Creative Yoga for Children offers a simple, ready-to-teach Montessori-based yoga program for children age twelve and under. Following age-appropriate classroom themes, the book's forty detailed, one-hour lessons are designed to supplement any learning environment and are accessible to parents and teachers alike--no special training is required. In a recent study by California State University, Los Angeles, yoga was found to improve students' behavior, physical health, academic performance, and attitudes toward themselves. Research also shows that the benefits of yoga are particularly strong among children with special needs. This book demonstrates how yoga can become a fun daily practice inside or outside the school classroom. Enhanced with over 100 black and white photos, the book's themes, or lessons, are divided by age range (ages four to six, seven to nine, and ten to twelve) and explore topics based on the child's developmental level. For four- to six-year-olds there are twenty hour-long lessons on subjects ranging from colors and the holiday seasons to sounds and words. Ten hour-long lessons for seven- to nine-year-olds introduce such topics as the body, countries of the world, botany, zoology, and the universe. For ten- to twelve-year-olds, ten hour-long lessons cover the environment, geometry, the Earth, fractions, the food chain, and more. Following the structure of a classroom lesson plan, each lesson incorporates elements of yoga including poses, breath work, meditation, and mindfulness. A discussion of the theme and intention of the lesson is followed by a warm-up of yoga poses. The children then engage in a cooperative "connecting" activity designed to bring them together, and a fun and lively theme-oriented activity that involves movement and awareness. The class winds down with breath work, a craft, and often a story. Finally, there is relaxation time and a guided meditation. With this preset structure, the children feel safe while being challenged and inspired. Derived from the educational philosophy of Dr. Maria Montessori and the author's own experience in the classroom and yoga studio, Creative Yoga for Children allows children to move at their own pace and to be free to learn and grow within a non-competitive, nurturing setting. An essential resource for the 4,000 certified Montessori schools in the U.S., this book will appeal to yoga teachers, classroom teachers, parents, and anyone who works with children.

Whether it is to start the day off right, prepare to take an exam with inner calmness, sharpen focus and improve the attention span, or end the day on a positive note, Creative Yoga for Children offers step-by-step instruction for more than 60 poses, plus breakthrough breathing exercises that use fun, innovative imagery cues. It is a powerful tool when used in the classroom. It is low-stress and non-competitive. Watch the children stretch and balance in poses named for animals and shapes. Several minutes when they lay down in the Cocoon Pose for a rest, their wiggles are gone. They are calm, focused and better prepared to tackle the rest of their school day.

While many yoga books present individual poses, this book explains how to create a flowing yoga practice that will holds kids' interest while providing the benefits of yoga.

This work details a way to have fun with young people while giving them a lifelong tool for self-expression, physical and mental health, relaxation techniques, and improved focus.

Can you think of an activity that promotes concentration, motor skill development and self-confidence for kids? And, is fun and healthy for kids and adults to enjoy together? It's Yoga! With The Complete Idiot's Guide to Yoga with Kids, you can learn how to get kids interested and started in yoga, teach them how to stretch, concentrate and express creativity using their mind and body. This book is full of various stretching exercises, poses and activities for adults and kids to enjoy together or individually. Kids will love to use their imagination to pose as a tree, a tiger, a butterfly and many others!

What you will learn in this book : 1- Become a kid again and teach yoga to children in fun, creative & magical ways! 2-How to design fun, diverse and unique yoga sessions for kids in different age groups. 3-All you need to know about how to be a unique and most Effective yoga kids instructor. 4-How to behave when facing challenges with the way kids might behave in the class in the most constructive and compassionate way. 5-How to introduce yoga postures and breathing exercises to kids and conduct fun,diverse and impactful games. 6- Inspiring stories and practical tools to take children into the world of meditation and relaxation 7-Lots of bright ideas on how to invite children to silence 9- You’ll learn how to begin and end a session in the most effective ways. 8-Also you’ll learn about : Storytelling,poems,role playing,Fun games, chakra healing, colors and their effects, partner yoga, lots of groups and cooperative games,Anatomy & so much more. By choosing to take this journey you’ll : Play, Laugh,Relax,Learn & Teach yoga to kids!

Smart Advice on how yoga can enhance emotional, physical, and spiritual well-being Smart Ways to relieve stress, strengthen your body, prevent and treat illness, and boost your stamina and energy Smart Tips on what yoga style is right for you, with step-by-step instructions on the poses that best suit your lifestyle and goals * Smart Strategies to release physical tension and mental stress with the slow, gentle movements, poses, and breathing techniques of hatha yoga * Smart Insights into the six branches of yoga, each a different experience in movement and meditation * Smart Advice on yoga as alternative medicine to heal heart disease, chronic pain, arthritis, and other illnesses * Smart Tips on finding a class and teacher that best suit your needs and will help you develop your own yoga practice * Quick reading and easy referencing with lots of photos, a comprehensive index, and loads of sidebars and sources Smart Guides take readers seriously. They satisfy even the most curious person's desire to know the essentials about any of a wide range of topics--from vitamins to mutual funds to stress relief. It's all about good reading and expert information. The choice is yours. Stephanie Levin-Gervasi is a writer specializing in health and family matters. She is the author of The Back Pain Sourcebook and has practiced yoga for more than twenty years. She lives in San Francisco.

Easy and brief ways to incorporate yoga techniques in the classroom. Stress is everywhere in kids’ lives and impacts their well-being at home and school. Exercise is known to reduce stress, yet students have never been more sedentary. And teachers have little time to add yet something else into the school day. Enter Louise Goldberg and Classroom Yoga Breaks. In this essential book, readers will find a comprehensive guide to incorporating short yoga breaks into their classrooms. Teachers will learn how to promote movement, learning readiness, attention skills, cooperative community, and self-regulation—all in just a few minutes a day. Goldberg’s evidence-based principles of “Creative Relaxation”—creating a peaceful environment where students feel safe, engaged, successful, and independent, promoting empathy and mutual respect—lead the way toward successful use of yoga in the classroom. The book includes a step-by-step curriculum for integrating yoga breaks into the classroom and over 200 illustrated exercises—enough to incorporate one every day of the school year. Twelve units are arranged by theme, with lessons consisting of one- to five-minute exercises, that can be done from the seat or standing. Each unit includes topics for discussion or writing, movement, breathing exercises, focusing activities, relaxation techniques, mindful practices, and self-calming skills. Yoga is a complement to social and emotional learning, mindfulness training, and physical education. It can help address bullying behaviors, students with autism and special needs, and promote overall resilience and executive function. With this book in hand, readers can integrate these fun, relaxing, and healthy breaks into the daily lives of their students and themselves.

Combining years of experience as certified speech-language pathologists and as qualified yoga teachers, the authors of this pioneering book explain how yoga can be used to aid speech-language development in children up to age 12. The book includes a range of yoga-based exercises for improving pre-linguistic communication, vocabulary development and motor planning for speech. The text is enriched by illustrations of children in each yoga pose, so no prior experience of yoga is necessary to help children carry out each activity. The book also provides information on using this approach with children with neurodevelopmental and intellectual disabilities, including ADHD and autism.

The Yoga Adventure for Children is an illustrated manual for teachers at primary schools and yoga teachers who wish to create children's classes. Featuring 80 drawings of poses, the book playfully acquaints children with yoga stretches and postures and the philosophy behind the practice. Blending yoga, play, dance, music, drama, and drawing, the book requires very little preparation before use. Parents too can share The Yoga Adventure for Children with their child at home. Practicing yoga together offers an opportunity to both parents and the child to laugh, play, and have fun together. Many yoga positions are inspired by animals and stimulate suppleness and strength, and all aspects of yoga are included in the games: relaxation, breathing, concentration, meditation, self-awareness, and visualization. Concepts like karma, chakra, and the elements are explained and developed without too much confusing detail. The games in this book can also be used to increase children's concentration and self-esteem, and to stimulate them to express more creativity, imagination, and better social skills.