2 of Workbook

Now turn your focus towards forming a vision for what you want to be in 2017. What you want to be will determine what you will do and what you do will lead to what you end up having in your life. This is the Be/Do/Have model for forming a vision for your life.

What You Need to Achieve Your 2017 Vision – Page 3

Yoga Teacher worksheet of what you need to attain your goals and visions for the year ahead. — Page 3 of Workbook

Once you’ve sketched out a vision for 2017 you can look at what you need to bring that vision to reality. In this worksheet you identify what you lack. Often yoga teachers train themselves to focus on gratitude and the positives. Allow yourself to feel what is missing when you set your vision because our lack can provide the clue to the direction we need to go.

It might be training you need, resources that are required, or relationships that need to be developed. It might be letting go of other things to make room for what you really want. Search your heart and apply your yogic wisdom then put what you need on paper to clarify how you feel now.

How to Spend Your Time and Maintain Balance in Your Life – Page 4

Yoga teachers look at time management to help follow through on their goals for 2017 — Page 4 of Workbook

Before moving onto action steps, take some time to think about how you currently spend your time during a typical twenty four hour day. Ideally, how would you like to spend your time? Fill in the twenty-four hour pie chart with estimates of what you do during a typical day and what you would like to do in an ideal day (don’t forget to include a good night’s sleep).

Turn Your Vision into Action – Page 5

Yoga teachers take all the insights from the workbook to clarify their goals and vision for 2017 — Page 5 of Workbook

Apply the insights from previous pages to add action steps you can take to build upon your vision and move it forward. Be as specific as possible in this part.

Timelines for Action – Page 6

Yoga teachers use the worksheet to sketch out a timeline for their goals and visioning using the workbook. — Page 6 of Workbook

Take the action steps sketched out on page 5 and arrange them on the timelines in a sequence that seems appropriate to you. Is what you have written realistic? Do you need to adjust your goals, plans or timelines to be able to have a balanced life?

You may want to print out one or more of these pages again to update and modify your vision as you learn more about what you want and whether it is really what you thought it would be.

Let your vision be a work in progress that you return to and update as a living breathing force in your life.

Finally, congratulate yourself!

You’ve earned it. It’s not easy to take time out to think about what you love about your life, what could be improved upon and how you might go about doing that. But taking the time to do that helps you move towards what you really want from life so you don’t keep doing the same thing over and over again out of habit.

Have a beautiful balanced 2017!

(check your email after you click the button above)

What to Get a Kids Yoga Teacher for the Holidays?

Christmas present shopping can be hard when you are not quite sure what a person needs. So today’s blog is a gift list with a twist. It’s filled with cool things I think anyone bringing yoga to children would want. Since most of the people reading this newsletter teach children yoga in one way or another, hopefully someone will Google “what to get a kids yoga teacher for the holidays,” or see this article shared on a Facebook page and get a good idea for a gift or a stocking stuffer for you!

What to Get a Kids Yoga Teacher for the Holidays?

Meditations for Growing Minds

The tracks on Meditations for Growing Minds were created by a Grade 4 school teacher, Nicole, who is also a grad of our 95 Hour Kids Yoga Teacher Training.

Why you’ll want it: The tracks are creative and empowering for kids. You can play them in any school without fear of offending anyone. They are also short enough, around 3 – 5 minutes each, so they work for a 30 minute class. You can get the CD or download it from CD Baby at this link: New Age Teacher. Consider signing up for Nicole’s newsletter to get useful insights and ideas from this New Age Teacher!

Yoga Pants for Kids/Toddlers and their Moms

These Kids Yoga Pants are custom made by another one of our Kids Yoga Teacher grads Marcia. They are diaper friendly and great for kids on the go!

Why You’ll Want Them: If you want to do yoga with your little ones at home, these pants are adorable. However, email Marcia the designer, at her website Yogi Frogz she can make a matching pair for you too! How cute are mom and tot matching yoga pants! I also recommend Marcia’s newsletter and local kids and family yoga classes there too.

Zendoway Cubes

The cubes are made of a soft foam so no one will get hurt when they are thrown.

I received a set of Zendoway Cubes to review and ended up sharing them with Marcia and Nicole because I wasn’t sure if they would work for the toddlers and pre-school kids I teach at a local Montessori School.

Why You’ll Love Them: Some of the cubes are geared to older kids, but my little yogis have fallen in love with the “I Love Me” cube. I’ve used it to teach them about affirmations. They know it feels good when someone says “I love you” and now they know it feels really good to just go ahead and say it to yourself! They especially like the “I Love Me” dancing and singing on one side of the cube.

The Zendoway Cube is my new favorite prop in my kids class. You can order single cubes or packs of two or more at the Zendoway website.

Yoga Cards

frog yoga alphabet cards for kids yoga teachers — The Frog Yoga Alphabet Flash Cards

Every Kids Yoga Teacher needs a few decks of yoga cards. There are many versions of yoga cards for kids including our very own Frog Yoga Alphabet cards which we love using for name games, word games, and spelling practice for a test. Talk about kinesthetic learning!

Now, I want these Workout Lab cards for my business expansion into Teen and Adult Yoga Teacher Training as an Affiliate of the Ambassador Yoga School (RYS). Ambassador Yoga helps qualified teachers offer profitable teen (or adult) yoga teacher training.

Why You’ll Love Them: These Yoga Cards from Workout Labs look great for teens. The Female and Male versions demonstrate a variety of poses. When teens are feeling talkative, you can give them a bunch of cards and get them to put together their own yoga sequence. Find these cards at Workout Labs.

If you’d like to find out more about becoming an Affiliate Yoga School and offering your own Yoga Teacher Training to teens or adults, find out more at AmbassadorYoga.com

Yoga Alphabet Gifts

Why You’ll Love Them: If you work with kids, then you know your clothes do not stay clean for long. When I’m teaching kids yoga I’m often sitting on dirty floors and getting hugged by kids with runny noses. The first thing I do when I get home is change out of my dirty clothes. I’ve got a collection of yoga T-shirts to wear while teaching for this very reason.

Check out these yoga alphabet items, from A to Z, in on our Cafe Press store. You can get your yoga letter on almost anything you can think of, like t-shirts, water bottles, they even have yoga mats.

Check out the first letter of your name. Other popular letters are: Y – Yoga, R- Relax, and N – Nectar.

There’s still time to order these through Cafe Press and get them delivered for the holidays. Prices of these custom gifts vary depending on what your yoga letter is placed on.

Give an Experience of Yoga

For those who love yoga, gift certificates for a Yoga Experience are a real treat. Find an interesting yoga workshop, class pass, or teacher training, they’ll thank you straight from the heart. Consider also family yoga or kids yoga class passes and add one of the items above. Voila! You’ve got a sweet surprise for Christmas morning. If you’re in Ontario check out this 3 hour workshop:

kundalini yoga workshop with dancing and movement — Kundalini Yoga includes Dancing and Movement

Kundalini Kick Start 2017

A great way to start the year, detox, and consciously set intentions. You can expect a powerful Kundalini Yoga workout and meditations for a healthy kick start to the year. In this workshop you will use Kundalini Yoga and Meditation to clarify your intentions and set a vision for the year.

Saturday January 14, 1 – 4 pm – Grimsby, ON
or Sunday January 15, 1:30pm—4:30pm, Toronto, ON

You can save your spot by registering here.

Have Yourself a Yoga Holiday

Gifts are so much more than material objects, they are a way to show we care about the person and we’re thinking of them.

There are still a few weeks till Christmas, so if you are a teacher, do others a favor and let them know what you’d like this year and avoid getting boxes of chocolates and gift cards.

12 people from our kundalini yoga class in Toronto having a Christmas Dinner get together at Buddha's Vegetarian Restaurant in Chinatown — Our Adult Kundalini Yoga Class in Toronto celebrates the Holidays at Buddha’s Vegetarian Restaurant in Chinatown, Toronto

Happy Holidays to You!

Disclosure: I received review samples of some of these products, but all opinions are my own.

If you’ve got something yoga related on your gift list, feel free to share it in the comments. You could make someone’s Christmas shopping that much easier.

Olympic-Themed Kids Yoga

Olympics as a Theme for Kids Yoga Lessons

With the Rio Summer Olympics well underway, we’ve updated old blog posts to help you incorporate the games as a theme in your classes. We hope you find these resources helpful when considering lesson plans, poses, and intentions for kids yoga.

Resources

Kids Yoga Tool #1: Updated Free Yoga Alphabet to Learn Names for Back to School

Kids Yoga Tool #2: Racial Equity Resource

Kids Yoga Tool #3: Free: Kids Yoga Teacher Training Workshop and Check-In

Kids Yoga Tool #4: How to Meditate in Stressful Times

Kids Yoga Tool #5: Create a Sales Page that Sells!

Dear Young Yoga Masters,

Learning to Teach Kids Yoga to a New Age Demographic

Deepening My Understanding of the Breath

From an Ordinary Person to a Hero!

Taking an Intentional Breath for Focus

Try the Sun Salutation for Boys

Getting to Know the Mind in Kids Yoga Class

Use Your Curiosity to Teach Children about Mindfulness and the Mind

Kids Yoga for Earth Day, April 22, 2019

More Earth Day Activities for your Kids Yoga Classes:

Tools to Consciously Set Your Course for 2017

Writing Your Goals to Create Your Life

Conscious Intention Setting for Yoga Teachers Using the Free Download Worksheets

Reflections on 2016- Page 1

Your Vision for Yourself for 2017 – Page 2

What You Need to Achieve Your 2017 Vision – Page 3

How to Spend Your Time and Maintain Balance in Your Life – Page 4

Turn Your Vision into Action – Page 5

Timelines for Action – Page 6

Finally, congratulate yourself!

Enter your email to have the Free 2017 Yoga Teacher Yearly Planner PDF delivered to your In-box:

What to Get a Kids Yoga Teacher for the Holidays?

Give an Experience of Yoga

Have Yourself a Yoga Holiday

Happy Holidays to You!

Disclosure: I received review samples of some of these products, but all opinions are my own.

Olympics as a Theme for Kids Yoga Lessons