T is for Teacher: Basic Training plus Teen Intensive!

  Learn how to teach fun and effective yoga for kids!

Led by Asana Alphabet™ founder with guest teachers. 

March 1-2 in NYC; 10am-6:30pm both days

Full Workshop: Early Birds (by 2/1/14): $395; After 2/1: $435

Basic Only (ends Sunday afternoon): $365

Teens Only (Sun. 2:30-6:30pm only; prereq: basic training required): $108

Basic TrainingTopics covered include:

Asana Appropriateness: Safety and fun of yoga poses    Why Yoga for Children? Benefits

Breathwork for Kids                                                         Mantra and Song for Kids

Mudra and handwork for Kids                                         Kids partnering/group games

Yoga ball skills                                                                 Parent-Child Yoga Class Ideas

Prek-Grade 1 Class Outline and ideas                             Grade 2-4 Class Outline and ideas

Grades 5-8 Class Outline and ideas                                 Building your kids yoga business

Special Needs (how to adapt in general)                          Controlling Your Class

Teen Portion:  Today’s teen issues; advanced poses/partnering; talking to teens in class                                 Mediation and Relaxation; Grades 9-12 Class Outline/lesson plans/ideas

Full  training includes teaching guides, yoga songs download, detailed letter of completion & other teaching goodies. Informed by both Hatha and Kundalini Yoga Styles. Workshop can be taken on its own or in conjunction with Asana Alphabet’s basic certification. Teen intensive can be taken as a stand alone if you have already taken the basic training or have ample prior experience. Please speak with our director if you’re interested in this option.

REGISTRATION: ASANAALPHABET@GMAIL.COM

www.AsanaAlphabet.com

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Yoga for Kids by Age Group

Check out this article on the best activities for specific age groups!

http://www.alignyo.com/the-goods/never-too-young-to-be-a-yogini

Tips for Keeping your Kids yoga class under control!

You may have all the lesson plans in the world, but if your class is out of control, it will be hard to teach anything! Here are a few ways to make your classroom an effective place for learning:

-Come well prepared for your class. Go over your lesson plan before children come to see you and have some extra ideas at the ready.

-Do yoga or meditation before teaching. Children will often reflect your own mood. The more calm, enthused and organized you are, the better your class will be.

-Be sypathetic to those who are acting out. Though some kids may be in a “bad” mood, children who do not understand directions, consequences or find an exercise too easy or difficult may act out. Look at your teaching strategies to see if some changes can be made to accomodate that child.

-Arrive before your class starts so the classroom is yoga friendly with distractions and dangers (such as toys, books, dirty floor) are out of the way.

-Continue your education. Observe other teachers in action and incorporate what works into your teaching strategies.

Need More? Asana Alphabet holds periodic teacher trainings….many coming up in February-April, 2012.  More TBA at our website: http://www.AsanaAlphabet.com

Using music in a teen yoga class

A week before our next teacher training workshop (Jan. 21-22 in NYC..one spot left!) and once again I find myself going through the guidebook making sure I’ve caught every last spelling mistake.  I thought I’d share a new excerpt from our upcoming preteen/teen yoga teaching guide…enjoy!

MUSIC for Teen Yoga Class

As an adult yoga teacher, I have strayed from using music in my classes so that my students can more easily listen to the sound of their own breathing. While music can inspire us to go deeper, it is often relied upon by some teacher to distract us or, if you will, to continue the ongoing chatter in our brains that we are trying to smooth out.

I also want my teen students to listen to themselves and silence can really be golden for them; but I feel music is a great gateway for getting teens to be interested and engaged in yoga, or even to want to attend in the first place.  A useful technique is to play background music softly during the majority of class then slowly begin to fade it out.  I find that the contrast of music then silence can bring the students more in touch with themselves.  If you are good at keeping rhythm, using a drum to count breathing rhythms can also be engaging.  Most teens love music they listen to in their free-time, and it may be a fun option to allow students to play DJ or have a free choice once in a while.  Most of the time, teachers need to “re-select” choices because of language and subject matter that is not promoted in schools, so asking for music choices a few days beforehand is advised.

Teachers can use this opportunity in yoga to expose students to a variety of music styles.  Perhaps using a relaxing piece by Bach that they are also studying in music class or taking a pick from the wide selection of music from other cultures. If you don’t have these selections on hand, try exploring the website GrooveShark where you can sample full songs of many artists (but be mindful….if you constantly pick an artist or a certain song, it’s worth the good karma to actually purchase it).

Finally, we school teachers also need to watch out for yoga music that chants about a particular God.  Many schools I have worked in will not tolerate a chant praising Ganesha or Shiva so perhaps opt for a more “nonreligious” choice like Dharmma Mitra’s long Aums.  And if you teach younger kids, you can also find some child-friendly yoga songs for purchase at www.AsanaAlphabet.bandcamp.com.

Easy Teen Yoga for the Classroom

model: Christiane from Canada

Many schools face budgetary cuts, and yoga, as well as other forms of physical education, are often the first to go.  Several teachers have emailed me who want to use a little bit of yoga in class as they already know that a little can go a long way.  Obviously, the attached video (click to your left)  is in the great outdoors; however, the sequence can be used simply standing alongside your desk, making it a very convenient and effective sequence to use as a break during long lectures!  Many other sequences are covered in our teen yoga intensives (as well as in Asana Alphabet’s basic series).  Email us for more info on them (our next one is in Miami, March 17-18 then in NYC, April 14-15, 2012): AsanaAlphabet@gmail.com