In our newsletter we publish some fun activities which are great for healthy kids

 

Yoga for Kids – Tree Pose (Vrksasana)

This month we put out a special request asking you to send a picture of your child in their favourite pose.

We will then feature them in our newsletter with details about the benefits and how fun it is.

This week we have two girls taught by our teacher Meg who is in this months teacher feature.

Benefits

Strengthens thighs, calves, ankles and spine - Stretches groins and inner thighs, chest and shoulders

Improves sense of balance - Relieves sciatica and reduces flat feet

Challenge

Add a challenge by practicing this pose with your eyes closed.  Learn to balance yourself without any reference to the outside environment.


Eyes around the clock

Creates eye movement for the child.  It is also a great exercise for adults.

Benefits

 • Stretches the eye muscles

• Helps kids to tell the time and learn numbers and location

 • Internally they are activating all parts of the brain

How to do it

 • Take an analog wall clock and place it eye level for the child (if not have them imagine one or create your own)

 • Have your child look up and down from 12 to 6, remember to keep the head still just move the eyes

• Begin to then move the eyes left to right 9 to 3

 • Begin then to move the eyes from 1 to 7, 2 to 8 and so on

• Then move the eyes clockwise 12, 1, 2, 3 etc

 • Then anti clockwise 12, 11, 10 etc
 


Breathing Technique

As we come into summer we will need to find ways to cool our body down.  This is a great breath that will help you and your child or your students to calm their body down and keep cool.  This breath is similar to what dogs do when they overheat.  Similar to their panting however we focus more on a slow sipping breath in through the mouth and out through the nose.

Cooling Breath

This particular breath helps the body cool down and calms the body if they get angry.

Have them sit in sitting positing and stick their tongues out.

Have them curl their tongue into a funnel – some people cannot do this so explain that some tongues are unable to do this.

Have them sip in through their tongue then close their mouth and breathe out through their nose.

Note – breathing out through the nose may be a little hard at first.  Keep encouraging them to breathe out through the nose.
 

Cloud Meditation

Allow yourself to lie down, tuck your chin into the chest, relax your arms, and allow your feet to just fall to the side. Your eyes are closed, your face is relaxed, and your mouth is quiet.

Imagine that you are looking up into the sky, you see lots and lots of clouds, some are fluffy white, some are small, some are big, and some even have funny shapes. 

Find a cloud that you like the best, imagine that cloud is now floating down to the ground, imagine yourself climbing up on the cloud where you feel nice and cozy, just like when you put your head on a big pillow.  

As the cloud takes you up look at all the colours around you, look at all the other clouds, how funny their shapes are.  It is so nice to feel so light and everything around you being so peaceful.

Slowly your cloud moves through the sky bringing you back down to the ground.  Once your cloud lands softly imagine yourself hoping off the cloud, you notice how you feel so relaxed.

Take in 3 big balloon breaths and blow your cloud back up into the sky. Wriggle your fingers and toes. Stretch all through your body, roll over and sit yourself up.