You don’t need to teach the yoga poses – the deck of 50 Pose Cards will do that for you, with detailed pose instructions and photographs of children doing the pose. Each card also lists several Fun Tips for Curriculum Integration to assist you in connecting the poses to core curriculum areas. In addition, the program provides some ready-made Lesson Plans, with which you and your students will explore the world within and around you.

No problem. The Pose Card instructions and photographs provide enough information for you to cue the children as they move into the poses. Still, you may surprise yourself with the number of poses you can do, and how your abilities will increase with practice, if you chose to do the poses along with the students.

You can customize the program to fit your individual needs. Students will benefit from as little as a 30-second transition breath, a two-minute desk break, or up to a full 30-minute lesson plan with activities. The possibilities are endless. You may find that when you incorporate yoga into your class time regularly, you actually have more time for academics – because you will spend less time helping students transition from one activity to another, and less time managing classroom behavior issues.

The word yoga means union. Yoga is an ancient philosophy and practice that teaches the mind and body to unite and work in harmony to create a more balanced and responsive individual.

A unique element of the YogaKids program is founder Marsha Wenig ’s belief in educating the “whole child” with yoga as a pathway to learning. Using the Multiple Intelligences Theory of Harvard educator Howard Gardner as a foundation, each pose becomes a springboard for integrated learning activities that explore academic subjects such as anatomy, earth sciences, math, language, music, and art in innovative, playful ways. In YogaKids classes, traditional, “grown-up” yoga poses become age-appropriate poses and activities, frequently incorporating sound and movement, and stimulating creative expression.

YogaKids has been featured in publications and broadcasts worldwide, and has won three Parent’s Choice Awards, two Kids First! Coalition of Quality Children’s Media Awards, and an Aegis Award. Drs. Deepak Chopra and Andrew Weil have endorsed YogaKids.

YOGA…

• Improves posture, flexibility, strength, balance, and coordination.
• Encourages positive thinking and a motivation to learn new things.
• Balances the brain to enhance concentration, focus, creativity, and clarity – supporting academic success.
• Teaches breathing and relaxation techniques that improve respiration, increase energy, and decrease anxiety.
• Fosters self-esteem and self-acceptance.
• Is a non-competitive activity that can be enjoyed by children of all abilities.
• Enables children to know themselves better and learn to trust their instincts.
  

YOGAKIDS…

• Honors each child’s unique way of absorbing and integrating information, so all students can learn in the style that suits them best.
• Helps children acknowledge and nurture their special gifts and strengths – from playing sports to playing a musical instrument.
• Allows children to experience fun, playfulness, and collaboration with others as part of the learning process

At YogaKids International, we believe that children learn best when stress is low, self-esteem is high, and the environment is motivating and nurturing. The YogaKids philosophy de-emphasizes perfection, rigidity, and competition. In moving through a yoga pose, the goal is not to attain the perfect form, or compare oneself with others, but to be aware of the feel of the pose in the moment, and to use the pose as a springboard to learning without tension or expectations. Kids who are relaxed and having fun while learning will succeed in school.

A 2003 California State University study shows a link between yoga and better learning, improved behaviors, and higher self-esteem. This makes perfect sense to the many Certified YogaKids® Facilitators who are working in academic settings. Students quickly learn to use yoga as a tool, not just to increase physical fitness, but also to manage their feelings and behaviors, and to create a mental state ready for learning and taking tests.

The YogaKids Tools for Schools program uses the benefits of yoga and movement to maximize the learning process:

• Partner and group poses require students to work together as a team, creating positive social interaction.
• Balancing poses build focus and concentration.
• Some yoga exercises can help students relax, calming pre-test jitters.
• Other, more invigorating yoga techniques are useful for waking up a sluggish mind before class.
• Yoga offers children healthy ways to express their emotions, rather than bottling them up or striking out.
• Slow, even, “belly breaths” short-circuit the fight-or-flight response to stress, and promote a more relaxed, comfortable state.
• A non-competitive yoga atmosphere where everyone can succeed fosters a can-do attitude, confidence, and enthusiasm.
• Yoga can be used to teach concepts and content in science, language arts, social studies, math, music, art, and more.

toolsforschools@yogakids.com