Yoga and Nutrition- Eating a Rainbow February 28, 2007

 

Last week I taught a fun class that integrated yoga and nutrition. We did rainbow pose (Side Plank) and then talked about how your body needs to “eat a rainbow”. Eating a rainbow means eating fruits and vegetables from all the color groups (Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Purple, and White too). We talked about what colors we had already eaten, and we brainstormed some fruits and veggies for all the different colors. I think it is a great way to eat well- too often we focus on the negative and the things we “shouldn’t” or “can’t” eat. Instead thinking about the abundant fruits and veggies that we should eat! Lots of fun, and really made me thing about eating a rainbow myself… I just never seem to be able to eat enough blue! I need to stock up on some blueberries.

Carolyn
www.sdyogakids.com

This Week’s Theme is LOVE! February 13, 2007

Oh, how I love the week of Valentine’s Day… In my classes I get to talk about Love… Sweet Love… I’ve been passing around a heart balloon and asking the kids to share who and what they love. I’ve heard some of these great responses:

“My family”

“My Mom and my Dad and my Sister and my Brother and my Aunt and my Uncle and my Cousin and my Grandma and my Grandpa” (you get the idea)

“My kittie”

“Dinosaurs”

“You”

We do lots of heart openers in class (Cobra and Camel)…

We chant Love…

We divide up into partners and give each other back rubs…

We do Loving Kindness Meditation.

Let’s make every week a week about love!

Wishing you a Happy Valentine’s Day!

~ Carolyn
http:www.sdyogakids.com

National Girls & Women in Sports Day February 12, 2007

On Saturday, February 10th, 2007, I volunteered at a National Girls and Women in Sports Day event in Balboa Park. Girls had the opportunity to try different sports and activities, including yoga, cheerleading, karate, softball, and more. I thought it was a great way to introduce girls to activities that they might not have exposure to in PE programs.

In my yoga classes, we did lots of fun yoga poses- Cat, Cow, Tree, Sun Salutations, Moon Salutations, and Relaxation to name a few. It was a big class- almost 30 girls in each class- but they were very quiet and attentive.

A few had done yoga before, but many had not. One group leader told me that one girl in particular had never done yoga before, and had a lot of questions before the class about what to expect. It turns out she loved it. This child was a bit overweight, and it made me really happy to know that she found an activity that she loved! Yoga could be something that she does forever now!

“NGWSD began in 1987 as a day to remember Olympic volleyball player Flo Hyman for her athletic achievements and her work to assure equality for women’s sports.” -From NGWSD Central

~Carolyn
http://www.sdyogakids.com

New Music for Yoga for Kids February 9, 2007

I just discovered a wonderful CD that I can’t wait to use in my classes.

Here’s the blurb from CD BABY:

KIRA WILLEY: dance for the sun

http://cdbaby.com/cd/kirawilley

A totally unique album of kids’ yoga songs - with a little doowop, a bit of jazz, and some African tribal music - that’s great to listen to, as well as fun to use with the illustrated booklet for musical family yoga.

I listened to all the samples on CD BABY and it sounds like such a great CD for yoga with the kiddies!

I’ll keep you posted as I start to use it in my classes!

Space Yoga February 5, 2007

Today I taught a fun class for preschoolers. We talked about the stars and how they make pictures in the sky. Then we looked at the pictures in this book:

It has really pretty pictures of the stars and the animals that the constellations are named after. Lots of fun poses to do along with the book. Then we launched off in our rocket ships and flew to the moon. There we walked around space and did some fun space yoga- Crescent Moon, Sun Salutations.

Then we got back in our rocket ships and flew back to Earth just in time for relaxation…

Today my favorite pose is Rocket Ship:

YogaKids Silly to Calm Video on YouTube February 1, 2007

I was exploring YouTube, and I was so excited to find a clip of the YogaKids Silly to Calm Video. Here it is:

This is a perfect example of how I teach yoga to kids. Usually the first question people ask me after I tell them that I teach yoga to kids is “HOW?”. Many of the poses and excercises in this clip are methods that I rely on to tap into the kid’s energy and help them move through it and into more calming poses. And it’s so fun, too!