Yoga Kids, May 27 - June 21, 2024

Join me in Tagbilaran, Bohol for the Summer of Growth where kids spend their summer break learning arts and crafts, yoga and meditation, and intellectual play.

Venue: SmartMod Balays, Capital, Hangos Street, Tagbilaran, 6300 Bohol

Yoga for Grown-ups, May 27 - June 21, 2024

Join me in Tagbilaran, Bohol for the Summer of Growth where parents of "Yoga Kids" or working adults take on a journey of Transformation through the proven benefits of Yoga.

Venue: SmartMod Balays, Capital, Hangos Street, Tagbilaran, 6300 Bohol

Country > Philippines > Bohol > Tagbilaran
Date > 2024 > May
Activity > Yoga | Meditation

May 7, 2024

Yoga and Meditation for Kids

Location : Tagbilaran, Bohol, Philippines

For Kids?
One of the many things I'll be doing for Kat with her advocacy is yoga and meditation for kids. I have my competence with yoga and meditation, but teaching kids? This is new ground and I need help. Fortunately, there is A.I., Youtube and yoga friends who are already doing this.

Tips for Teaching Children’s Yoga

Be childlike - this shifts the mindset and makes you more playful, more patient, more tolerant. Don't be too serious. Kids will behave differently from adults
Tell a story - kids have a short attention span and story telling keeps them engaged. e.g. Tree Pose "imagine yourself to be a tall mighty tree....reaching towards the sun while your roots are firmly planted on mother earth."
Plan B - if the set class doesn't work, have an alternate plan on hand. If the Vinyasa part is boring them, resort to Partner Yoga.
Teach the principles of Yoga - games and yoga play are fun, but keep them grounded on what yoga is, why and benefits. If need be, stop the session to explain something important
Slow down - kids are hyper. Make the yoga class slow so that they could also observe the movement. Don't rush anything. Start the class with slow breathing
Be patient - some kids will get it fast, others will be slow. Kids will be fidgety and will easily be distracted by someone coming in, a sound from the outside, an itch, etc. Be patient

Class Rules

Come on time - we start on time so come on time. This is a habit that should be instilled in new yogins
No snacking an hour before - with physical and breathing exercises, the stomach has to be empty
Washroom/Water - drink water and go to the washroom before class so there is no disruption

Class Progression

Introduction - I'm Gigit, one hour class, congrats for being productive during summer break, not what you see in Instagram
What is Yoga? - technique that makes us happy, strong, healthy, and be good in school. We achieve this by using very simple methods - movement of the body, controlled breathing and focused attention. That's it. That's yoga. It has nothing to do with the difficult poses people post online.
Why Yoga? - strong, happy, full of energy, you don't get sick, magical things happen
Movement - safety edge, don't push it, Vinyasa w/o breath, w/o mindfulness
Breathing - on the first class, teach them how to breathe properly - full chest, full belly, holding (upper back breathing is later on). Then explain nose breathing, slow breathing, deep breathing, steady breathing, inflating full and ehaling empty, practice same Vinyasa with breathing
Mindfulness - 3 friends (most important), most difficult, practice counting until it fails, magical things, practice same Vinyasa with breathing + mindfulness
Pranayama - 10 mins of different kinds of pranayama, one per day. eg. Ujjayi breathing, Nadi shodan, Kapalbhati, Chandra/Surya bhedan, Brahmari, Sitali + Lion's breath
Full Vinyasa with Ujjayi breathing - 10 mins
Partner Yoga - one partner yoga pose only. We don't want to make this too much fun

Boat

Child's Pose

Plank

Forward Bend

Chair

Leaning Back

Tree

Meditation - 10 mins, one type per day. eg. Anapana, Vipassana, Nada, Sambhavi, Kumbhaka
Gratitude - 5 mins.
a) kids - family, home, food, friends, education
b) adults - employment, freedom, health, money, love life

Dry Run
(May 7) 4 kids including a 5-year old, KG and Kat attended the first dry run. I timed it exactly one hour and was able to fit the entire planned program. But it was challenging. This was the first time I ever taught kids yoga. They easily get distracted by a noise, by what the other person is doing, and often ask for a water break. Overall, I feel that it was a very start for them as I got them established on the 3 foundation legs of yoga - movement, breath and mindfulness. It's easy to introduce asana later on that can challenge them.

Ending Thoughts
While watching kid's meditation videos on Youtube, I noticed that the 'teacher' is taking the kid into a fantasy feel-good adventure that makes him feel positive and relaxed - that is nice and dandy if the objective is to make the kid feel good. I have to disagree with this approach. The intention of meditation is to disconnect the mind from the thinking process so that the mind is able to distinguish 'thinking' from 'observing the thoughts without reacting to them'. By letting the kid fantasize about a scene is to have the mind go into the rabbit hole with the thought. Awareness is not developed and a meditative state is not achieved. Because of that, I had to develop my own style.

--- Gigit (TheLoneRider)
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