One of the Biggest Dangers of Kids Yoga

Can You Spot the Dangers?

I was reminded once again of one of the biggest dangers in kids yoga classes, and maybe even one of the biggest dangers of being around kids.



No, its not loving them too much.



Nor is it trying to protect them from getting hurt, thereby never letting them grow.


Sure these are important, but there's one thing I've found to be even more dangerous than these. The problem is we forget about it until it happens - and then we think, "How did I forget about this!"


Adults Beware!
The truth is this Danger isn't even to the kids - this danger is to the adults! Especially since adults take a little longer to heal than kids do. And remember what they always tell you on an airplane: In the event of an emergency, put your own mask on before you put the mask on the kids.

That's important with this danger because it's very hard to teach a yoga class lying flat on your back watching stars circling around above you. And it's equally difficult to show kids the benefit of holding a posture when you're holding over-the-sink-to-stop-the-nosebleed pose as a result of this danger.

I didn't tell you about the biggest danger of kids yoga, because I actually forgot about it until it hit me again - literally. Probably for the third or fourth time in ten years. So now it is my duty to try to warn you - even though no amount of warning may stop it, no amount of caution may help you see it coming, and no amount of describing the pain will deter this BIG danger.

So I might as well just tell you and hope and pray somehow it will help.

Beware the Biggest Danger of Kids Yoga: The Dreaded Head Butt

The first time happened when I started working with kids. Often it's the little ones that get you at the beginning, but none of the kids are immune from doing it.

Picture a cute little girl, a young teacher, a high up object that she wants. Why if she just jumps into my arms, I can lift her up and she can get it herself. So with hand signals and a happy tone I suggest "Why don't you ju..." OOOF, I'm hit. Her head to my chin. Gives new meaning to the phrase tongue in cheek.

Second time: School-ager doing a beautiful downward dog. Takes a little rest. Good job! Go to pat him on the back. Boom! Head to forhead. Manage to hold it together as the room gets a little black.

Then there was this latest time, of course it has been years since the last one, so I really thought those days were long gone.

But when you least expect it - watch out!

This time it's the last class of the year. All these kids have done this yoga at least 20 or 30 times. No problem. Everyone is happy and excited. And of course there's a new parent observing things in the daycare. Should they enrol their child or not? Hmmmm.

Just like we've done hundreds of times with the pre-schoolers - Downward Dog tunnels that the kids crawl through. Now, I've had a few close calls doing this one, but it's so much fun it's worth the extra pre-cautions. So all the adults go into downward dog, looking around and greeting each child as they pass through. But this time a three year old mounts a surprise assault coming through the tunnel from between my legs rather than the side where I am looking.

Hey what's that - Smack! Head to nose. Now, I actually went to get a tissue because I thought I was bleeding, but luckily I was spared the blood. I did, however, end up with a red crease line across my nose that lasted for three days.

A three day visual reminder of one of the biggest dangers of kids yoga: The Head Butt.

May you use this reminder so you don't forget like I did!





Aruna Humphrys


http://www.yogaunlimited.com/

Good-bye Sophia, We'll Always have Pre-School

For a Teacher, Each Kid Eventually Moves On

This past week had a lot of goodbye's.

It started with moving and saying a joyful goodbye to a phase of my life stuffed into a tiny apartment with my husband and our two home businesses. For a while that little apartment was kinda romantic. His desk took up the dining room and mine was wedged into the hallway. The sound of our computer keys tinkled like a love song.

Discovering the Truth of a Situation
Then when we decided to move up to a bigger space - the veil was lifted. Suddenly I couldn't believe that we were living in such a shoe box. Now that we're in our new place the extra space feels like air to a drowning man. It really does feel like a weight has been lifted off my lungs somehow. A weight I didn't know I was carrying.

Then as I moved, the end of the school year arrived. In one place I teach this means I said a sad farewell to the kids moving up from the pre-school to the big leagues: Grade One.

Now I love all the kids, but there are always a few who can really get under your skin - in a good way. One such gal would sit beside me in absolutely every class. In fact I've known her since she was 18 months and now its her time to hit the road.

Sure she talks a lot.

Sure she likes to interrupt.

And sure sometimes her stories don't have a point.

But sometimes the veils don't get lifted. Despite all these possibly annoying qualities - she is a beauty queen to my eyes. There's a chance her grade one teacher may find her a tad bossy or even too chatty - but I sure hope she gets to know and love that little girl the way I have over the last five years.



I'm really sad for me!
Who will sit beside me now and help to demonstrate all the yoga poses? The kid will be fine, in fact I'm pretty sure she'll excel in the big house - she's got what it takes.

But the adults get left in the dust as kids claim their lives. And that's the natural order of things, we can't weigh them down, we can't hold them back. They have to be free.

The King of Pop: Michael Jackson
Then the final curtain closed on the King of Pop, Michael Jackson. Of course it was a shock to me, I didn't want to believe it. Then we all became aware of the pain he was in and how weak he had become.

I realized his first appearances on TV were happening when he was the same age as my pre-school friend - around 5 years old. I feel some fulfillment knowing I armed my friend with tools to meditate and overcome anxiety, stress and even depression. Even if it just helps her manage the pressures of grade one and feel a little bit more happiness.

All that fame and money never did lead to happiness for Michael Jackson. I hope he feels some relief now and fulfillment knowing he helped many people dance through life. He definitely did for me, I loved to dance around to the Jackson 5 as a kid and every high school dance had Thriller playing in it.

We Help Kids Understand What True Success Is
Michael Jackson's passings reminds me that teaching kids about success is not about getting money or fame. Success is also not about getting something you like and holding on to it forever. Success is understanding who we are in this dream of existence, knowing who we are while all the veils get lowered and lifted.

Success is knowing we can be happy in a cramped apartment or a spacious one.

Success is being sad but also happy for our friends as they move on and grow in their own lives.

And success is knowing that we're never trapped by our circumstances. If we want, a new friend can sit beside you and fill that space with new fun in kids yoga class.

Aruna Humphrys
www.YogaUnlimited.com


P.S. Summer Workshops 2009: This week has inspired me to start designing a couple short workshops for this summer to help us Live True Success. Save the afternoon on Saturday July 25 and Saturday August 15 to dedicate to increasing your understanding of Success in your own lives and also how we can teach kids about true success. Details to follow. Let me know if you have any suggestions in the comments.

Kids and Anxiety: What is Thought? (Part Two)

A Bee only Drinks the Nectar of Flowers
Are you a bee thinker?

Hello everyone - well I'm in the middle of a pile of cardboard boxes, dollies, and carts. Yes, I'm moving and it's been exciting to be going to a bigger place but also takes focus. So rather than delay - here's a short post with a great audio from Tulshi Sen.

By the way, do you remember the little boy in my yoga class who was feeling bullied. As I told you in Part One - he doesn't know what to do about the bully except to start, as he puts it, "being bad too."

What are the tools to deal with the bully?
He's actually onto something by being bad too .... he does realize that he needs to change his thinking if he wants to change the situation. But it's not exactly the Bee kind of thinking we're going for.

Being bad actually gets him attention, from me and his mom and probably some of his other teachers. At least that attention did help change things. When I saw him at class the week after our talk, he was behaving like his fun self. At the end of class he, his mom, and I sat down on the bench again. She told me she saw her son talking to the "bully" by the school bus. They were actually having a pleasant conversation!

So again he's changed his thinking to look for ways to connect with the bully - and it seems to be making the situation better. When I asked the boy, he said, "It's okay."

Well, it's not exactly an earth shattering response, but internally going from bad to okay is a step in the right direction. I told him how proud I was of him. He's really putting his mind to resolving the situation.

We know this doesn't just happen to six year old boys! It happens to people of all ages. If we feel trapped in a job, stuck in a relationship that is not working, or how about when we don't like the way we look.

How do we counter this type of thinking? Listen to this audio - if you don't realize you need a change of thinking how can it happen.

Part II: Meditation on How We Can Take Charge of Our Thinking
with Tulshi Sen

If you don't see the audio bar you can click here to listen.

When we feel things are out of our control, we have to take charge of our thinking. The easiest way to do it is through meditation. It helps us find new options, it helps us remember we're not trapped like a worm stuck in the muck.

Most Kid's Love Meditation when they Realize Why they Do It
When we introduce meditation in a kids yoga class, find a way to explain the benefits of meditation. For instance, you could tell them the story from the audio and ask the kids what they want to think like: a worm, a fly, or a bee.

Kid's won't do meditation meditation if they're just told they are supposed to, it has to give them results. If they know it helps relieve worries or find a solution to a problem then they'll be interested. Once they learn, I often hear parents say they find their kids meditating at home- on their own. One mom asked he son what he was doing sitting on his bed with his eyes closed. He said, "I'm just getting rid of some of my sad thoughts."

Kids will just do it. They just sit down and meditate for a few minutes when they aren't feeling good. Adults often wait for yoga class to meditate. But there's no need to wait to change your thinking.

Why live with Anxiety any longer than you have to?

Aruna Humphrys

www.YogaUnlimited.com

P.S. I teach kids the meditations from Ancient Secrets of Success for Today's World - they are the ones mentioned in the audio with Tulshi Sen. I like them because they are given in English and Sanskrit so the children understand what they are saying. Plus they are not "religious sounding" they are universal principles. This way they can be used in schools and daycares as well as yoga studios.

How many people out there teach kids about meditation as part of yoga? I'd love to hear your comments - there are many great ways to introduce meditation to kids.