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yoga camps

On Facing Fear… and a Courageous Halloween Craft

On Facing Fear…

Its been a scary spooky fall for me this year.  I’ve had a difficult time focusing on my blog because of things in my personal life. So getting back to writing on the topic of Halloween and facing fear feels appropriate.

kids playing a charades yoga game a the kids yoga camp in the kids yoga teacher training
A Charades Type of Game at Kids Yoga Camp

If you connect with me on my Facebook page you may know that my little sister has been going through chemotherapy for breast cancer.  Its scary.

I spend a few days with her after each round of chemo. It’s hard for me to see her sick, even harder for her!  There is little to do but lend moral support and make dinner when everyone gets home from school and work.

Once after a rough night, my sister was lying on the couch just barely mustering the energy to make it to the bathroom and back.  Then the phone rang and she answered it like a chipper bird. She had a short, pleasant conversation with someone, assuring them she was okay, and hung up sinking into her lounge chair with a moan.

I was amazed.  Obviously she didn’t want to upset others with how truly miserable she felt. She didn’t want to prolong the conversation either. It’s difficult for her to hear unsolicited advice and platitudes. They don’t help. I was amazed by how well she held her mask of pleasantry as a way to preserve her strength. The other person had no idea of the fear and pain she was feeling.

This gave me a deeper appreciation of what it means to face fear.

 

Courage is Not the Absence of Fear…

I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear.
~ Nelson Mandela

I’ve been using the theme of facing fear in my kids classes the last couple weeks.

  • We’ve done yoga with scary skeletons.
  • We told a story of a little lion cub who was afraid but listened to his heart, even when everyone else was doing something different.
a teacher using a felt board to show the lion cub who was raised by goats story in kids yoga camp
All ages love stories and using a felt board helps everyone focus.
  • We made lion masks (see below) and talked about wearing “masks” at different times, like my sister can do on the phone.
  • And we talked about when we feel afraid but we do what we want to do anyway.

Yoga for Halloween

This Halloween Night when all the kids are going door to door, hopefully I’ll forget about cancer for a night by watching the kids coming to my front porch.  I’ll be giving out candy and yoga colouring sheets and I’m going to pay extra special attention to the kids who are afraid.

I’m going to watch them muster up courage, on the long walkways of scary houses, or maybe they’ll choose to hide in their parents coat tails.  For some the candy is worth overcoming fear, for some it is not.

There are always choices and there is much to be learned from the perspective of kids.

Taking yoga, teaching yoga, just living life, all present their share of fears.  A large part of teaching yoga is holding the space for people to work through things that scare them a little.  Whether its the fear of a certain yoga pose or the courage to move into stillness.

We all have fear, without it we wouldn’t know when danger is near.

My wish this Halloween is that when you face a fear, you give yourself time and space to find your courage, feel the fear, and find your way to conquer it.

Namaste

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Kids Yoga Activity

Lion Mask Craft-Time for Kids during Yoga Camp

4 kids hold up their Lion Masks at Kids Yoga Teacher Training Yoga Camp

Here’s the Lion Mask craft we did at our last kids yoga camp. I thought we would all make big colourful manes of the mighty beasts but some of the 8 year old girls would not go for it!  Manes are for boys. A lioness has short hair and as it turns out, some have bows and eyelashes too.   Who am I to argue?

Each kid got to choose their lion mask gender, colours, and hair style. This also leads into a conversation about the Lion in the Wizard of Oz.  His gift was courage  In the end, this Halloween craft was a hit for the girls, the boys, and the teachers at our Kids Camp.  Check out these pictures:

kids and adults make lion masks with colored paper during the kids camp of the kids yoga teacher training
This Activity took about 30 minutes during the kids camp of our Kids Yoga Teacher Training.

Lion Masks in Kids Yoga Camp

The craft took about 30 minutes for the older children and less time for the younger ones because we cut out the pieces in advance so for them it was mostly gluing. Here’s the link to the Instructions for the Lion Mask craft at National Geographic Kids.

 

Breast Cancer Awareness

Don’t Forget Your Breast Self Exams

During her rounds of chemo my sister managed to help with a fundraiser through Scotties and the Breast Cancer Foundation.  That was a hard day for my sister because she just had chemo. She’s a very inspiring and amazing woman and I’m very proud of her.

Please watch if you can spare a couple minutes and you’ll be reminded of why it is so important to have check ups.  Even people who do yoga get cancer through no fault of their own, so early detection is crucial.

The Power of 10:  Women helping to raise research money during their cancer trauma:

Here is my sister’s video – the theme was thanking someone for their support:

Make that appointment to have your own check up!

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Become a Kids Yoga Teacher

Upcoming Kids Yoga Teacher Training Courses and Dates in Toronto at this link

Take a weekend training that also counts towards your 95 Hour Certification.

I Now Teach 3 Weekly Children’s Classes

 

You so graciously passed on a wealth of knowledge about kids’ yoga. I’ve used your comprehensive teaching manuals and references so many times, I’ve barely gleamed the surface.

Since the Summer Program I’ve been able to complete my goals, which you encouraged us to write down in the training, including becoming a RCYT, logging teaching hours on Yoga Alliance, building a website, and more importantly, building my community presence. I now teach 3 weekly children’s classes in a local school and we’re adding a fourth class in the fall. Many of my students have attention issues. I feel like a proud mom when they say “Miss Karen, I was feeling scared but then I did my yoga breathing and felt better”. To me, that’s everything.

The training was a great investment that I’ve earned back several times in the last year. It has been an absolute honor to pay this gift I received forward. Thank you again!”

– Karen Klubertanz-Hertzog, Dancing Elephant Kids and Family Yoga

 

Come Join Us for A Training to Remember!

Filed Under: Inspiration, Kids Yoga Tagged With: breast cancer awareness, crafts, Halloween Yoga, kids yoga teacher fears, kids yoga teacher training, stories, themes, yoga camps

5 Kids Yoga Activities to Enhance Your Camps this Summer

It’s summer!  Which means kids yoga camps and time to try fresh ideas that you just don’t have time to try in a regular class.

I’m planning a summer camp right now.  It’s 18 hours over 5 days in our Kids Yoga Teacher Certification.  So I’m going through my resources and picking my favorite activities.  This camp during the Kids Yoga Training is so much fun and adds a dimension to the training you get teaching actual kids. 

You can get your 95 Hour Certificate from our Yoga Alliance Registered Children’s Yoga School. Email me if you have any questions or are interested:  info @ youngyogamasters.com.

So while I’m prepping for camp I’ll share some of my plans.  Here are 5 Kids Yoga Summer Camp Ideas from our Kids Yoga Teacher Training that are sure to enhance your camps.

5 Kids Yoga Activities to Enhance Your Camps this Summer

1. Chakras for Children

Explore the Chakras Each Day of Camp:  When I teach kids yoga at a school or daycare, I steer away from the Chakras.  The topic is too esoteric for the public domain.  But when I teach a kids yoga camp in a studio, the Chakras are perfect for yoga studio territory.  I explore this topic from angles that kids can relate to:  favourite colours, elements of nature, and super-powers that each chakra hold.  Learn more on Chakras for Children in our Kids Yoga Teacher Training and get this free printable Chakra System PDF on this Blog Post here.

2. Mandala Activities for Kids

This includes both drawing Mandalas and making them with your body as these pictures show:

kids mandala workshop - during yoga class the group is seated in a circle and makes shapes with their arms and legs that look like a giant mandala. this is part of the Young Yoga Masters Kids Yoga Teacher Training
Part of the Young Yoga Masters Kids Yoga Teacher Training
Kids Mandala Workshop Meditation and Yoga Presentation, kids hold up the mandalas they created with coloured ink and stampers Kids Make Mandalas - part of the Young Yoga Masters Kids Yoga Techer Training
Kids Make Mandalas with large paper and stamp pads. – part of the Young Yoga Masters Kids Yoga Teacher Training

3.  My Song

It can be hard for some kids to open up in class but you you will find that most children have a favorite song.  During an 8 hour a day, week long yoga camp I taught, we had a lot of time for extra activities.

One of the big hits was talking about our favorite songs and why they are meaningful to us.  Give kids time to contemplate what “My Song” will be.  Once they choose, it might surprise you how they open up in class.  Plus its very relaxing to listen to songs and hear their meaning.

My Song - Kids Share Why They Like Their Favorite Songs - part of the Young Yoga Masters Kids Yoga Teacher Training

 4.  Eye Pillows (and Washable Pillow Cases)

Eye Pillows are a fun one or two day craft and activity that comes straight from our Inclusive Yoga Certificate of Kids Yoga Teacher Training.  We use eye pillows as weighted objects to help kids get into their body.

First Part:  Fill the first sock with rice or grains. Then pass around some dried herbs or essential oils to smell.  The kids can create a custom fragrance in their pillow.

Second Part: Draw on the second sock to make your pillow case.  Just follow the directions on the fabric markers.  We put the socks over a can of club soda to make it easier to draw on the material.

Marker Tip:  The Crayola Brand Fabric Markers boast “Great for dark fabrics” but I was disappointed in the lack of colour on my black socks. So all my dark socks became the inner pillow, and the white socks were for marking on.

I think these eye pillows are better than stuffed animals or Beanie Babies, because you can pull off the pillow case and wash them!

Kids Making Eye Pillows using socks filled with rice and Pillow Cases coloured with fabric markers. - part of the Young Yoga Masters Kids Yoga Teacher Training

5. Word Games

We developed the Frog Yoga Alphabet especially to help keep kids busy during kids yoga and Yoga Camps.  You can print and play all kinds of games with them.

Sometimes people think a Yoga Alphabet is just for children learning the alphabet, but with a little imagination, those letters become words and the words become games and stories!  The next thing you know, you are playing charades, hangman, or discussing your “Word of the Day,” coloring it, and putting it up on your wall.

We recommend you keep it “yoga” by doing the yoga pose each time a letter is used.

A tween holds up her name spelled out in Yoga Letters from the Frog Yoga alphabet, part of the kids yoga teacher training of Young Yoga Masters

Enhance Your Camps

Yoga and fun go hand in hand. So when you’ve got the extra time in a Yoga Camp let these activities inspire you to enhance your camps.

What is your favorite activity for a kids yoga camp?

Upcoming Events:

Get Your Kids Yoga Teacher 96 Hour Certificate this Summer!

Kids Yoga Teacher Training Yoga Alliance Registered Childrens Yoga School
Click Here for Upcoming Dates

Contact Info @ YoungYogaMasters.com for more information or visit the Registration Page for dates and registration info.

Make Your Kids Yoga Training One to Remember!

Get More Details on Kids Yoga Teacher Certification

Filed Under: Kids Yoga, Meditation with Children, Yoga Games, Yoga Songs Tagged With: eye pillows, Kids Yoga, mandala, songs, summer camps, yoga alphabet, yoga camps

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