New Year Planner

Mindful Planning for 2023

Last week at the Monthly Mini-Training we imagined our perfect schedules. Imagining and dreaming as if anything was possible. It feels liberating to let go of limitations, even just for a while. Learning how to let go of unnecessary limitations we place on ourselves takes practice.

Imagining as Meditation

Imagining in this way was something I learned about through meditation training. The mantra: Pragyanaam Brahman (Rg. Veda, Aitereya Upanishad 3.3) can be translated as Consciousness is the Creator.

The idea is to let consciousness create, rather than create based on the conditions around you.

I invite you to consider trying doing some mindful planning as a meditation. It’s a meditation you may enjoy. Spend a little time directing your energy towards what you truly want, let yourself plan without limits.

If you want to see how we did it, check out the replay here:

Watch the Replay – Look under January 2023

The Return to Live

At the meeting, I was happily surprised when some people cheered when I announced the return of our live training.

We’ve got 2 new cohorts planned. One is live on zoom, the other is live in-person.

If you’ve been waiting for a live training, take a look at your options below.

Come experience a live training: online and in-person cohorts starting soon!

Registration Opens Next Week

We are setting everything up for the new courses this week. Registration will open next week. Till then, have fun with some mindful planning!

Live Training details will be Posted Here

2021 Year in Review

I breathed a sigh of relief when 2021 quietly slipped out of sight, it was a very challenging year no thanks to the presence of Covid-19.

2022 arrived in much the same way that 2021 happened, through a screen, with us trying to make the most of the situation. While my husband and I were happy that one of our favourite bands was broadcasting live for New Year’s Eve, spending another New Year’s eve in our living room wasn’t what we really wanted.

This time of year is when I reflect and set goals for the year ahead but for 2022 this process has shifted, I mean, how do you set goals in a pandemic?

My yearly ritual, usually done in December, is happening now, but if there is one thing 2021 taught, time is relative.

Young Yoga Masters Year in Review

When I sat down to reflect on 2021 it felt like one big day, I had to go through my calendar month by month just to remember what happened.

This has been a tough year for yoga teachers and yoga businesses in general, so we’re counting any wins we can and letting the hardships become the building blocks for 2022.

Here’s my review of 2021 with insights I’ll use to plan for the next year. I hope kids yoga teachers might find them useful.

I’ll share another post about goal setting for 2022, hopefully before 2022 is over : )

Children doing Moon Pose in a Kids Yoga Class — I looked for ways to build community even though we weren’t allowed to meet in person for yoga.

3 Accomplishments of 2021

I looked for 3 accomplishments for 2021 and found them in the little things that happened.

The ones I chose shared a theme of mental health support.

12 Months of Community Building

I started up the monthly check-ins last December 2020, and I was surprised that I would be marking the one year anniversary in December 2021!

This check in helped create community during a year of physical distancing.

Every month I stuck with it, and was able to keep them free, and they are one of my proudest accomplishments for the year.

About 800 people have registered!!!

My favourite part each month is when people come together again from the break out rooms, having connected with another kids yoga teacher.

I feel a nice shift in my energy from those little connections. I don’t feel so alone.

Contributing to a More Diverse Community

Tied for a close second, is the accomplishment of offering 30 different scholarships for BIPOC community members to take the kids yoga teacher training.

Not only has this enriched our training groups, it brings yoga to more communities, and creates more diversity among the teachers and leaders in the yoga community.

This decision also contributed to my own mental health, because I felt empowered that I could contribute in my small way to a more equitable society.

Self Care for Kids Yoga Teachers in 2021

The final accomplishment I’m going to pat myself on the back for in 2021 is making self-care a priority by taking off time in the summer.

In past years, summer is my busiest training time with the training intensives. After months on lock down there was just no way I could spend more time in front of a screen during the best months to be outside.

So I shifted the training to self-paced during the summer.

It was a scary business decision that could mean lost income, which is why I consider prioritizing self-care a major accomplishment.

Yes, enrollments were down during the summer, but I’m so very glad that I changed my schedule and tended to my mental health.

Aruna and her husband parampreet at the beach with the shorline stretching for miles behind them at Sandbanks Provinicial Park in Ontario Canada. — Parampreet and I at Sandbanks Provincial Park in Ontario, Canada

3 Lessons Learned from 2021

The lesson’s learned from 2021?

Money cannot be ruler: Yes, it is scary to risk losing it when you are self-employed, but you cannot replace your health or peace of mind.
Time is Relative: A lot of my plans and timelines have flown out the window, including business practices, classes, retreats, and workshops that came to an end in the pandemic. I miss them but I can’t control these things and I can’t change time. All I can do is humbly put myself out there as best I am able and let go of the expectations and outcomes.
Nurture what Can Give You Connection: it is tempting to lose yourself in a new show or game, but the real people you connect with, on zoom, phone, or walks, will nourish your soul. Nurture the friendship, not the screens, you’ll be glad you did that.

I’ll take these accomplishments and lesson’s learned to heart as I set my goals for 2022 in the coming weeks.

FREE Kids Yoga Resources from 2021

Here is a round up of all the resources available to help you as a kids yoga and mindfulness teacher from 2021

A year of interesting topics in the Free Monthly Check-in. If you haven’t been able to join, I hope you will join us for the next live meetups, you can find the next date here.

Many of these can also count as Yoga Alliance Continuing Education credit for RYT’s.

January (1 Hour CE)
Mindful Breathing, Walking, and Balancing Activities
February (1.5 Hour CE)
Yoga Philosophy for Children
March (1 Hour CE)
Putting Yourself Out There as a Kids Yoga Teacher
April (1 Hour CE)
Powerful Insights from the Kids Yoga Conference
May (1 Hour CE)
How to Keep Your Online and Outdoor Distanced Kids Yoga Classes Engaging
June (1 Hour CE)
Teaching Children About the Roots of Yoga
July (1 Hour CE)
Insurance, Waivers, New Classes, In-Person, Teaching Teens
August (1 Hour CE)
Back to School, The Empty Cup Story and Yoga Poses, Q &A on Creating Products
September (1 HOUR CE)
Recommended Children’s Books to Create a More Inclusive Environment with Trainer Raven McRorie
October (1 Hour CE)
Mindfulness for Children – When Not to Teach It, What Makes a Good Training
November (this topic is not eligible for CE with YA)
Business of Kids Yoga – Where to teach Kids Yoga
December (1 Hour CE)
Behaviour 101 with ABA specialist Yasuko Tanaka

watch the Replay of the free training

2021 Kids Yoga Articles

These are the blogs we published on the Young Yoga Masters Website this year.

A teen is doing yoga with a beautiful blue sky in he background — Get teens doing some yoga – like upward hands pose to reach for the stars with the Tween/Teen Leadership Program

Tween/Teen Leadership Program

Our Teen Yoga program grew, despite us not putting energy into promoting it. We offer this done-for-you program for those looking to offer Tween or Teen Leadership programs. It is the level beyond the 96 Hour training and has been especially well received in schools and studios because it is ready to go and can create a very profitable income stream.

Yoga Trainer Fast Track Program

We also helped a handful of qualified yoga teachers become Trainers in their own 200 Hour Yoga Teacher Training through the Ambassador Yoga Trainer Fast Track. This is a complete 200 Hour Yoga Teacher Training program that qualified yoga teachers can use to take the seat of the trainer with your own Yoga Alliance Registered Yoga School.

Kids Yoga Teacher Training Graduation Picture — Kids Yoga Teacher Certification – Now Happening Online

Kids Yoga Teacher Certification

And as you probably know we pivoted our Kids Yoga Teacher 96 Hour Training Certificate in 2021, click here to learn more about our upcoming dates. We now offer:

Live-zoom Training and/or
Self-paced Training.

We would be honoured to be your mentor as you get your 96 HOUR Kids Yoga Teacher Training Certificate.

Share your accomplishments and/or lessons learned from 2021 in the comments.

Wishing you a healthy and prosperous 2022!

Aruna
Lead Trainer, Young Yoga Masters, RCYS

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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