Kids yoga is back!

Dear Parents,

Welcome to our Kids Yoga Class. I am so excited to meet your child and begin a journey with them!

First, I think  you may want to know a little about me. I am a lawyer, mom and grandmother (mom being the hardest of the three, for sure 😊). I did my initial Kids yoga training in the Baptiste Program and a second Kids yoga training with Soma Yoga Institute and Om Shree Om, RCYS (Registered Children's Yoga School with Yoga Alliance), led by Christine McArdle. I have completed my 200 Hour Yoga Teacher Training, Level One 200 hour training in the Baptiste School, the 2 Kids trainings mentioned above and two Art of Assisting training programs. 

While we will certainly learn yoga poses and engage in physical exercise, yoga for children can and should be so much more. Our children today face pressures and complexity that simply weren’t part of my childhood. School and especially social media,  can be so impactful on our kid’s self-image and development.  I believe yoga practice offers a way to teach kids to value themselves and others, love and respect their bodies just as they are, and celebrate their special and individual contribution to their families, their friends and their community. Yoga teaches kids that they are strong, not just in body but in spirit. These lessons are powerful tools for our kid to take out in the world, to make good choices and to be confident in themselves because we are not always around to help guide them. Foundation is everything!

Each class will include movement, song and games based on a weekly theme. I will send home a newsletter each month telling you about the themes for that month and what we are doing in class – hopefully it can provide an opportunity for further discussion and sharing at home. 

Essential Oils

We may use essential oils in class and there will always be a basket of essential oil rollerball 10ml bottles available to students. The blends are named: Happy, Calm, Gratitude, Peace, Hope, Ouch, Energy, Brave, Sad, and Strong, and kids are free to use them throughout class. Please let me know if your child has allergies I should be aware of. I use only doTerra oils which are high grade, pure oils, with no chemical additives. Kids love to use them to identify how they are feeling or how they would like to feel. 

The Peace Corner

One corner of our class area is designated the “Peace Corner.” While it is great when all kids are doing an activity together, at the same time, my philosophy is to meet each child where they are in the moment. If your child does not feel comfortable fully participating, the Peace Corner is open to sit, rest, look at a book, or just have some ‘me’ time.

Class Philosophy

While yoga is a part of the religious practice of millions of people in the world today, I do not teach it as a ‘religious’ practice and will not be teaching or using Sanskrit. That said, our class symbol is Lord Ganasha, a Hindu deity, although he will not be referred to in class as a god. Happy Ganasha – the image we will use – has a smiling elephant head. I chose Ganasha as a symbol for our class because he has some very important attributes that can be used for teaching moments in class - he has very large ears with which he listens to what all have to say; he is strong but gentle with small things; he removes obstacles on the path and is a symbol of new beginnings. Listening to another person helps us learn impulse control, facing our challenges helps us learn that with work and practice we can achieve our goals. And every day is a new beginning! A bad day, or moment, or interaction can be acknowledged and moved past. 

My goal for our time together and our space is for the kids to feel safe, to inspire and excite them to learn about their bodies and what they think and feel and how they are an important part of our community. There will be no judgment in this space so there will be no reports about “bad” kids. We meet each child where they are – sometimes that may be restless, or sad, or angry, or just tired! As we tell our adult students, “Showing up on your mat is what matters.” Everything after that is part of the work.

I am truly delighted to have your child in our class. If there is ever anything you want to talk about, or if you have any questions, please feel to catch me after class or email me at ThePracticeKidsYoga@gmail.com.

 

Namaste,

Deborah Chadsey