SPARKLE UP YOUR CLASSES AND CREATE SOME FUN WITH THE KIDS
Our top tips for your children's yoga classes are here . . .
Our top tips for your children's yoga classes are here . . .
 The character of a monkey is playful and cheeky, and they love to move and swing from branch to branch. We teach our students about the ‘monkey mind’ at times, and we call it this because the mind is like a monkey - busy jumping from thought to thought. A fun activity that can help to occupy and calm the monkey mind is a ‘double doodling’ exercise. The benefits of this are not only the sheer enjoyment and concentration, but this exercises both sides of the brain as it uses the non dominant hand. How to do it
Have fun. Karen x Share with friends  We all get a bit grumpy from time to time let’s be honest. So when our children are feeling angry or upset it is healthy to be able to recognise these emotions, whilst also learning that we can actually diffuse them by becoming aware of them and trying different tools. A glitter calming jar can do just that. It is both a visual and interactive tool for children to use. You may want to get a plastic jar to make the recipe, then shake it up and offer it to your child to focus their attention on the glitter as it slowly makes it way to settle on the bottom of the jar. I find it's both soothing and calming to my mood too! What you need and how to do it
Share with friends  The start of the year is a wonderful time to reflect on last year and set clear intentions for the coming year. One intention I always finish my classes with is to wish all beings on our planet - Peace. I teach my students that peace begins on the inside, and that when we find that feeling we can share it with everyone around us. When you visit temples in different cultures you can often see colourful flags attached to different parts of the structure that are infused with prayers that are being gently blown out into the world by the wind – with the intention of creating a ripple of peace. I love the decorative nature of these flags and thought it would be lovely to let children create their own unique version of these too with simple materials. In the process of creation we are accessing that part of ourselves that inspires a sense of peace and calm at the same time – how perfect! What you need and how to do it:
Karen x Share with friends  As you may have noticed we are crazy about toes in Yoga as we see this to be our connection to the earth. So why not have some fun with your toes and celebrate just how awesome they are! Pom poms – I have to be honest I am a fan, I love the colours, texture and the endless simple fun you can have with them. On the theme of connection why not have some family fun using your toes. What you need and how to do it
Share with friends  When things get a little hectic in the holiday season – why not practice one of our favourite calming and balancing poses the ‘tree pose’. All children love this pose and what is great is if you can get them to see if they can count how long they can hold it for – the longer they can balance the calmer they will be. Make sure they focus on something that isn’t moving to help them balance. To finish take a short ‘Santa relaxation ‘– making sure that he will have lots of energy to be able to deliver all the wonderful treats that he has for children everywhere. After Santa relaxation a wonderful extension of this calm space is to imagine how they would look if they were a Christmas tree and how they might decorate themselves. After drawing themselves in the tree pose they can begin to create themselves sparkling with lots of fabulous decorations. Simple creative tools – Paper, pencils, colour pencils or textas and maybe some glitter pens or gold and silver. Merry Christmas Karen x Share with your friends  I found this photo recently and it reminded me of the wonderful holiday I had with my family in the Maldives a few years ago, and where a daily yoga practice for Mum and Dad became a must. Adjusting to the heat meant that ‘legs up the wall – or Viparita Karani’ was a great accompaniment to an after lunch nap ☺. A pose that calms the nervous system, reduces swelling in the legs and gives the heart a gentle massage. And as we get closer to the end of the year we may even travel to see family and when we arrive we may just want to ‘put our feet up to relax’ at the other end. So why not share the love and teach this to Dad’s and Grandparents – just make sure if they have tight hamstrings that they bend their knees a little and get them nice and comfy. Make sure you remind them to relax and breathe, and most importantly, enjoy the pose. Wishing you a relaxing and enjoyable holiday season with your family. Karen x Share with friends  At Creative Yogis we feel that creative self expression is paramount to our inner health and well being and offers a chance to be with ourselves in a quiet internal space. An activity that we have just facilitated on our Teacher Training is something that has proven to be popular with both children and trainees again and again. ‘Henna Hands’ are part of the Indian culture and are an expression of beauty and self adornment for women. This can be done on the hands and the feet and is comprised of delicate intricate shapes and patterns drawn directly onto the skin. This can be adapted into a fun and easy activity for everyone. For my beautiful boy students I guide them to imagine that if they were a superhero and had a design on their hand, what might it look like? What you will need
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As you may know by now we love to combine both creativity and Yoga. We are passionate about cultivating a place of quiet reflection to be with ourselves. To take a moment out from the busyness that can be life. We continually witness the impact of practicing deep relaxation in our students and how this transfers so peacefully into creative expression to become mindfulness in action. It has always been a dream of ours to create a series of accessible educational resources that would be available as a tool for parents and educators, to share with either their children or students. This began with our Creative Yogis Colouring Book that was created 3 years ago. We have spent many years offering Mandala colouring pages to our students which have always been met with great enthusiasm. 'Mandalas' are a repetitive design within a circle or forming a circle and have been used by many cultures as a tool for meditation, therapy and as a way to simply unwind and de-stress. Two years ago we had an idea to combine the shape of Yoga poses in each design so you could relax and enjoy your creative expression and when you felt like a break jump up and do the pose! It is so very exciting as we have finally brought that idea to fruition and would like to introduce our latest offering ‘Yogadalas’ - 13 unique designs that each centre around a particular pose and combine to create a Yoga sequence just for you. We hope you enjoy colouring them as much as we did creating them for you and are keen to see your response! Share with friends  We believe that Art itself is a form of mindfulness in action. Whether it be drawing, painting, or even collage, engaging in art transports us to a place of quiet reflection, personal expression and allows us to be present in the moment to what is happening. We had fun last term in our YogArt classes making our 3D Mandala mobiles. It is a simple fun activity that you may like to connect and share with your own child or offer to your students. Your materials Paper plates / glue/ scissors / magazines or coloured paper / string / hole punch. Instructions
Share with friends  This week we introduced Mindfulness in our blog and here is a quick reminder of why we are using this wonderful tool. The benefit of practicing mindfulness is we can learn to pause, take a breath and get in touch with what is needed in the moment. Children can develop these skills too, helping them to have greater acceptance, and learn to respond rather than react in life. Here is another simple practice that we have been using in many of our classes ‘Mindfulness of Sound’. It is such a great way to articulate the skill of listening by using the sense of hearing – why not have a go with your child or students! Mindfulness of Sound To begin we sit with a tall spine and relaxed shoulders in a comfortable seat. We begin by showing the students the bells we will use to create the sound. You can use any type of bell for chimes, even a sound bowl or gong, as long as the sound is easy for the children to hear and not too loud. We explain clearly that the bells will be rung and that when the sound has completely finished and they can no longer hear it then they are to raise their right hand into the air. You can repeat the same thing and ask them to raise their left hand in the air – and then you can even remain sitting in the quietness that remains. It is lots of fun, students enjoy the challenge and definitely improve with practice! Share with friends |
AuthorKaren Wightman is the founder of Creative Yogis. She is an experienced, local and international children’s yoga instructor, yoga teacher trainer, and children’s art teacher. YouTube ChannelArchives
February 2021
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