health

Kids Yoga Class Planning – 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

January 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.

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 Last Year- 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 – 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 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!

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What You Need to Know About Physical Literacy for Kids Yoga

The world has achieved a lot when it comes to Literacy. According to UNESCO, the 2010 global literacy rate was around 84% among adults and 90% among youth. It’s impressive that the vast majority of people on earth can read. We value literacy. It’s considered a basic human right.

But around the world there’s another troubling trend in physical health and obesity rates. Globally 39% of adults are obese. That number would be unacceptable in Literacy terms, but somehow this problem is not getting the attention and resources it deserves. Phys Ed programs and time are being cut. Yoga teachers have to fight to get paid for bringing active healthy living to schools.

It’s unacceptable!

global obesity 2008 and physical literacy — Map Credit: World Health Organization

It doesn’t help lower obesity to shame anyone about their body. Statistics only bring awareness. So how do you change these numbers and improve health? How do you reverse the obesity trend?

If I had the answer to that, I’d probably win the Nobel Prize!

My own struggles with weight and staying active have been difficult. In the last five years I’ve given my computer precedence over my yoga mat. There’s been a lot of sitting and a lot of weight gain.

Plus obesity is an embarrassing topic for people, it’s hard for some to acknowledge, it’s harder to talk about without shaming, and hardest to change.

But can it be as hard as teaching 90% of the world to read?

My quest for activity led me to the Physical Literacy Summit this week where we looked at how to get kids moving.

The first big insight I took away is that health promoters (whether they are coaches, gym teachers, yoga teachers or parents) need to clearly understand what Physical Literacy means so we can educate others on its importance.

What is Physical Literacy Anyway?

Literacy refers to knowing your ABC’s (or other alphabet), reading, writing, and extends to critical thinking, reasoning, and imagination.

English teachers instil literacy. Math teachers teach about numbers (numeracy). Even music teachers have a scale (a musical alphabet) that serves as a foundation for every song.

Physical Literacy is similar. I think of it as learning “the alphabet of movement” with letters that form words (complex movement) and words that form a story of a healthy life.

That’s my interpretation, here is a more structured definition:

Individuals who are physically literate move with competence and confidence in a wide variety of physical activities in multiple environments that benefit the healthy development of the whole person.” – Physical Health and Education (PHE) Canada

This sounds just like what we do in the world of Yoga! You build competence and confidence by starting with easy poses and moving to harder ones. You have variety of movement with a large repertoire of poses. You apply it to multiple environments like home, school, sports, relaxing and playing.

Yoga builds physical literacy.

Why Physical Literacy is Important to Yoga Teachers

What you offer through kids yoga can easily get thrown on the “One Day” pile, and if you can’t explain it’s importance, it will stay there getting dusty.

You’ve got to know your value and be able to educate others about the benefits.

You don’t just teach kids yoga:

You teach Physically Literacy
You cross train kids with foundation skills and build strength for other sports
You prevent bone loss, heart disease, and Type 2 diabetes
You reverse obesity trends
Heck, you teach something that can prevent early death!

Yoga Mastery = Physical Literacy

When I chose the name Young Yoga Masters it was because of the promise of Mastery. A Yoga Master cannot float on air or walk on water, it means they are competent and confident doing all the aspects of yoga. Yoga Mastery means you can do poses, you can meditate, and you can find your center in a variety of environments. It means you keep your head about you when everyone else is losing it. It means you feel healthy and capable. It means you have an attitude of gratitude. It means you know your reason for doing yoga.

To be a Young Yoga Master means children get these skills to use for a lifetime.

If we can get 90% of youth around the world to be literate, I don’t think its impossible to get at least 90% to be healthy!

What do you think? Do people value what you offer in kids yoga? Are you able to convey your value to others as well as you’d like to?

Leave a comment and help build the Yoga Mastery movement!

Upcoming Events

A special welcome to everyone from the Kaleidoscope Spirit kids yoga teacher training, Dunlace Public School, and the Burlington Physical Literacy Summit. I hope to see you all again soon!

For information on upcoming Kids Yoga Teacher Training Certification courses click the image below.

Kids Yoga Teacher Certificataion in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, and also New Orleans, Nanimo BC and elsewhere. — Discover How You can Become a Kids Yoga Teacher

I’d love to see you there!

Yours truly,

Aruna

YoungYogaMasters.com

Exploring Kids Brains On Yoga

In the first post on kids’ brains on yoga we saw how the three E’s, Exploring, Energizing, and Engaging help develop healthy brains. This post looks more deeply at the importance of the first E: Exploring.

How Exploring Builds Better Brains

In our mother’s womb, sixteen weeks after conception, our brains start receiving signals from our ears. This experience of sound begins a life long bombardment of stimulation from the senses to the brain. When we are thrust into the light of day our baby brains are flooded with all the senses: sounds, sights, smells, tastes and touch.

Our baby brains begin organizing neurons to understand this onslaught of sensation. Making sense of our senses becomes a life long project we undergo as infants, toddlers, kids and eventually as yoga teachers.

As we age we experience ourselves as a “self” exploring a physical world; a self that faces the ultimate questions of life. Who am I? Where am I? What can I do? Modern brain scanning techniques reveal our brains take a starring role in our exploration of the world. These brain scans also reveal Exploring builds better brains.

Three Ways to Encourage Exploring with Kids Yoga

Kids engage in exploring when they interact with their environment in new and novel ways that pushes their physical, mental and emotional boundaries. Through exploration kids push their brains to develop new connections and learn new skills.

You can foster healthy brain development by providing good exploring activities for kids:

Moving the body– Teaching big movements that involve the entire body and small movements that involve just parts of the body. Kids Yoga: try a rocket ship launch – start in a squat position and use your fingers to do a countdown from ten to one (small movements) then stand up slowly like a rocket ship launching and flying to the moon (large movements).
Explore Music in Yoga – Try a Singing Bowl
Handling physical objects – Teaching the handling of age appropriate toys, props and musical instruments. Kids Yoga: Introducing a Singing Bowl during class is a fun way for children learn to play it, while the other children watch and learn how to play and listen for the sound of the bowl singing.
Interacting with others– Teaching singing, dancing, game playing and partner yoga. Kids Yoga: consider partner yoga bicycle legs (see picture). For toddlers try adult/child partner yoga, with the adult moving a child’s legs like they are riding a bicycle. Then switch and let the toddlers grab the adult’s feet while they slowly bicycle.
Partner Yoga – Bicycle Legs

In the Young Yoga Masters kids yoga teacher training we emphasize choosing postures and activities appropriate for the age group. Remember for toddlers merely standing up is a balancing posture.

Exploring Develops Confidence

When kids Explore they not only develop problem solving skills and motor skills they also develop emotional strength in the face of hardship. Kids faced with a hard task or a complex movement will struggle and learn to deal with struggling.

Kids’ yoga teachers need to be keenly aware that stress can be devastating for children; nevertheless, they shouldn’t be too quick to help a struggling child. Struggle in the right doses helps kids go from not being able to do something to being able to do it easily. We don’t want to deny kids this lesson as it is one they will benefit from for their entire lives. Ziggy Marley and Paul Simon explain it perfectly in song, “Walk tall, walk tall, even if you fall get up.”

In encouraging kids to Explore kids yoga teachers foster problem solving and perseverance in the face of obstacles. Kids become stronger and smarter in a fun, playful and safe environment. Who could ask for anything more?

For a great resource on kids brain development take a look at the Baby Brain Map on the Zero To Three Website.

Written by: Aruna Kathy Humphrys and Hrishikesh Singh

Upcoming Events: Don’t Miss Out!

People are registering for the Young Yoga Masters Kids Yoga Teacher Training from all over the world. Summer is a great time to visit Ontario, Canada and upgrade your skills. Please check out the link or contact me for information on our six certificate weekend trainings and Registered Children’s Yoga School with Yoga Alliance.

You can bring Yoga Yoga Masters to your area – This training is like no other! Contact [email protected] to discover the delightful world of kids yoga and become a kids yoga teacher.

Kids’ Brains On Yoga

A Child Enjoys Her Happy Brain during a Young Yoga Masters Kids Yoga Class

For decades scientists have been studying human brain development to find out what helps in forming healthy brains and what doesn’t. Recently they’ve turned their attention to kids’ brains.

Psychologists, doctors and neuroscientists have discovered when children are not engaged with good learning activities, especially in their earliest years, brain development suffers. While adults might damage their brains by what they do, such as using drugs and intoxicants, kids’ brains can be damaged by what they don’t do. It turns out talking, moving, and playing are all vital activities that help develop kids’ brains.

Kids Yoga Is Brain Friendly

This is all great news for kids yoga teachers because so many of the things they do are brain friendly. In this and the next article we’ll take a look at how kids yoga teachers can apply the findings of modern science to develop healthy kids brains.

The most important aspect of a kids yoga class is you the teacher who is there as a live person interacting with the kids and responding to them in real time. This is significant because a few years ago there was an explosion of baby genius videos which encouraged caregivers to plop toddlers down in front of televisions. Subsequent research showed this was not the best brain developing strategy.

Alice Park in a Time magazine article writes,

The claim always seemed too good to be true: park your infant in front of a video and, in no time, he or she will be talking and getting smarter than the neighbor’s kid. In the latest study on the effects of popular videos such as the “Baby Einstein” and “Brainy Baby” series, researchers find that these products may be doing more harm than good. And they may actually delay language development in toddlers.

She goes on to report that the best activity for toddlers is face time with real human beings.

Kids Need A Real Teacher

In this video, one of the world’s leading kids brain development scientists Patricia Kuhl sums it up in five words, “People need people to learn.”

3 Keys to Good Brain Development In Kids

Different researchers categorize healthy brain development activities in different ways. We can organize them generally into the three E’s:

Exploring -moving around, getting to know their bodies, using imagination
Energizing – stretching poses, balancing poses, poses that develop motor skills
Engaging – conversation, problem solving, music and play

Kids yoga teachers have a giant supply of imaginative games, fun yoga poses and cheerful music that gets kids moving, thinking, and feeling. So the next time you are leading a kids yoga class remember the most important aspect is you as a real live person interacting with the kids. You may be having fun, inspiring character and playing games but that’s not the only thing you’re doing. You’re also building beautiful brains.

Written by: Parampreet Singh
Thanks to Parampreet Singh for today’s guest post. Parampreet not only does yoga and mediation (for about 20 years) but is also my husband! Thanks for helping me out as I get ready for our booth at the Toronto Yoga Show.

Upcoming Events at Young Yoga Masters:

Upcoming Kids Yoga Teacher Training Courses and Dates in Toronto at this link — Our next Kids Yoga Teacher Training starts soon!

3 Simple Health Tips for Kids Yoga Teachers

Recently I’ve been feeling the excitement, perhaps the over-excitement, of life. With so many things on the go I got run down and decided to stop everything for awhile to get back to a healthy state. My Mentor, Tulshi Sen, always said that when things get overwhelming it’s time to stop everything and re-connect with your hearts desire.

These wise words have guided me through some intense times although when I first heard them I didn’t believe I could stop EVERYTHING. I now know that only by stopping can I change track both physically and emotionally.

Stopping got me thinking about how important it is for us to take care of ourselves as teachers. If we get sick or run down we can’t do what we love to do – teach. If we don’t acknowledge we’re sick and keep teaching, we spread sickness around instead of happiness.

By stopping, I saw I was getting robotic, completing tasks without experiencing any joy in doing them. I missed the signs of not eating well or not getting a good night’s sleep.

When I rested I realized three tips that were missing from the Health and Safety part of my Kids Yoga Teacher Training Curriculum. They help us stay healthy as teachers. These three simple health tips remind us to slow down, examine our habits, and sometimes stop altogether so we can do what we love:

Wash Your Hands Between Classes
Recently a child I teach ended up in hospital for a week with a virus. If you teach multiple classes in a day you may be carrying a virus around from class to class. Slow down so you can wash your hands after each class. You’ll help stop the spread of illness from one class to the next and also to yourself.
Sleeve Cough/Sneeze
When I was a kid we were taught to cover our mouth with our hand when we coughed or sneezed. That habit was so deeply ingrained in me it took months to change – even though it was obvious just how germ-y our hands and everything we touch will become if we cough into them.

The new etiquette: if you don’t have a tissue sneeze into your sleeve rather than your hand. This keeps your hands clean for when you touch other things like your yoga props or the children. Hopefully you know about this one, but I still see people covering their mouth with their hand – probably out of habit. Teach this to the children you see sneezing in your class as well and everyone will stay healthier!
If you are Sick – It’s time to Stop
Teaching yoga is important but if you are sick it is a time to stop what you are doing and reconnect with what is important. If it means canceling a class then cancel it. I know it is hard to do, especially if you are self-employed, but it is worth it. What amount of money is more important than good health?

Yoga and meditation help us become the Masters of our Destiny. When we get run down we forget the power we have to change our lives. Stopping helps us realize that we don’t HAVE TO do the things that are causing us to be run down. The only thing we have to do is give ourselves the freedom to live a happy and healthy life.

Kids are Eating a Wheelbarrow full of Sugar….

I just can’t resist passing on this TED talk with chef Jamie Oliver. He became an inspiration for me after he did the TV series on changing the food served in school cafeterias (watch to around the 10 minute mark for Oliver’s rant on this topic).

But one of the most jaw dropping part comes around the 11:30 mark where kids try to identify common vegetables – and get most of them wrong.

And the wheelbarrow full of sugar is just from the MILK kids drink at school over five years.

Take a moment and watch the video and find out how all these problems are treatable!

Today’s kids are expected to live 10 years less than we are expected to live. All because of unhealthy eating and living. The future of kids yoga needs to include Yogic eating. This will help teachers develop a healthy yoga business and a healthy lifestyle. We can educate kids, parents, and even other teachers about yogic eating. It includes healthy foods, snacks, and how to cook healthy meals (especially vegetarian).

Once you know how, cooking at home is less expensive, taste better, and according to Jamie Oliver, helps you live longer.

Jamie Oliver and a thousand smiling yogis agree!