I originally wrote this post for Kids' Yoga Stories but wanted to repost here as well, updated for this 2016's celebration. The year of the Monkey begins Monday, February 8th. 

The air is thick with smoke from endless firecrackers popping in the streets. Oranges heaped in piles like gold and crisp red envelopes containing lucky amounts of money are given with wishes for a prosperous new year. Homes are being cleaned and swept and scrubbed from top to bottom—clearing out bad energy and preparing for a fresh beginning. Families gather around steaming kettles to have “hot pot,” a meal that can last all night with courses of vegetables, meats and little bits of dough shaped like anything from Hello Kitty to baseballs bubble and bounce in the simmering broth, a never-ending feast. Xin nian kuai le! Happy Lunar New Year!

This year, February 8th begins the Year of the Monkey, and celebrations will last for weeks in many parts of Asia, but the holiday is celebrated in almost every part of the world. After spending three years living in Taiwan, my winters back home in the US feel brighter when I find ways to celebrate Chinese New Year—keeping me in touch with a culture that I fell in love with and a place I adopted as another home.

I created this class a few years ago for my 4s-5s at Kids’ Work Preschool in Chicago, where I taught yoga & creative movement classes that went along with their weekly educational themes.

CHINESE NEW YEAR: Yoga and Creative Movement Class for Ages 4-7

Suggested Props and Materials to Prepare and Bring:
-Music (I downloaded a few songs from an album called “Gongs and Drums to Welcome New Year” from iTunes (Taipei Municipal Chinese Classical Orchestra & Chen Chung-sheng)
-A Clementine orange for each student
-Picture cards of the 12 animals of the Chinese zodiac (I searched for printables, colored and laminated them, and cut them out)

Suggested reading for story time before or after yoga:
The Dancing Dragon (Marcia K. Vaughan)
Sam and the Lucky Money (Karen Chinn)
Cat and Rat: The Legend of the Chinese Zodiac (Ed Young)
Bringing in the New Year (Grace Lin)
 
Chinese New Year Yoga & Creative Movement Lesson Plan:

Start with Firecracker Jumps as a warm-up. I played “Attracting with Gongs and Drums” from the album of New Year Music, and the children tried to jump along with the clashing of the cymbals. Squat down low (like Malasana or Frog) and then jump explosively, stretching arms and legs in all directions, making shapes in the air. The firecrackers are loud to scare away evil spirits and bad luck.

Next, we clean the house, a traditional family activity at New Year to prepare for a fresh start. I played the song “Pleasant Trip to Jingchou.” To clean the ceiling, stretch arms high in Standing Upward Reach. Next, wash the dishes with a variation of Lotus Tree.Standing on the left leg, hold right ankle with right hand. Use the left palm to “scrub” the bottom of right foot (the dirty dishes!); change legs and repeat. To wash the floor, stand in Wide-legged Standing Forward Fold and use hands to wash the floor in circular motions. Lastly, lay on the belly in a variation of Locust Pose/Superhero to reach under the bed in search of dust bunnies.

Now that our house is clean, we can eat our delicious “hot pot” dinner, a big kettle of broth that we will cook all of our favorite meats and vegetables in. Sit facing a partner in Wide-Angle Seated Forward Bend (Upavistha Konasana) and allow knees to bend and feet to touch, forming a circular “pot.” Hold hands and stir in circles to each direction.

Now, practice the poses of the animals in the Chinese calendar! There are different stories about how the animals were chosen, but many of them tell how the emperor had a race on his birthday, and the order in which the animals crossed the finish line determined their place in the zodiac. I showed the kids the laminated cards before each pose, and then if you have extra time, you can use the cards for games like Musical Poses (set them around the room in a circle and when the music stops, do the pose you land on), flash card games to review the poses, etc.
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Rat Child’s Pose with elbows on floor, head propped up in hands, wiggle fingers like whiskers.
Ox Cow Pose.
Tiger Cat Pose/Spinal Balance (stretching arms and legs one by one) with growling.
Rabbit Stand on knees, wiggle nose with short breaths, tuck head down toward knees.
Dragon Low Lunge, arms reach up, open-mouth exhale (fire).
Snake Cobra Pose.
Horse Shakti Kicks. From Downward Dog, kick legs up toward seat.
Ram High Crescent Lunge with hands clasped behind head (elbows make shape of ram’s horns).
Monkey Gorilla Pose, swing arms (OR Hanuman’s Pose, starting in a runner’s hamstring stretch).
Rooster Sit in Lotus or Easy Pose, slide hands to floor between thighs and ankles, press down and flap legs like a rooster’s wings. Older/more practiced students could try Bakasana/Crow arm balance instead.
Dog Downward Dog.
Pig Tabletop with hands in fists like hooves and toes curled under, wag curly pink tail and look over each shoulder, twisting side to side.

To finish class, do Lucky Orange Relaxation. Because of their bright color and round shape, oranges symbolize gold coins and good fortune for the coming year. Give each student a Clementine and ask them to lie down on their backs on their mats. Tell children to breathe slow and deep, so the orange stays on their tummy while they rest. They may watch the orange rise up and down with their breath, or they may close their eyes and rest. I played some soft bamboo flute music from China for a few minutes.

Come back to a circle after the rest, sitting cross-legged. Wish each other prosperity for the Year of the Monkey with this gesture: Make a fist with the right hand and cup left hand around the fist. Shake hands slightly forward and back at each friend around the circle, saying Gong xi fa cai, or “congratulations” for the new year (see http://goodcharacters.com/newsletters/gong-xi-fa-cai.html for pronunciation).

Happy Year of the Monkey!
 


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Last week I was inspired by a post by The Art Curator for Kids called "10 Fun Kinesthetic Activities to Do With Art." Originally a ballet dancer, I've dipped my toes into many of the arts, including visual and music, but am by no means trained to teach art or music to kids. However, those studies provide rich material for movement classes, because of the connections that children naturally make between imagery, story, music, nature, and their own embodied experience of life (which they are much more adept at than adults, I believe). Everything can be yoga!


I chose the images below knowing my audience (3-6 year olds), and had them printed in varying sizes from Walgreen's Photo. I had to sacrifice some edges because of cropping constraints, but it ended up being an easier and cheaper option to printing in color and enlarging, which often results in pixellated images. On index cards, I wrote the artist's name, the title of the piece, and the year completed, and put all of these up on the walls in the space where I teach before class using poster tack (yes--it's a lot of prep!). I get thirty minutes each with six classes, so I got to try out the class a few different ways, and heard lots of interesting commentary from the children as well as great feedback from their classroom teachers. Keep reading to find out what I taught and learned!

Circle Time/Introduction/Sharing
As the children settled on their mats, they were full of questions about the pictures on the walls. I explained that we were going to talk about art, because art is very similar to yoga in that it allows us to express ourselves and explore our feelings. I told them I know they are all artists (they agreed!), and we passed around a paintbrush instead of a talking stick, and they each shared what they love to draw the most. Curious about what preschoolers like to draw? Rainbows, princesses, dragons, Anna & Elsa, cars, butterflies, rabbits, cats, lightning storms, and a lot more!

Warmup/Sun Salutations
We used different parts of our bodies to paint in some of the traditional sun salutation poses. I turned on Bob Marley "Jamming'" (from the B is for Bob album for kids--reggae has been helping me deal with this long winter and it always gets the kids moving) and we started by dipping our paintbrushes (hands) into buckets of our favorite colors on the floor. We made circles over our heads with our hands, and pretended to paint a wall in front of us, up and down, up and down. We painted the floor around our feet, our toes and our knees (Forward Fold and Monkey Pose). Then we smeared paint on our stomachs and got down on our mats to paint the mat with our bellies (Wiggling Snake Pose). In Downward Dog, we lifted our back legs one at a time to paint circles in the sky. Next we walked our hands back to our feet and did a Frog Squat, where we stuck our tongues out and "painted" with our tongues! (Make sure to put your tongue back in your mouth before doing any frog jumps!)

Yoga/Creative Movement: "Trip to the Art Museum"
We talked about going to the art museum. I told them museums have a rule about not touching the art (not a bad thing to practice, plus I didn't have time to laminate my images and I'd like to be able to use them for a while). I invited the students to walk around the room and look at all of the pictures, and talk about what they saw. We spent a few minutes discovering the pictures, asking questions and making observations. Several of the children were immediately drawn to the Grandma Moses piece ("I LOVE horses!") as well as Roy Lichtenstein's "Explosion" ("What IS that? POP? BOOM?"). One student pointed to Monet's "Bridge" and told me that his mom has been there, and other students instinctively started making swooshing wave gestures with their hands and arms as they stood in front of Hokusai's "Great Wave."

We returned to our mats and did a pose (or three or four) for each picture we had looked at. With kids this young, it isn't as important to sequence the class like you would for adults (those little gummy bodies can spring into any shape at any time), but I've ordered them more or less as I would for an adult sequence. These are just suggestions, and so many more poses could be interpreted through these pieces! 

• "Petunias" by O'Keeffe: FLOWER POSE. Sit with knees bent and out to sides. Slip hands under shins and lift legs, balancing on seat. Option to have the class sit in a close circle and hold hands (difficult for younger children).
• "The Elephants" by Dali: DALI'S ELEPHANT POSE. We started by doing our typical elephant shape, swinging our arms with hands folded and stomping, but the children were very curious about why these elephants' legs were so long. I told them that Dali liked to draw whatever was in his imagination, even if it did not look like real life. One girl created a special elephant pose, and I loved her version and did it with the rest of the classes. Stand on tiptoes, fold forward and place fingertips on floor. Walk delicately.
• "Checkered House" by Grandma Moses: HORSE POSE. From Downward Dog, kick legs up behind you.
• "Chair" by Van Gogh: CHAIR POSE.
• "Explosion" by Lichtenstein: SQUAT/JUMP. Start in Malasana Squat Pose. Count backwards from 5, and jump up, stretching arms and legs in every direction in the air, yelling "POW" or "POP" or "BOOM" or whatever your students decide is the right exclamation for the picture!
• "Sunday Afternoon" by Seurat: DOWNWARD DOG, MONKEY (I was very impressed that some of the students found the monkey on the leash as it's hidden in the shadows!), RIVER POSE (seated forward fold), BOAT POSE, TREE POSE.
• "Tar Beach" by Ringgold: Faith Ringgold grew up in Harlem, and this picture depicts her family spending time on their rooftop in Harlem. My students could tell that it was New York City, and we talked about the lack of public space and how people create their own outdoor spaces where they can. PICNIC TABLE POSE (Upward Facing Table). Talk about your favorite picnic foods.
• "Great Wave" by Hokusai: MOUNT FIJI POSE, GREAT WAVE POSE (Mountain Pose, Bow Pose/Dhanurasana). In Bow Pose, as the students held their ankles while laying on their bellies and lifting shoulders away from the floor, I went around and held their wrists and ankles, gently rocking them forward and back. It was a new sensation for many of them, but mostly they said it felt good on their bellies (it's a nice stomach stretch and massage).
• "Bridge over Water Lilies" by Monet: BRIDGE POSE.
• "Nu Bleu 1" by Matisse: I told the students the English title of this cut-out, "Blue Nude 1" since I was quite sure they didn't know the meaning of "nude." But they laughed for another reason--they thought I said "Blue Dude 1," which struck them as a hilarious title for a picture. BLUE DUDE 1 POSE (Seated Twist/Ardha Matsyendrasana). We basically mirrored the image of the cutout, with one arm over our head and the other arm at the floor. The kids looked just like the Matisse--it was perfect!
• "Still Life With Guitar" by Picasso: GUITAR POSE (Seated Pigeon). Cradling leg, place foot in crook of opposite elbow, strum shin with fingers. 

Relaxation/Savasana
I had the students get comfortable on their backs for relaxation. I suggested using one finger to draw from your imagination in the air over your head. We listened to "High Tide or Low Tide" from the previously mentioned Bob Marley album, and they drew in the air for a few minutes.

Feel free to comment here or on my Facebook page... what art would you include in a kids' movement or yoga class? What artists do your kids love? 

Photos below are captioned with full title, artist and year completed.

Over my Christmas holiday, I was at Ikea in Minneapolis and couldn't resist buying their circus tent from the children's area. I've taught a kids' yoga class about the circus before, and owning my own Big Top was the perfect reason to revisit circus yoga poses. In planning for the class, I ended up with too many poses for one class, so we had two days of Circus Yoga! In the middle of dreary January, the circus brings us an exciting, colorful escape. The kids are absolutely loving our circus classes, and especially the chance to perform their own mini-show after we've learned all of the poses. The Ikea tent is available for under $20, but you could always use a few chairs and a colorful sheet to create your own Big Top.



I made a sheet of tickets for each child, using a blank "admit one ticket template" found online. Then I found clip art to match all of the poses I wanted to do (see image at bottom of post). You could use my suggestions or create your own! Older children may enjoy having larger tickets that are blank, so that they could draw their own circus acts on their tickets. For the ages that I teach (2-6 years), it worked well to give them a stamp or sticker on each ticket after we'd completed that act, and then they were free to take the tickets home or back to class, where they could color them and show their parents. 

Here are the materials and props I collected for the two classes:

-Playlist: "Circus Music" album by Circus Band on Spotify, plus one song for the snake charmer (I used an untitled song from the album "Sounds of The Indian Snake Charmer" on Spotify)
-A plastic baton (found at dollar store)
-Jump Rope (or other long sturdy rope for "tightrope walking"
-Hula Hoop
-Circus Tent (the Ikea tent folds up to fit in a small tote bag!)
-A "ticket" page for each student, plus stamps or stickers
-Bubbles
-A small fan-shaped paintbrush (any soft clean paintbrush is fine)
-Silk Scarves for fire-breather pose
-A large soft or inflatable ball

I repeated the same breathing exercise and warm-up parade for each of the two classes, with different poses and relaxations to finish (see below).

To introduce our class and tune in to our breath together, we talked about different things you can see at the circus. I told them that people who perform in the circus practice for many, many years and become strong and brave to perform their difficult feats. The fire-breather must be very brave! We know a pose of a person who is strong and brave... the Warrior Pose! In Warrior Pose, hold silk scarf with the front hand, right in front of the face. Taking a deep breath in through the nose, exhale slowly and forcefully through rounded lips to make the scarf move like fire. Try with the other leg and arm forward.

To warm up our bodies and travel to the circus, I turned on a circus march and had them follow the leader (whoever has the baton). I started leading the marching to give them some ideas. We marched in place on our mats with variations: with our arms up, in circles, tapping our knees with our hands, etc. Pass the baton around the room so each student gets a few measures of music to "lead" the parade.

Next I had the parade line up and follow me to the corner where the circus tent was set up (tent flaps closed mysteriously!). Each student got to go inside one at a time to get a ticket which I'd laid on the floor of the tent, and bring the ticket back to their mat. None of my students were afraid to go in, but for some younger students you might want to leave the flaps open or let them go in two at a time.

Back on our mats, we tucked our tickets halfway under the front of our mats so they wouldn't blow around or get stepped on. After each pose, I stamped or stickered their ticket, but you could wait till the end or just use a marker to give them a star.

Circus Poses Part 1

The Monkeys: Swing your arms and legs, do somersaults (if old enough to safely roll), and do a banana pose standing with feet together and palms together overhead, lean to each side.

The Clowns: Take a moment to dramatically put on a curly, colorful wig, a big red nose, and large clown shoes. Stand in an "X" shape with feet apart and wave to all the children. Older children might like to try juggling with a beanbag or hackey sack. Turn your clowns around so everyone has their back to the circle, and then try Wide-Legged Standing Forward Fold and have everyone make silly clown faces at each other from under their legs.

The Trapeze: This could be done in several variations. I had the children do Locust Pose while I held their ankles down, as it becomes possible to lift the chest and shoulders a little higher and "fly" when the feet are stabilized. This is great for building strength in the upper back, as many children are already in the habits of hunching forward to look at an iPad or watch TV. You could also have them do locust pose facing a partner and hold hands. Older children might elaborate on the idea of acrobats, building a pyramid or doing other partner poses.

The Snake Charmer: After explaining that a snake charmer has a snake coiled in a big jar, and that the snake comes out to dance when it hears music, we curled up in Child's Pose. As I turned up the volume on the snake charmer's song, we slithered up off of our thighs to stand on our knees, hands held behind our backs, and swayed from side to side. I turned the volume down and we lowered ourselves back to Child's Pose. The kids really loved this pose and we ended up repeating it several times.

The Seals: Pilates-inspired Seal Pose. Balance on sit bones and lift feet off floor, holding the ankles. Clap soles of feet together. Try rolling back and forth along spine. Pass around the large ball from seal to seal, only using your "flippers" (feet) to move the ball.

The Lion: Begin sitting on knees, with one hand on the floor next to legs. Reach other arm up and over to the side, opening the fingers wide and then clenching into a fist (stretching our paws). Reach to the other side. Scratch fingernails along mat to sharpen claws. Place hands on thighs to do Lion's Breath. Next, use the hula hoop (explaining that it's on fire, so you don't want to touch it with your furry paws!) and let each student crawl or jump through as they roar.

Return to mats for Bubbles Relaxation. Rub some Yoga-Glue on your backs, the back of your head, and your palms so you can stick yourself to the floor, but let the legs hang out up in the air. Turn on some relaxing music and dim lights. Blow some bubbles towards each students feet, telling them to use only their feet to pop them (they'll need to be reminded to keep their palms glued to the floor! When one student asked why he couldn't use his hands, I explained that our hands get to do most of the fun things, but our feet don't usually get to pop bubbles--that seemed to make sense to him).

Close class however you usually do--we give ourselves a big strong hug and say "namaste" to each other, and I thanked them for being brave and trying new things at the circus. I wrote the kids' names on the backs of their tickets and kept them for the following week's class assuring them that they could take home their tickets next time!

Circus Poses Part 2

Begin class with a short review of last week's circus to see what they remember. Repeat Fire-Breathing Warrior Pose and the Parade Warm-Up. Return to the tent to find your ticket from last week.

The Cannonball: I had to explain this act to some of the kids (I had one student asking about "the bomb"--yikes!), but they liked that it involved being hurled through the air and landing on a springy net. We did a squat (Malasana) at the very back of our mats, putting on a helmet for safety (hands clasped over head). Count backwards from 5 and jump to the front of your mat. They wanted to do it again and again!

The Elephants: Stomp your large heavy legs, arms intertwined or hands clasped to make a trunk. We balanced on one leg with our trunks up.

The Tightrope: If you have a co-teacher, they can help with this one; otherwise students can take turns holding the other end of the jump rope. Stretch it taut, holding it a few inches off the floor. Each student takes a turn holding the baton in both hands and walking, one foot in front of the other from one end to the other. Remind the other students to be a great audience by being as still and silent as possible, so the tightrope walker can concentrate!

The Unicycle: Sit in Boat Pose with hands out to the sides for balance and bicycle the legs. Older students who can do Shoulderstand will have fun riding an upside-down unicycle!

Popcorn: With feet on the floor, wrap yourself into a small shape by crouching down with arms around knees, like a tiny popcorn kernel. Spring into a jump with arms and legs outstretched and shout "POP!" Repeat several times so you can fill up a box! What other circus snacks do you know of? Can you make a pose for them?

The Circus Tent: Stand facing a partner with your hands on each other's shoulders. Take a few steps back from each other for a nice back stretch.

The Performance: If you have time, this is a fun way to end class. Let each student go in to the tent to think of which act they loved best (or make up their own). With some music on, they can pop out of the tent and do a pose and take a bow (encourage good audience support, cheering and clapping)!

Face-Painting Relaxation: Return to mats and lie down with soft music and dim lights. Using the paintbrush, softly trace each student's eyebrows, bridge of nose, and cheekbones. They always have the option to say "no thank you," but my students love it and usually ask for another turn. I love watching their facial muscles relax (except for little smiles)!

Come back to a seat and close class.

If anyone has suggestions for a good children's book about the circus, please post in the comments below! I didn't have time to research a good story to go with this class, but would love to hear from other parents and teachers with bigger libraries than mine.

If you teach your own circus-themed class, please link to your blog or add your circus poses and games to the comments!

When I tell people that I teach yoga to preschoolers, I am often met with amused skepticism. Many people seem to think that my goal is to get a group of 3 year olds to sit still and meditate for a half hour. It's not! We move in every pose, with accents of stillness throughout a class. However, we always finish our classes with relaxation, and I observe how much the kids appreciate and enjoy that rest at the end of class--even if it lasts for about a minute!

Here are some of my favorite ways to introduce and practice savasana, final resting pose, with preschoolers. Of course, preceding these relaxations, I have already begun to bring the energy down by softening the volume of my voice, dimming overhead lights when possible, and sometimes turning on some soft, relaxing music to set the tone. I always give the children the option to say "no thank you" to being touched. If you work in classrooms, check in with the classroom teacher to find out if any students have sensory processing disorders, and allow those students to observe and develop trust over time. In some cases, they will never participate in certain parts of the yoga class or be comfortable with touch, but I have had students with sensory processing disorders go from screaming during yoga to being the ones who look the most peaceful and happy during savasana, asking me for extra "bunny kisses." Still, I always quietly ask students or wait for a verbal request or nod and smile, as no one feels the same every day.

Friendly Frogs (see image above)
Imagine you are a round, smooth stone in a cool pond. Curl into your rock shape (child's pose), resting your forehead on the ground or make a pillow with your hands. There are some happy, friendly frogs hopping around the pond. If you hold very still, they will know it's safe to hop across the stones. You will feel them land on your back and say hello!  Walk around the room and gently give a quick shoulder/upper back massage to each student. When all students have been visited by the frogs, invite them to turn into children again and sit up from their rock shape. To bring movement back into the body, ask, Can you wiggle the part of your body where you felt the frogs hop? 

Bunny Kisses 
Let's pretend we have been walking through a lovely garden. Now we are tired and want to rest for a while. Find a cozy spot under your favorite tree and lie down in the soft, cool grass. Your tree could be tall or short, have lots of colorful leaves, or just strong branches. You might smell sweet flowers on the breeze. Perhaps you can hear a bird singing to you. A gentle, shy bunny is hopping around the garden. Wait for the bunny to hop over your face and give you a soft kiss on your forehead. Walk around the room and brush a cotton ball across each child's forehead and nose in a "T" shape. After each child has been visited, quietly invite everyone to open their eyes and sit up and stretch. Ask students to take turns sharing about their unique experiences--what their tree was like, sounds they heard, scents they smelled, and anything else they felt.

Peaceful Paintbrush (my favorite! I usually play "Underneath the Rainbow" and "Colors" by Kira Willey during this relaxation)
Take out a paintbrush and introduce it as The Peaceful Paintbrush. I like to use a fan brush as they are very soft, but any shape and size will do as long as the bristles are soft! This relaxation can be done as a seated meditation, sitting criss-cross with hands upturned on knees, or laying down in savasana, with your back on the floor and arms along sides, palms upturned. Imagine you are holding a paint pot in each hand. Make a little cup with your hand and set the paint pots gently on your knees/next to your resting body.  The paint is your favorite color--a color that makes you feel peaceful and happy when you think of it. You might have the same color in both hands, or maybe you have two favorites. Hold your paint pots very still and I will come get a little paint from your hands and brush some of the beautiful color across your forehead. After you get painted, make sure to hold still so the paint can dry! ... Now everyone has been painted. Let's sit up and open our eyes and look around at our colorful friends! Now rub your hands together to mix the leftover paint. You can rub a little more paint anywhere else on your body where you want to feel more peaceful. Let's dry the paint now. Hold your hands in front of your face and take a deep breath in through your nose. Breathe out and dry off your hands (model an inhale through the nose and a cooling exhale through rounded lips) and fan off your face with your hands. Share with the class what colors made you feel peaceful and happy today.

Buddy Breathing/Pom Pom Belly Breath
Let each student choose a "buddy"--a small stuffed animal, soft toy or beanbag. This is easy to do in a family or playgroup class, or at a birthday party where you can instruct each student to bring their favorite lovey. If you don't have enough animals to go around, you can easily do belly breath with fuzzy pom poms (available at dollar or hobby stores for a few dollars per bag--I like the larger size for this purpose). Lie down with your buddy  (or pom pom) balanced on your belly. Breathe in and out. Do you see your buddy moving up and down? Watch for a little while. Notice how slowly you have to breathe so your buddy doesn't fall down. Can you close your eyes and keep breathing your buddy up and down? If it falls, don't worry, pick it up and put it back on your belly and breathe again. Relaxing can take just as much practice as doing difficult yoga poses. Now roll to the side and curl into a little ball around your buddy, and snuggle for a moment. When you're ready to sit up, sit criss cross with your buddy in your lap (or holding your fuzzy pom pom in one hand.

Foot Massage
This can be tricky in schoolrooms where there are lots of rules regarding scents and allergies, but if you get the green light, the kids love it. It is always a hit in studios or family classes. Bring some lotion (paraben-free, organic, as clean as possible). While adults like experimenting with various essential oil scents, kids like fruity or sweet smells like coconut, vanilla, berry, cocoa butter, etc. Have students relax, lying down, with their socks off. Warm lotion between hands before massaging each child's feet and ankles.

Sleeping Bag
If you're lucky enough to teach somewhere with a yoga mat for each student, this can be a great way to finish a class where you've done some camping or hiking poses. It can also be called an enchilada, fruit roll-up, bug-in-a-rug, cocoon, etc! Have each child lay at the top of their mat, perpendicular to the mat (so their head and feet are off the mat). Let them choose if they want their arms in or out--but usually I only give this choice to older kids who I have been working with for a while. In general you may want to start with everyone's arms out, so start them with their arms up over their head. Roll them up inside their yoga mat, leaving them face up and checking in with their comfort before moving to the next student. When everyone is cozy in their "sleeping bag," you can guide them through a relaxation about looking at the stars and moon in the clear night sky. Make sure they know they are free to unroll any time they want, but encourage them to enjoy the feeling of being secure in their snug wraps.

Other Sensory Props for Similar Relaxations

Feathers: for brushing across children's foreheads or watching effects of breath.

Fringed or silky scarf: for draping across child from head to toe while lying down.

Smooth Stones: (bags of decorative river rocks available at dollar/hobby shops) for balancing on the third eye area (between eyebrows) or holding one in each palm.

Paper Fan: for fanning children from head to toe as they rest. Perfect for over-warm classrooms, after an especially active class, or in summertime.

Are you a kids' movement or yoga teacher? How do you bring down the energy in your class? What are your tips and tricks for helping children enjoy stillness and reflection after movement? Parents and schoolteachers--when do your kids need relaxation the most? Have you found ways to integrate stillness and rest throughout the day? Share your ideas here or on Facebook by liking Little Friends Yoga and Creative Movement!

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As lovely as the autumn season is, it brings with it the excitement and busyness of a new year of school. The transition from long light-filled days, hot weather, and more irregular schedules to having more responsibilities, less time at home and shorter days is a lot for young children to adjust to. However, young ones are experts at adapting, and the children in my classrooms have already come a long way over the past month (fewer tears, more fun!). The cooler weather can be invigorating, and it's a good time to increase movement and exercise outside in the fresh crisp air.

I recently read a blog on the Washington Post that talked about children’s “inability to sit still in class,” which has historically been viewed as a problem to solve. Through testing a group of 5th graders, it was found that only 1 in 12 students had what was considered “normal strength and balance” for children in similar tests in the early 1980’s! “Ironically, many children are walking around with an underdeveloped vestibular (balance) system today–due to restricted movement. In order to develop a strong balance system, children need to move their body in all directions, for hours at a time,” writes Angela Hanscom, pediatric occupational therapist. She concludes: “In order for children to learn, they need to be able to pay attention. In order to pay attention, we need to let them move.” (Read the full article here: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/wp/2014/07/08/why-so-many-kids-cant-sit-still-in-school-today/) This is why I am so passionate about bringing yoga, creative movement and dance into classrooms as often as possible. Moving bodies hold learning minds! 

Try these autumn-inspired breath and movement activities with your family or classroom:

Dip Dance (via Maria’s Movers: http://mariasmovers.com/2014/09/23/dip-dance/)
To celebrate Rosh Hashanah this week, or simply indulge in autumn’s bounty! What does it mean to “dip?” How can you dip different parts of your body (into a big bowl of honey… or caramel)?

Music to Inspire Movement
Autumn (Allegro) by Vivaldi (Available on Spotify/iTunes/YouTube)
Autumn Leaves are Falling Down (Sing to tune of “London Bridge)
5 Autumn Leaves by Sticky Kids (Spotify)
Leaves are Falling by Rebecca Frezza & Big Truck (Spotify)

Fall Breath & Visualization (for relaxation, focus, redirection)
In autumn, leaves are blown off the trees and fall gently to the earth. Let’s imagine your breath is falling out of your mouth like a leaf to the ground. Begin sitting comfortably with legs crossed. Take a slow breath in through your nose. Open your mouth and breathe out, sighing “ahhhhhhhhhh” until all the breath has gone out. Doesn’t it feel good? Try again, this time imagining it is an orange leaf you are breathing down to earth. What other colors could you breath out in your Fall Breath? Repeat with as many colors as you want.


Wishing all of you a bright fall season!

This year, the Mid-Autumn Festival will be celebrated on September 8, in Chinese, Vietnamese, and Taiwanese communities across the world. One year, while I was living in Taiwan, I spent the holiday with my friend and her family in southern Taiwan. We grilled out over metal racks in the street (as did everyone else in the neighborhood--the smell was incredible!), sang karaoke, ate moon cakes till we popped, and peeled the thick green skins off pomelo fruit and wore them as hats, as is tradition. Central to the holiday is the story of Hou-yi, a hero skilled at hunting, his wife Chang-e, and the Jade Rabbit. As children know the story well, I used the story to teach a kids'  yoga class around Mid-Autumn Festival. 

There are many versions of the story (see literature recommendations below), but here is how I heard it most often:

In ancient China, there once appeared ten suns in the sky. It was unbearably hot, the crops were dying, the rivers drying up, and the people knew they would not survive. A hero named Hou Yi, who was brave and skilled at archery , climbed to the top of Mt. Kunlun with his bow and arrow and shot nine of the ten suns down. The people were saved from disaster and Hou Yi became a respected master teacher, with many archery students. One of his students was a cunning, devious man named Peng Meng. Hou Yi married a lovely girl named Chang Er and they were a devoted couple adored by all. One day, as Hou Yi was traveling to Mt. Kunlun, he saw the Jade Empress, a heavenly goddess, who gave him a pill of immortality which would change a mortal into an eternal deity. However, Hou Yi was reluctant to take the pill and leave his wife alone on Earth, so he gave it to Chang Er and asked her to store it somewhere safe. Hou Yi's sly student, Peng Meng, overheard their conversation, and waiting till Chang Er was alone, he stormed into their house with a sword, demanding the pill. Chang Er did not want to give it to him for fear he would use it for evil, so she swallowed it herself. Immediately, she became light and began floating into the sky beyond her control. As she floated higher, she began to miss her husband Hou Yi terribly, and saw that the moon was the closest body to Earth, she landed there so that she could still see her beloved husband. When Hou Yi came home and realized what had happened, he ran out into the garden, crying for his wife. He looked up and saw her unmistakeable shadow moving around on the moon. He understood that she had become a deity on the moon, and he set up an altar of incense, fruits and snacks as a memorial to Chang Er. Ever since then, people have been placing offerings and praying to the kind-hearted goddess of the moon to grant them peace and happiness.


Chang Er is not alone on the moon. The Jade Rabbit and Wu-Gang, the woodcutter, also live there with her, and they have their own stories of how they came to join her. Some say that the Rabbit Fairy couldn't bear to see Chang Er alone on the moon, so she sent her youngest daughter to keep her company.


Children's Books for Mid-Autumn Festival (see Amazon)

Thanking the Moon: Celebrating the Mid-Autumn Moon Festival (by Grace Lin)
Mooncakes (by Loretta Seto)
Celebrating the Mid-Autumn Festival (by Sanmu Tang)

Yoga for Mid-Autumn Festival

Sun Salutations Can you do ten rounds, one for each of the suns in the sky? (modified variation for kids: Reach up, fold forward and step back, bringing belly to ground and shoulders raised for Cobra/Snake. Press hands down and come to hands and knees, moving through Table pose to Downward Dog. Hop feet forward to begin again)

Mountain Pose Hou Yi climbed Mt. Kunlun to get better aim at the blazing suns.

Archer's Pose Sitting down, extend one leg forward with the other knee bent, foot on floor. With first two fingers of each hand, hold on to big toe of each foot, lifting the leg closest to you and drawing the foot back toward the ear. (photo via www.alannak.com)


Bow and Arrow Poses Bow (Dhanurasana) and Side Plank Pose for Arrow (what other poses could look like an arrow? Warrior 3 with palms together, outstretched? For younger children, perhaps side-lying on the floor with toes pointed and arms overhead--which is still a difficult way to balance and builds strength and body awareness!)

Floating/Flying How would it look if you started to float and fly up into the sky like Chang Er?

Crescent Moon Pose Chang Er lands on the moon. Begin kneeling and step one foot forward, shifting weight onto front foot (Low Lunge). Reach arms up, palms together, look up. Other moon-related poses are Standing Crescent (stand with feet together, palms touching and arms outstretched as you lean from side to side) and Half Moon Pose (more challenging).

Rabbit Pose For the Jade Rabbit, Chang Er's friend on the moon. Sitting on shins, bring the crown of the head to floor in front of knees. Lift seat away from heels and stretch arms alongside calves.

Happy September! It's good to be back in schools (and out of schools, I love getting to teach outdoors in Central Park) with little learners who love to move. 

Here's a fun playlist for your littles (that won't make you feel the need to pop an aspirin!) as you enjoy the last sunny warm days of the year.

http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLgh7mfXDiWZB4Z9dNNxhksl72hPcYINeW

During summer vacation, many people travel to national parks, forests and beaches across our beautiful country. Try these activities and poses with your family, summer camp kids or kids' yoga class, not only to explore the wildlife and landforms protected in the park system, but to bring up the ideas of not taking things we don't need and preserving nature for generations to come. Embellish the class by asking what parks your students have been to and what they saw there, and creating your own poses for those experiences. Also, let your students choose transportation between each park visit (Boat? Car? Airplane? Helicopter? Bus?).

“Take only pictures, leave only footprints.” This is the golden rule when talking about exploring in nature, especially in our national park system where the land and wildlife are protected by law in order to preserve it forever, as naturally as possible. Even though you might see something beautiful, you don’t need it--a picture or memory is enough. We should not be greedy with our natural resources, taking or using more than we need is a waste. Ask students their thoughts about what might happen if you try to take a small animal from the wild and try to keep it as a pet, or what would happen if everyone took the flowers from a community garden. Practice taking “mental pictures” or making memories. Hold up a picture showing a beautiful nature scene and let them look at it for about ten seconds. Tell them to take a picture of it in their mind. Put the picture away and ask them to describe what they were able to keep with them in their mind.

Movement Game: Share the Musical Chair 
Like musical chairs/musical mats, but no one is ever “out.” Begin with one mat/chair/newspaper for each student. When music is stopped, everyone finds a spot and then one (or more) place is removed for the next round. For all following rounds, players must make space for each other and share the remaining spots, which could mean squeezing together, sharing a lap, holding hands or elbows, etc.

National Park Yoga We will take a journey to some of our country’s beautiful national parks. We will see and do many things! Remember that we do not need to take anything home with us except for our pictures and memories. Try to remember as many poses as you can, and we will try to list all of them after our yoga adventure!

Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming
Grand Teton Mountain Pose--This park has a mountain climbing school! Stand as strong as the 13,776-ft high Grand Teton!

Lassen Volcanic National Park, California
Volcano Pose-- This hot spot has a Volcano Club for kids! The park contains all four types of volcanoes (shield, plug, cinder cone, composite). Begin in Malasana (squat) with hands together at heart center. Feel the heat of the lava bubbling around you and jump up as your volcano explodes.

Biscayne National Park, Florida
Boat/Canoe Pose--Since 95% of this park’s territory is underwater, you have to use a boat to see it! There’s a lot of history under the water here, including some shipwrecks! (Students love to sink their boat at the mention of a shipwreck)

Great Sand Dunes National Park, Colorado
Sandboarder Pose--In Warrior 2, imagine you’re trying this fun sand sport on a special board made for cruising down the hills of sand. Be sure to avoid areas with trees and bushes!

Cape Cod National Seashore, Massachusetts
Bicycle Abs--Biking is the best way to get around the Cape.
Pine Tree Pose--The pine forests in Cape Cod are controlled and kept as “young forests” by burning them very carefully. This keeps the habitat at its best for the wildlife there. Do tree pose with fingertips touching overhead like the top of a pine tree.

Acadia National Park, Maine
Harbor Seal--Modify Sphinx pose so hands and forearms point out to sides instead of forward. Bend knees and clap feet together.
Green Sea Urchin--They prefer living in the rocky, cold, northern waters of both the Pacific and Atlantic. Lay on back and stick legs and arms straight up to ceiling like the urchin’s spiny needles. See if you can slowly move your arms and legs without bending your knees or elbows!
Orange Sea Star--From Urchin pose, lay down and extend arms and legs out in an “x” shape, stretching as far as possible. Rest and imagine cool water flowing over you.

What do you remember? See how many of the poses the kids can remember from your National Park Tour. Why shouldn’t we take things from parks? (we don’t need those things, leaving them there is helping preserve nature and allows the beauty/wonder to be shared with everyone, wild animals/plants can’t survive out of their habitat, etc.) What can we do instead to remember things we’ve seen or done? (Take photos/videos, make memories in our minds, write in a journal about our impressions, etc.)

Find more information about and pictures of national parks at: http://www.nps.gov/kids/ 

Happy Summer Vacation or Staycation! 

For both kids and adults, summer is a great time to focus on health and physical activity. We crave fresh, juicy fruits and crunchy vegetables (beets and cucumbers are great cooling foods!), and we typically drink more as our thirst signals are more obvious. Staying hydrated is extra important in summer activities. Skip sugary sodas (even the "natural" sodas available at health food stores are high in sugar) and try creating your own refreshing fizzy drinks using the juice of freshly squeezed limes, lemons and oranges, a natural sweetener like honey or agave, and a bit of crushed mint--poured into carbonated water. Or, try a mix of herbal teas, brewed by the sun and served over ice with a splash of juice or sparkling water. See www.frontiercoop.com/learn/hs_summerteas.php --I love the serving suggestions at the end of the article! Most herbal teas are safe for kids and offer interesting and complex flavors without the added sugar, preservatives and colorings found in many drinks marketed for children. Another fun experiment in taste and health is to make your own infused ice cubes to drop into water or seltzer water. Nutrition Stripped has excellent ideas and instructions for infused ice cubes--for kids' and adults' summer drinks!

In summer weather, our bodies are ready for yoga! It takes less time to warm the muscles to the point where we can safely stretch. Earlier sunrises can inspire movement earlier in the day (sun salutations!) and summer adds an element of laid-back fun to our yoga practice. Try this variation on sun salutations with your kids--on the beach, in the grass, or in the comfort of your air-conditioned living room! Play some Beach Boys or your own favorite summer tunes. Finish up with a breathing exercise that cools and calms the body and mind.


Hot-sand Hop: Jump from one foot to the other, lifting knees up high, as though walking on hot sand.

Lighthouse: Stand with feet a little wider than your shoulders, reach your arms up and press your palms together.

Lifeguard: Make “binoculars” with your hands around your eyes and twist from side to side, looking for swimmers who may need your help.

Seashell Snatch: Fold forward, bending the knees slightly and swaying from side to side so that your fingertips slide across the floor, as though sifting through the sand for seashells.

Surfboard Paddle: Lay on tummy as though on a surfboard, lifting legs off the floor, use your arms to paddle out into the ocean.

Surfer Chic/Surfer Dude: Jump up off the floor and land with your feet wide apart, with your front knee bent (Warrior II) and your arms up for balance. Ride the waves!

Cooling Breath (Sitali Pranayama): Imagine you are taking a long slow sip out of a straw. Make a small circle with your lips and breath in as though pulling air up through the straw. Swallow, close your lips and exhale through the nose. Several rounds of this breath cools down the body, eases upset feelings and restores balance between mind and body.

As the days grow longer and fuller of sunshine and warming weather, we begin to feel more expansive and energetic after the long, dark, cold winter. We feel a calling to spend more time outdoors and be more active throughout the day, and allow our hunched-up hibernation limbs to stretch out. Here are a few fun poses that you can practice at home or in class with your children to encourage the re-awakening of movement and creativity this spring! Each pose in this sequence can spark creative conversation about spring and gardens. You can also make up your own poses for animals and bugs you might discover in a budding garden, and for the types of fruits, vegetables and flowers you imagine planting!

Start with Bumblebee Breath. Take a big breath in through your nose and as you exhale (through nose), hum for as long as you can. Feel the vibrations against your lips and inside your mouth.

“Garden Gate”
(Parighasana/Gate Pose)

Begin kneeling, with toes tucked under. Slide one leg out to the side, keeping the bottom of the foot connected to the floor and toes pointed forward. Slide the same hand as extended leg down onto the thigh or outer shin and reach opposite arm up and over head, stretching out the side of the body. Take a few breaths here and repeat on the other side.

“Watering Can”
(Trikonasana/Triangle Pose)

Step feet wide, turning front toes forward. Stretch arms apart and tip sideways like a watering can being poured out, until hand meets shin for support. Water some vegetables! Come back up and repeat on the other side, watering the flowers! Repeat as many times as you want, naming different types of sprouts that you are watering.

“Baby Bean Sprout”
(Navasana/Boat Pose)

Balance on sitting bones as though firmly rooted in the ground. Extend legs forward (knees bent or straight), leaning upper body back. Use abdominal muscles to keep body in a "v" shape, like two leaves of a sprout. Lift chin, looking toward the sun!

“Plow”
(Halasana/Plow Pose)

Lay on your back and rock legs up and over, and start by resting your hips in your hands (elbows supporting on the floor). If that is comfortable, let the arms hold the legs or stretch forward on the floor, palms down. Reach toes for the floor, perhaps brushing the floor like a plow turning up soil. Slowly roll down and rest on back for a few breaths.

Finish up with some quiet Bunny Breaths. Take three short sniffs in through the nose (wiggling your nose up like a rabbit) and then one long slow breath out through the nose. Repeat several times.



Pose images courtesy of  http://www.yoga-training-you.com/