Zensational Kids, LLC founder and OT, Allison Morgan, shares how she is using the Yoga 4 Classrooms Card Deck to meet the needs of various learning styles in the classroom...... specifically, she shares some wonderful ideas on how to use yoga to prepare kids for handwriting activities. 

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Thoughts on Mindful Awareness Practices in Education, a thought-provoking, must-read article, written by Ramaa Reddy Raghavan, posted today (12/27/11) at The Huffington Post.

"My last three articles dealt with a burgeoning phenomenon -- mindful awareness -- which has been gaining popularity among public and private school administrators, as a method to help kids relax, become more attentive and less aggressive at school. In this concluding piece, I present thoughts from established mindfulness practitioners who discuss the state of mindfulness research, from its practice pitfalls and nuanced lexicon, to its necessity in today's complex world."  Read full article here...

Comments from Yoga 4 Classrooms founder, Lisa Flynn:

SEL (social/emotional learning), resilience, stress reduction, improved academic performance and many other benefits relevant to education and whole child wellness, are natural outcomes of these practices (see research cited in the article), but as Dr. Jennings states, the approach for teaching mindful awareness to children can and should be quite different than with adults. Reputable programs designed for schools understand this and incorporate kid-friend­ly approaches which include breathing, movement, reflection­, focusing exercises, discussion­s, community building exercises and more.

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6 Tools That Support Kids Social Emotional Development for 2012 and Beyond!

Great suggestions provided by our friends at Move With Me Action Adventures includes our very own Yoga 4 Classrooms Card Deck.

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The Omazing Kids Yoga review of our new Yoga 4 Classrooms Card Deck is well, Omazing!  We especially appreciate that Angela Moorad, the founder, notes the features that we feel make the deck and Yoga 4 Classrooms program unique, comprehensive and user-friendly.  



Highlights of the review....



Wow…. The new Yoga 4 Classrooms Activity Card Deck has it all!  The Y4C card deck provides an easy to use, well-rounded & comprehensive approach to yoga for kids. It is a “must have” for classroom teachers & kids yoga teachers.

Here’s what I LOVE about the Y4C Card Deck:



    •    Yoga is so much more than just “poses” so it is refreshing to see this expressed so well in a kids yoga product!

   

•    The instructions on the back of the card are easy to understand & often provide ideas for partner variations, ideas to include books & music and other classroom extension ideas.

   

•    The cards would be very easy to use in any setting with the use of standing & chair poses (no need for yoga mats or floor space) and do not have anything in them that could be viewed as “religious” (no Sanskrit words, Om symbols, etc..) thus avoiding the potential objections school administration or parents might have.

   

•    The cards are colorful & large enough to be seen in a group setting.

   

•    The cards are color-coded by category.

   

•    The illustrations on the cards depict kids of diverse ethnicities & abilities.

  

•    The words on the front of each card capture the essence & purpose of that activity or pose and would be easy to use as “affirmations”.

  

•    The “Be Well” cards  address “Yamas” & “Niyamas” of yoga via “Character Education” in a classroom-friendly way. Yamas are social disciplines –  how we behave toward others & Niyamas are personal disciplines – how we care for ourselves.



READ THE FULL REVIEW AND ENTER THE GIVEAWAY CONTEST HERE.

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December 15th, 2011
By Faye Martins

People of all ages and abilities can benefit from Hatha Yoga. It gently stretches muscles and ligaments, facilitates blood flow within the body, and encourages deep breathing. The yogic philosophy includes taking the time to breathe consciously, and still the mind for a time. People can benefit from quick yoga breaks throughout the day, where they stretch, breathe, and re-energize the body and mind. If schools incorporated yoga into the curriculum, or trained teachers to incorporate it into individual classrooms, perhaps students and teachers would be better able to focus, learn, and deal with the stresses of the day.

Academic standards continue to rise on a yearly basis, causing schools to take on a greater burden for the welfare and academic success of all students. Government sanctions require specific numbers of students to reach specific benchmarks, regardless of the diversity of students’ abilities, backgrounds, and needs. As a result, schools are stressed out, teachers are burning out, and the students are feeling it too.

Yoga can help. With little to no cost to school districts, they can begin to incorporate a healthy practice into the classrooms to teach stress management, and to encourage healthy habits throughout the rest of young people’s lives. Yoga requires little to no equipment, depending on how it is practiced, and teachers can easily be trained to teach a few basic, stress relieving poses to students.

I am not suggesting the students roll out the Yoga mats, foregoing other academic responsibilities, but instead to incorporate Yoga into a hectic day. Perhaps teachers can take five minutes before a test to lead students in a deep breathing exercise, or do a series of neck and shoulder stretches for three minutes before a particularly intense class is over. If Yoga practice takes place on a regular basis, students will realize the benefits soon, and might even begin to incorporate Yoga into their lives away from school.

Many schools have varied and exciting physical education programs, where a unit on Yoga could fit in nicely. Sports teams can use it to stretch and cool down muscles after practice, to visualize winning the game, and to relax during particularly stressful times during a match.

Yoga is a healthy, lifelong activity used to relieve and cure a number of common ailments. Who knows what these children’s futures hold. By teaching them yoga, we are giving them a helpful tool to use for the rest of their lives. Schools are responsible for turning out well-rounded, well-educated individuals. They could be doing a disservice to the students if yoga wasn’t part of the school day.

© Copyright 2011 – Aura Wellness Center – Publications Division

To see our selection of Online Yoga teacher training courses, please visit the following link.
http://www.aurawellnesscenter.com/store/

FREE Yoga Report. FREE Yoga Newsletter. FREE Yoga Videos. Free Podcasts. Bonus: Free Yoga e-Book, “Yoga in Practice.”

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We're honored that today, the Chicago Sun-Times Courier News featured the Yoga 4 Classrooms Card Deck as a recommended teacher gift!

Consider giving gifts that do a body good

~ Dec. 15, 2011, Courier News, a Chicago Sun-Times publication

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Dr.:  Yoga impacts students' ability to manage stress - WATCH.  Larger study, funded on the National Institute on Drug Abuse, will look at impact of yoga on attention, working memory, classroom behavior, academic performance, drug use prevention. 

Baltimore program and other school yoga programs, such as Yoga 4 Classrooms, translate these practices to be relevant for youth and educational settings, ultimately having an enormous impact on student's lives and the culture of the school and community.

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CBS News reports Yoga in school showing results. Suspensions are down, test scores are up and students are feeling focused and content.

"95% of our students report that after yoga they feel more ready to learn."

"It's part of our everyday curriculum."

Watch / Read more...

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Cards Support Nationally Recognized Yoga 4 Classrooms Program

And Help Provide Optimal Learning Environment, Peaceful Classrooms

 
November 2011 (Dover, NH) -- Science has shown and educators have experienced first-hand that when children are anxious, frustrated or stressed, it is nearly impossible for them to learn. It is only from a relaxed, calm and present state of mind and body that children can be psychologically and physiologically learning-ready. 

With that in mind, ChildLight Yoga, creators of the innovative Yoga 4 Classrooms™ program, has drawn on its 10 years of experience to produce a new tool: the new Yoga 4 Classrooms Activity Card Deck can be used by teachers, students, parents, and counselors.  No prior yoga experience is required.

 “We found a real need in schools all over the country for tools that teachers, counselors and kids could use within the classroom setting to alleviate frustration and provide the most favorable environment for learning and growth,” said Lisa Flynn, founder of ChildLight Yoga.  “We used what we learned to create this easy to use set of tools that can be applied in any classroom, or by any parent or counselor.  The positive feedback we have received so far has been very gratifying.”

The 67 illustrated activities in the colorful deck were specially chosen for their suitability for the typical classroom space, and can all be done standing beside or sitting at desks, while bodies and hands remain off the floor, away from dirt and germs. The cards include a mix of yoga postures, brain boosting movements, breath exercises, visualizations, mindfulness activities, creative movement and community-building games. There are also wellness and character-building discussion points, such as the power of positive thinking, nutrition, and being a peacemaker, that address the whole child – physical, social and emotional.

 

Activities fall into six categories: 

Let’s Breathe: helps calm and center, or empower and energize.

At Your Desk: provides physical relief from long periods of sitting, improves focus, and keeps body systems functioning efficiently.

Stand Strong: provides simple, structured opportunities to stand up, stretch, balance and strengthen.

Loosen Up: dispels stress through energetic release or introspection and focus.
Imagination Vacation: offers child-friendly approaches to meditation through guided visualization, helping students bring their awareness to the present moment, which is the necessary state for learning.
Be Well: offers a framework for child-friendly discussions on topics supporting health and wellness.

 

About Yoga 4 Classrooms

In 2007, Lisa Flynn, E-RYT, RCYT and founder of ChildLight Yoga, was inspired by the classroom teachers she encountered to create a yoga and mindfulness-based program focused on the whole child that would also be appropriate for the classroom setting. After three and a half years of research, development and test piloting, Yoga 4 Classrooms™ was born.  Yoga 4 Classrooms helps children develop the self-awareness to realize how they feel and what they need; teaches them strategies to slow down, unwind and manage their emotions; guides them through movements that optimize their strength, flexibility and balance; demonstrates healthy habits; and reminds them to love and forgive themselves. Yoga 4 Classrooms provides students with tools for learning and lessons for life.  For more information, visit http://www.yoga4classrooms.com/

MEDIA INQUIRIES: Susan Harrison/HFS Communications
617.285.9766 /susan@hfscommunications.com

WHOLESALE  INQUIRIES: Lisa Flynn / ChildLight Yoga & Yoga 4 Classrooms
603-781-3323 /lisa@childlightyoga.com

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My name is Lisa Flynn, founder of ChildLight Yoga and Yoga 4 Classrooms. 

Someone recently asked me why it is I do what I do.  What exactly brought me to this life's mission to see yoga integrated into education such that every child can benefit from the practice?  I could have cited research, talked about my teaching experiences, given a speech on how important it is. Instead, I found myself telling a story.   

Since finding my way to yoga in the 90's, I can’t count the number of times I have said to myself, “If I had only had these tools when I was a child, I wonder if adolescence, early adulthood, and beyond would have been a little less painful?” To many who practice yoga, this is an all too familiar question as it's certainly not unique to experience trauma and suffering at a young age. For me, it was followed up by an eating disorder and depression in college years, from which (fortunately) I came out triumphantly on the other side. Years later, though I was successful in my career as a Marketing Director and had started a beautiful family, I found myself searching for a greater purpose in my life. Specifically, I wanted to help others avoid, or at least healthfully navigate, the suffering I had experienced in my early years. And better still, to help all children navigate the everyday "traumas" of school, homework, broken friendships, life. But how?

A decade ago, I noticed that when my then toddler-age children would join my morning yoga practice, our connection and bond was improved through our practice together. We began to use a common language of wellness. “When we start to become frustrated, we can practice Balloon Breath”, and so forth. I went on to search my local area for children's yoga classes and came up empty-handed. The lightbulb came on and my personal journey with yoga and yoga for children soon became a full-time adventure. ChildLight Yoga was officially founded in 2005, and has been providing yoga-based classes and programs to children and families in the ME/NH Seacoast area ever since. The nationally-recognized ChildLight Yoga Teacher Training program was launched shortly thereafter.

While volunteer teaching in a local elementary school in early 2007, I was inspired and challenged by the classroom teachers I encountered to create a yoga-based program focused on the whole child that would also be appropriate for the classroom setting. After three and a half years of research (including our involvement with an ongoing study with UMass Lowell), development and test piloting, Yoga 4 Classrooms™ was born.

Yoga provides vital therapeutic benefits for children. And healthy kids make better, happier students.  This is our foundational philosophy and motivation.

ChildLight Yoga and Yoga 4 Classrooms are evidence-based programs focused on providing children with strategies that build the resilience they need to adapt to the busy, outcome-based world in which they live. Breathing, movement, mindful awareness, and affirmation are some of many strategies we utilize to promote adaptibility, self-regulation, self-esteem, courage, a healthy body and a calm, confident, learning-ready mind. This is important - necessary - work, and we invite you to join the many adults who work so effectively to offer the benefits of a holistically healthy lifestyle to children.

Join the Movement!


Yoga 4 Classrooms offers:

One-Day Professional Development Workshops for Educators

In-Service Workshops for Schools

Classroom Residency Program for Schools

Opportunities for yoga teachers, educators and school guidance counselors and similar to train to be Y4C Instructors.

And now, after 3 years in development, we are also thrilled to offer our first product, the Yoga 4 Classrooms Card Deck, a supporting or stand-alone resource for classroom teachers, parents, therapists, yoga teachers, and others who support the health and wellness of children.

Yoga 4 Classrooms helps children develop the self-awareness to realize how they feel and what they need; teaches them strategies to slow down, unwind and manage their emotions; guides them through movements that optimize their strength, flexibility and balance; demonstrates healthy habits; and reminds them to love and forgive themselves. Y4C provides students with tools for learning, and lessons for life.

I invite you to look around the website and learn more about how you can make a difference by bringing Yoga 4 Classrooms to the schools in your own community. Please don't hesitate to contact me with any questions. I look forward to connecting with you.

Lisa Flynn
Yoga 4 Classrooms & ChildLight Yoga
603-781-3323
lisa@childlightyoga.com

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