Yoga

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"Yoga Pretzels" Card Deck Review

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"Yoga Pretzels" Card Deck Review

I am constantly looking for ways to make Yoga fun and engaging for the kids I work with. Whether it's using music or playing a Yoga game, when it comes to teaching kids poses, you sometimes need to get creative! I was really excited when I found "Yoga Pretzels" card deck by Tara Guber and Leah Kalish online, because I often bring visuals when I teach, and was having a hard time finding suitable pictures of the Yoga poses online. When I received these cards in the mail I was pleasantly surprised to see that they were not only colorful and accurate pictures of Yoga poses, but there were also cards for breathing exercises, Yoga games, and partner poses included! Considering that I only paid $8.99 plus shipping, for a total of less than $20.00 from Amazon, I felt like this was a great purchase and well worth the money. 

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Yoga for Kids: Mindfulness Jars

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Yoga for Kids: Mindfulness Jars

Yoga Mindfulness Jars are a fun and pretty way to help teach kids how to handle their emotions. They can help kids calm down and focus when they are struggling, and are great tools to help start the conversation about being mindful or "watching our thoughts". The idea is, the glitter represents our thoughts and feelings. Here's a little script as to how you can explain the mindfulness jar teaching to your kids, and even more importantly, how you can prompt them to use the jar to help them feel calm. 

Yoga Music Playlist

Yoga Music Playlist

Compiling a Yoga playlist can be tricky. You don't want the music to overpower or distract from the practice, and it needs to be the right tempo for the type of practice you are moving through. Should you include songs with lyrics or without? Should the songs be recognizable or more obscure? (You don't want someone to be pulled out of focus because a song you play brings up a strong memory for them) Today I wanted to share with you some of my favorite music to play during flow style yoga classes. I have included a list of songs and albums that I often use for my class playlists, and offer tips as to what point of the practice the song would suit best - some songs are great for opening and building a Yoga practice and some are great for Savasana. Keep reading for my Yoga music playlist!  

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Yoga Pose: Plank - Do's & Don'ts

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Yoga Pose: Plank - Do's & Don'ts

Ohhh the Yoga Plank - loved by some and loathed by even more. Plank Pose is a strengthening yoga pose that works the arms, legs, and core muscles. It is often practised as part of your Sun Salutation or Flow, so usually you aren't left working in it for too long, which can mean you aren't always in proper alignment. Today I wanted to break the Yoga Plank down a bit more to show you some "Do's" and "Do Not's" while in the pose, simply because it's a very easy pose to be a bit "sloppy" in. Unfortunately, if you aren't doing Plank correctly, you are missing out on some of it's wonderful strengthening properties, but it will still feel like a very difficult pose (maybe even more difficult than if you are in proper alignment). Keep reading for my list of "Do's" and "Don'ts" for your Yoga Plank. 

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Yoga for Kids: How to Plan a Holiday Themed Yoga Class for Kids

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Yoga for Kids: How to Plan a Holiday Themed Yoga Class for Kids

If you have ever taught children Yoga, you likely understand the importance of bringing FUN into the Yoga room. Unlike adults, who generally want a pretty calm and focused setting for their practice, children need more of a "buy in" when it comes to benefiting from all Yoga can offer them. One great way of adding some fun into their practice is to work with themes - animals, superheroes, seasons etc.. With the upcoming holiday season, today I thought I would give you a couple ideas on how to plan your next class for little Yogi's around this festive and exciting time.