All you need is love...

Hello Everyone!

We had such a great time this morning at International School of Tucson.  We talked to the kids about a beautiful wedding that Lori and I went to over the weekend.  The wedding was beautiful because you could see and feel the love for the couple.  We reminded the kids that our yoga practice helps us open our hearts so that we can feel love for the people around us.  The kids began the class by thinking about someone that they love.

After our usual beginning of class, we told the kids a great story about a mother eagle helping her baby eagles to fly.  Within the story we incorporated yoga poses to help tell the story.  Lori made up this great story and the kids loved acting it out with our poses.  When the story was over we asked the kids which characters were showing love and how.  Practically every had in the room was raised and they couldn't wait to tell us about the love they heard in the story.

We closed our class with a heart meditation where the kids made hearts with their hands and we all said the word "heart" together.  After, we asked how they show love to the special people in their lives.  Again, all hands were raised and they were very excited to share with the group.

Needless to say, we sent the kids back to their classrooms with open hearts and calm minds.  We're hearing from parents that the kids are reminding them at home to breathe!  We love it!  

Here are some pictures from today's class.

heart meditation

rock pose

eagle pose

Can't wait for our new classes to begin!

Hi Everyone,

Lori and I just got back from Pasadena, CA where we were working towards our Registered Children's Yoga Teacher certification.  It was an intense course, but we learned so much!

We can't wait to begin our classes again.  We'll be teaching at Yoga Oasis again on Wednesdays at 4:14 for kids 5-11.  We are getting a new teen class together too that we are very excited about!  And, we'll even have pre-school classes on Mondays and Fridays on the east side of town.

Please feel free to call or email us with any questions.  We'll be sending out emails and facebook posts with all of the details soon.

blessings,

nancy and lori

New Session

Hello Yogis,

Well, Lori and I were thrilled to have 15 yogis at our latest session of Yoga 4 Youth at Yoga Oasis!  These kids were a happy and fun bunch!  We spoke about how yoga helps us learn that we are more than we think.  We are more than our personality or emotions.  We did some fun poses, learned our Sun Salutation Poem and played a "Who Are You" game.

Lori and I are very excited to be offering a summer camp this summer at Yoga Oasis!  We are calling it The Namaste Project.  We can't wait to spend 5 days in a row of diving into great poses, breathing techniques, art work and meditations.  We'll be talking a lot about how to recognize our own "bright light" within and seeing that same light in others. That is the spirit of "Namaste".

We are also looking forward to being at Fenster Ranch Summer Camp the week of June 4.  We'll be helping all of the campers stretch and strengthen through yoga.  I've been at the camp for a few years and it is always a fun time.

If you haven't checked out our new website, please do.  It's at:
www.yoga4youth.net!!

blessings,
nancy and lori

making connections

Hello Yogis,

Yesterday in Yoga4Youth we were talking about connections.  We asked the kids to tell us how they feel connected to nature, to people in their families, and to people they don't know.  We did all of our poses in a circle in order to feel our connection to each other even more.

The kids all enjoyed the different room set up.  The younger group thought it was a crack up when we did a group utkatasana (chair pose) and all sat on each other's laps in a circle.  As they laughed, some of us hit the floor!

The older group was much more contemplative about connections.  In a teachable moment, we took time to stop and ask the girls (middle schoolers) how their connection to their own yoga practice has made a difference in their lives.  Lori and I were almost in tears by the end of our discussion.  They talked about how they know how to let go of their anxiety now.  They can take a deep breath rather than act out when someone is unkind to them.  Another girl said that she is better able to stay in the present moment and appreciate who she is right now rather than live in the past and hold onto what she used to be able to do.  It was profound.  These girls were so willing to open up to us and the group and share how their practice has improved their lives.

I shared that I wished I had been able to learn those lessons at their age.  Maybe it would have saved me from many migraines and stomach aches throughout school.  The best part is, that now that they have a practice, it's theirs forever!  I love that even though we are their teachers of the actual poses, they are their own teachers.  They will further their connection to themselves from now on.  It's truly amazing and makes Lori and I realize what a gift it is to share our love of yoga with these girls, and to learn from their journey.

many blessings,
nancy

New Offerings

Hello Yogis,

We have 2 new offerings coming up to share with you.

We will be doing a short session of Yoga 4 Youth at Yoga Oasis.
Wednesday, April 25 - Wednesday, May 16  from 4:15-5:15pm
The cost is only $45 for the session.

We are offering a SUMMER CAMP the week of June 18.
We will meet from 2-4 each day.  The cost is only $110 for the week.  Please go to
www.yogaoasis.com for more details!

We love teaching your kids!

Nancy and Lori

Ahimsa and the symbol for OM

This week we talked about Ahimsa (non-violence) with our Red Monkey Yogis.  This 7 week session is titled "Making Yoga Connections" and we'll be learning about the Yamas and Niyamas as a way to bring yoga into our everyday lives.  What a bright group of kids this is!!  They brainstormed several ways that they can practice ahimsa everyday-using kind words, helping people in need, walking away from someone who isn't being nice were among the list.  We also discussed how important it is to listen to your body when it's trying to tell you something.  If something hurts, you need to back off and make sure your alignment is correct.  If your stomach is full, you probably don't want to keep eating.  Lori and I learn so much from our class with these kids.  They are so open to the teachings and so willing to connect what we do on the mat to how they live.  We did some fun poses and a great partner pose called "elevator".  Ask your child if they'll teach it to you.

With our Yoga Oasis group, we learned about the symbol for OM.  We read a great book and talked about how OM connects all of us together.  That's why we begin each and every class with 3 OMs.  We asked the kids to put their hands on their chests and feel the vibration of their heartbeats.  Then we talked about how each one of us has a heartbeat; it may beat differently than everyone else, but it is common to every living being.  Each student got an OM symbol on a piece of paper that they got to disguise in their own creative drawing.  We had OMs inside tshirts, inside robots, and more.  

We worked into bakasana (crane pose).  The kids love this because it takes strength and concentration.  They really cheered each other on and enjoyed watching each other try the pose.  

We'd love to hear from you and your child.  Please send us any posts you'd like us to put here at yoga4youthtucson@gmail.com. 

Namaste!

a new session begins

This week we began a new session of Yoga 4 Youth at Yoga Oasis.  What a great group of kids, and very excited to be doing yoga.  We talked about Surya and the power of the sun.  We read a short story about Surya and how he rides a chariot drawn by 7 white horses across the sky every morning.  The kids really liked the story and liked moving on their mats.  The highlight of the class was getting them into partners so that they could ride like Surya around the room and be BRIGHT like the sun!  It was great to watch them take turns being the sun or being the horses.

We also began learning our Salutation to the Sun Poem.  Here it is in case you'd like to practice it at home!

Salutation to the Sun

I make a mountain on my mat,

stretch up high just like that.

Now I fold and touch the floor,

Take a breath and fold once more.

Jump back and walk the plank,

lower to my belly like I sank.

Place my hands nice and wide,

curl up to cobra and move side to side.

Tuck my toes, send my hips up high,

that’s down-dog where I stretch and sigh.

Looking forward, I bend my knees,

Jump to my hands as easy as you please.

Push down through my feet to rise,

A sun salutation right before your eyes.

Written by Nancy Gutierrez

There are still a couple of spots open, so please go to www.yogaoasis.com to sign up!  

As always, we are honored to teach all of these kids.  Thank you all for supporting us!

Nancy and Lori

First Session of Yoga 4 Youth at Yoga Oasis

Our first session of Yoga 4 Youth is complete at Yoga Oasis. It was a monumental week for a number of reasons. The most exciting reason is that it has been a dream of mine and of Nancy's to teach kids yoga for a long time. But not only are we teaching it, we are teaching it at our home, Yoga Oasis. It makes it a little more special!

           

Every new group that we start with there is a conversation in the parking lot after class between Nancy and I. It goes something like this, "Whoa, that was intense. Do you think we will be able to teach them how to act in a yoga class?" Then a short seven weeks later, we are thoroughly amazed at what amazing yogi's they have become! During our last class, we created a circle and had a lot of discussions. First the kids told us what they had learned in yoga. It is amazing how insightful their responses are. These are 5-9 year olds, and their responses make more sense than an adult's response to the same question. It is very black and white, very clear to them.

           

Next, our students determined what their favorite pose was and drew a picture of it. The art teacher in me was very excited to see their drawings! We then played a round robin game of name your favorite pose and everyone does it together. How could I forget? In the middle somewhere, we played "Freeze Dance Yoga." We turn on some fun, happy music and the kids do yoga poses. Some are actual poses and some are very creative poses from the mind of a five year old! When we stop the music, whatever pose you are in, you hold! Great fun!

Nancy and I are so proud of our students and their ability to connect with themselves. But not only connect with themselves but also verbalize some of that connection. For those who could not verbalize, perhaps they could draw the connection. For those who could not verbalize or draw their connection, they could show us with their bodies. Whichever way the created the connection, hopefully the connection was made! As I say often, I only wish I had been given a skill like learning to connect to myself at such a young age!!

We have a new session beginning at Yoga Oasis on February 29th and one at Red Monkey on March 5th. Hope your kids can come join us!

Here are some of the responses we heard when asked what did you learn from yoga?

• When I am frustrated and angry I can breathe to calm down. I don't have to get embarrassed at school because I can breathe.           Emily
• Yoga can help you calm down.                      Trinity
• Yoga makes you stronger and more peaceful.            Ava
• I learned that I can do yoga. I can do crow pose even though I did not think I could. It was hard the first time then I did it!              Miles
• I learned to trust myself and to trust other people in partner poses.              Tillie
• I learned to have confidence because I can believe in myself. I know what is right because of yoga.          Diamond
• I learned to trust myself. When I am frustrated I can breathe.          Saige
• Yoga makes you relaxed and peaceful.          Caleb

Here are some of the pictures our students drew of their favorite yoga pose.

From our students...

Hi, my name is Asha; I am 14 years old. I first found out about the Yoga 4 Youth program through Red Monkey Studio and decided to give it a try. I began taking classes from the summer and continued through the rest of the year. I have currently been taking this class for about 7 months, and I have enjoyed every second of it! The instructors, Nancy and Lori, are so encouraging and sweet ;I am so grateful someone finally started a youth yoga class! Trust me, it isn't anything like "do superhero", and "now do the bunny pose". They tell you the sanskrit name, the derivative, and what it means to you. I have found myself to become more confident through my flexibility and also my confidence in other places. When you practice something you really love, you find that you and everyone around you is lifted and happier. So grab a friend and welcome yourself to serene new world! Namaste!

from our students...

Here's a little something from one of our older students...

Hello, my name is Megan, and I am 11 years old.  I started the kids yoga class in September and it has been so fun and amazing for me.  Yoga has really helped me breathe and forget about all the struggles in life. Yoga has given me an opportunity to get stronger and more open to everyone and everything.  I think everyone should get the chance to do yoga, or even try yoga. I am positive that it will help them in ways such as opening your heart more, and seeing the goodness in yourself as well as the goodness in others. If everybody practiced yoga, the world would be a better place to live in. 


This is why we love teaching Yoga 4 Youth!

Yoga and the Chinese New Year

This week Lori put together a great unit linking yoga and the Chinese New Year.  We talked about how yoga helps you know yourself and who you really are.  The kids each found what sign of the Chinese Zodiac they were and the personality traits that go along with that animal.  We talked about these traits and if they thought that they were correct.  This started a great discussion about how many of them felt that the traits listed with their particular animal did fit their own personality, but that they were also much, much more than those traits.  This is why we love teaching kids!  Of course they know that they are much more than a few personality traits!  They each chose two traits that and wrote about it or drew pictures of it.  Our youngest student (5) drew a picture of himself on a bike because his zodiac trait was athletic.

We also did many backbends during practice.  Backbends are always fun with kids because they are just so flexible.  It's great for Lori and I to see them do poses that, for us, are extremely challenging, but to them are easy.  It was an energetic practice that had them very excited and wanting to show us more and more poses that they could do and we couldn't!  Our hope is that through this yoga program, we can help kids continue to have a wonderful self esteem.  By teaching them to know more about who they really are, they will be able to stay true to themselves throughout their childhood.

Each and every week we are so thrilled to see so many kids excited about doing yoga.  They are very open to new poses and new ideas.  Our Yoga 4 Youth classes inspire us to be more creative and fun in our adult classes too.  We are currently working on a summer program, so please look for information on that very soon!

kids love yoga!

Lori and I have been teaching Yoga 4 Youth classes since September.  In that time we've seen our students get more flexible, stronger and more able to relax.  The middle school students tell us how much the yoga has helped them deal with stress at school.  The younger ones still like to ask us why we can't do the super bendy poses that they can do!  We have learned so much from all of these students in the past few months.  It's been so amazing to bring real yoga to these kids.  We do have fun, we do laugh, but we also do real poses, call them the sanskrit name and explain what muscles are being used and how to protect them.


Being school teachers, Lori and I know that we don't have to dumb things down for kids, we just have to explain it a bit differently than we do to adults.  I think it's awesome that our students know what a "midline" is and that if they hug into their midline during a balancing pose, it gets easier!  Of course, we also have a ton of fun playing "freeze yoga" and doing partner poses like "lizard on a rock".  What has been the most fun, is watching our students open up and try new things.  They are so willing to dive right in and see how bright they can truly shine.  They are a constant inspiration to both of us.


The fact that we get to teach our own children in our classes just adds to the delight!  Lori has two boys, I have two girls, and they all love doing yoga.  It's so great that at such an early age they are learning the skills they need to deal with stress, to take care of their bodies and to know that their own potential is limitless.  Maybe, just maybe, they will not suffer from migraines because of stress, or suffer sports injuries because of overuse and under-stretching, or maybe they'll just feel good about being themselves.  Hey, all of those options are great reasons for all of us to do yoga.


The bottom line is that yoga is great for everyone!  We feel blessed to teach yoga to both kids and adults.  We will be blogging about our experiences on this path, giving suggestions for kids to do at home to further their practice and even posting interviews with our young students.  Thanks for reading and feel free to post your own comments and questions.