Sara J. Weis's Blog: Go Go Yoga Kids: Empower Kids for Life Through Yoga, page 24

Rocky the Yoga Pup!

Hello everyone: I am Rocky, a 10 week old Bichon Poodle, and the newest addition to the Weis Family. Soon I hope to be a full-time model for Go Go Yoga Kids and will be showing you how to really do some Down Dog yoga.  For now, I just want to chew on my yoga mat. Stay tuned!

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Winners of the Kids Yoga Challenge Pose Cards

Congratulations to Kim W. and lmtdance,  the lucky winners of our Kids Yoga Challenge Pose Cards! We love these yoga flashcards so much and couldn’t be more excited to share them with others.

Find out more about our Kids Yoga Challenge Pose Cards here.

Need more kids yoga resources? See our tried and true recommendations here.

 

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Winners of the New Kids Yoga Picture Book Announced

Congratulations to  Jodi and Meghan, the winners of our giveaway and copies of the new picture book  Downward Mule.

These kids are all nailing their Warrior 2 poses and we couldn’t be more impressed. We love seeing kids try out yoga anywhere and anytime.

If you are looking for more great kids yoga resources and books. Check out our tried and true kids yoga resources, read-alouds, and lesson plans here.

You can get your own copy of Downward Mule here.

 

 

 

 

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Happy Mother’s Day

"Mother's hold their

children's hands for a short while, 

but their hearts, forever..."

--Unknown

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Win a set of 30 Kids Yoga Pose Cards!

Have you tried our new kids yoga pose cards? They are getting amazing reviews from parents, teachers, counselors and kids. They love them! We do too and want to share them with you!

We are giving away two decks of 30 The Kids Yoga Challenge Pose Cards!
Win them here.

Enter to win by May 19, 2017.

Read the raving reviews or find out more information.

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4 Benefits of Laughter Yoga for Your Family

 4 Benefits of Laughter Yoga for Your Family

It will known that yoga is the sort of activity that can yield numerous health benefits. It is also important to keep in mind the fact that in most cases, yoga is going to provide you with a variety of options to go through as well since there are so many different types of the activity now available for you to enjoy. Laughter yoga is one of the most popular innovations in the world of yoga. Here are some benefits of laughter yoga for the whole family:

Improves Health

This is perhaps the most obvious benefit you are going to get. Laughter yoga is an excellent way to boost your immune system and prevent yourself from falling ill. If you have children, taking them for laughter yoga can help them to get a much stronger immune system in the long term. This can allow them to enjoy a much healthier and more enjoyable life, something that definitely makes laughter yoga worthwhile. If your child tends to fall sick a lot as some children often do, laughter yoga can help them overcome their weak immune systems without medication.

Provides Bonding Time

The thing about laughter is that you tend to develop a deep connection with people that you share it with frequently. Hence, if you want your family to become a tight knit unit where everyone cares about each other, sign up for a laughter yoga class. Once you and your family laugh together for the duration of the lesson, all of you will feel a great deal more affection and attachment to each other once the lesson is over.

Helps Provide Healthy Leisure Options

One of the biggest concern with kids today is that a lot of their sources of entertainment are so sedentary. They are playing video games, on their phones and watching TV, but most parents are unsure of how to stop this behavior because it is often the only way that these children know how to have fun. Laughter Yoga provides a healthy alternative. It can allow your kids to have fun in an environment that would boost their health as well. You could say that you would be killing two birds with one stone with Laughter Yoga!

Makes Socialization Easy

When you attend a laughter yoga class, the people that you are taking your class with would all be sharing this wonderful, hilarious experience with you. This can allow you to boost your social life. Your kids would be able to form a bond with other children as well. School can be a tough environment for some kids to make friends in, but in a laughter yoga class, everyone is relaxed, open and there to have a good time. This can give your kids a low-pressure option to boost their social skills and make some true friends.

You can find more information at Laughter Online University.

Author Bio:

This guest post was written by Beth Martel. She is a mother of two, a medical professional and a humanitarian. She blogs at HealthyRecharge.com. 

 

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7 Family Yoga Ideas To Help Parents And Children Practice Together

Guest Post written by Hieu Pham

Yoga doesn’t have to be an adult-only zone. Children have shown that they can benefit from a yoga practice too. It can help with their fitness, relax them and even enhance their focus in the classroom. The idea of family yoga is exciting to parents that want to teach poses to their children, but where do we start? How do we make yoga child-friendly and enjoy a family session?

7 Family Friendly Yoga Ideas
1. Communicate with your child and teach them some easy poses that you can do together.

If you want to start with family yoga sessions, you need to start slow. The concepts may be a little strange to kids at first, so take it one step at a time. If they lose track of their breathing or a routine, it doesn’t matter. Keep talking to them as they change position so they can express how it feel, what they like and dislike. Be prepared for the fact that many kids will get frustrated the first time. Talk to them about why they are struggling and encourage them to try again. Their flexibility and enthusiasm could take them into poses they didn’t know were possible. Yet, start simple with some cross-legged positions, downward dog, and cobra.

Be prepared for the fact that many kids will get frustrated the first time. Talk to them about why they are struggling and encourage them to try again. Their flexibility and enthusiasm could take them into poses they didn’t know were possible. Yet, start simple with some cross-legged positions, downward dog, and cobra. The Kids Yoga Challenge Pose Cards provide great pose visuals for adults and kids.

2. Don’t be afraid to break the rules a little if it means having fun.

The appeal of these family yoga ideas will depend upon your attitude to the practice. Are you someone that takes it very seriously, from the precision in the poses to the breathing? Or are you more casual about it all?

Breathing and safety in the poses are important, but kids need a little leeway here. Let them adapt to a comfortable position. Don’t get frustrated at them for them not breathing properly or doing the poses correctly. Instead, model the breathwork and poses.   The important thing is that you are engaged, communicating and enjoying the experience together. Go Go Yoga for Kids – A Complete Guide To Yoga With Kids is a great resource for making yoga fun yet educational for kids.

3.  Make some noise

Most of us are drawn to yoga because of the meditative side of the exercise. Not only are we aiding our bodies and building strength, tone and flexibility, we are aiding our mental health. This is where the deep breathing and quiet environments are so helpful for our state of mind.

Naturally, kids don’t want to be quiet all the time while having fun with yoga, and they shouldn’t have to be. These noises can be an expression of their feelings, either joy or frustration. Allow them to let it all out and join them, make it a joint expression. If they want to bark like a dog every time they go into a downward dog then that’s fine. Besides, if laughing yoga can become in the hit in some communities, some giggling and animals noises are fine.

4. Find the balance between technique and enjoyment in order to find fulfillment.

Family yoga can be tricky for parents to get into because it requires a different mindset. It is important to try and find a middle ground between a fun, silly activity and the deeper purpose of the practice. Talking, laughing and other expressions are great, but try and teach them the basics of the purpose of the poses and breathing. Explain to them that they will need to take a certain amount of deep breaths through the nose for each pose. Before long you will get into a rhythm with the routine and breathing and they start to relax a little.

5. Confident yoga practitioners may want to try some partner poses.

There are some parents that take family yoga ideas to another level with some partner poses. When your child has the confidence in their abilities, and the basics of poses and breathing, these joint poses increase the difficulty level. It is fun to work side by side, but it can, even more, fun to try and balance in poses together.  

The Kids Yoga Challenge Pose Cards includes several partner poses that work together for adult and children. Obviously, you should only try this out in a safe environment and work on these poses gradually. But, there is a lot of fun in trying and even more satisfaction when successful. These poses are great for those working on their bond as they require a close physical and spiritual connection.

6. Those that lack the confidence to teach can join a local class.

There is something wonderful about this one-on-one time with your child. It can strengthen a bond and help you to communicate ideas on wellness and happiness. Still, there are those of us that will struggle to find the confidence to guide children through these poses, or the perseverance to encourage them when the poses get a little difficult. This is where is helps to join a local class. A trained teacher can work with you both on a family-friendly level. They can help you to learn new poses and ideas that can then be tried out at home. Also, this is a chance to meet other parents and children in the same situation.

7. Look out for classes with group activities where the whole family can get involved.

Find a class through your community, parks and recreation, or local gym that focuses on that parent-child relationship or work on child-friendly instruction. There are those that take the activities further and bring yoga poses in group games. This is a social event where everyone can join in and you are not restricted to 2 person activities. Therefore, if you want to bring a second child, a partner or perhaps a grandparent, everyone can have fun. Again, these games and techniques can be brought back to the family home for playtime on family gatherings.

Family yoga comes in different forms, from those simple routines to the partner poses and classes for the whole family. Anyone can bring their child into the world of yoga with the right attitude and techniques. Start slow and find a way to teach them the basics that are fun and inclusive. Then you can look into new games, classes, and ideas as you progress.

And do you know that a yoga set is a great way to get into yoga, either for yourself or your kids. However, most are lacking in quality and not worth buying, so here are some that are reviewed and recommend in this ultimate guide to choosing a Starter Kit for Beginners.

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Win a Copy of This Adorable New Kids Picture book: Downward Mule

I have a special place in my heart for children’s books, especially those that are fun to read aloud.  I use children’s literature all the time in my school classroom and kids yoga classes to help introduce new concepts, tie together learning and have a little fun.

When I had the opportunity to review Downward Mule, I was thrilled because this book combined some of my favorite things; a captivating story with a good message, kids, and yoga! Read below for a review and a chance to win a copy.

Send a picture of your child holding their favorite yoga pose for a chance to win a copy.

Everyone can feel down about themselves sometimes but that’s no reason to hide who you are. Downward Mule is an attention grabbing story with the secret yogi Sam the mule, and his best friend Lila, a human.

One hot day down on the farm, the heat is making all the animals too tired and weak to lay eggs and give milk and there is nothing to take to the farmers market. What will Sam and Lila do?

This fun read-aloud book will have kids engaged, laughing, and acting out animals while learning life lessons about confidence and acceptance. All of the animal characters are inspirational while being cute and light hearted. Downward Mule is well written as it teaches yoga poses in a  fun, kid-friendly way. I highly recommend this book to teachers, parents, and kids of all ages! Downward Mule is the perfect book to read aloud in a classroom,  give as a gift, and fun to share with the kids in your life.

To have an opportunity to win a paperback copy of Downward Mule, have your child draw a picture of themselves doing their favorite yoga pose. If it is difficult for them to draw, then snap a picture of them doing their favorite yoga pose.

Please send your picture to:
sara@gogoyogakids.com or
post on our Facebook page. The Winner will be chosen by Tannya Derby, the publisher of Downward Mule and founder of Maclaren-Cochrane Publishing.

Please submit your pictures by May 15, 2017.

The post Win a Copy of This Adorable New Kids Picture book: Downward Mule appeared first on Go Go Yoga for Kids.

Win a Copy of This Adorable New Kids Picturebook: Downward Mule

I have a very special place in my heart for children’s books, especially those that are great to read aloud.  I use children’s literature all the time in my school classroom to help introduce new concepts, tie together learning,  and have a little fun. When I had the opportunity to review Downward Mule, I was thrilled because this book combined some of my favorite things; a captivating story with a good message, kids, and yoga. Read on to the bottom for your chance to win!

Everyone can feel down about themselves sometimes but that’s no reason to hide who you are. Downward Mule is an attention grabbing story with the secret yogi Sam the mule, and his best friend Lila, a human.

One hot day down on the farm, the heat is making all the animals too tired and weak to lay eggs and give milk and there is nothing to take to the farmers market. What will Sam and Lila do?

This fun read-aloud book will have kids engaged, laughing, and acting out animals while learning life lessons about confidence and acceptance. All of the animal characters are inspirational while being cute and light hearted. Downward Mule is well written as it teaches yoga poses in a  fun, kid-friendly way. I highly recommend this book to teachers, parents kids of all ages! Downward Mule is the perfect book to read aloud in a classroom,  give as a gift and fun to read with the kids in your life.

To have an opportunity to win a paperback copy of Downward Mule, have your child draw a picture of themselves doing their favorite yoga pose. If it is difficult for them to draw, then snap a picture of them doing their favorite yoga pose.

Please send your picture to:
sara@gogoyogakids.com or
post on our Facebook page. The Winner will be chosen by Tannya Derby, the publisher of Downward Mule and founder of Maclaren-Cochrane Publishing.

Please submit your pictures by May 12, 2017.

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Happy May Day from Go Go Yoga for Kids

I have such fond memories as a kid with creating May Day baskets with my sisters on the first of this month, filling the basket with little treats, and delivering them to neighbors. It was so much fun to get back from our deliveries and discover May Day baskets left by neighbors on our front step. It was a sure sign that the other neighborhood kids were celebrating the start of May as well.

Years later, I kept this tradition going with my own children. Although we live in a bigger city, we try to make our own little community by knowing our neighbors and surprising them with this somewhat forgotten tradition.

May is a beautiful month filled with new growth and life. Celebrate Spring with this Spring Yoga Transformation lesson plan or download your Spring Coloring Mandala.

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