Today’s Kids Yoga And Creative Movement lesson was so much fun! Actually, each and every class with them is. One of the many ways that these children are so amazing is that they LOVE being in their bodies. Playing is routine to them, and at the same time exciting and full of possibilities. How cool is that?
We opened our class with energizing exercises, all constructed within Tabata intervals. Yes! The keiki are even partaking in Tabata. Yahoo!!
We played with chasses, gallops, leaps of all sorts and more. It was energizing and the energy was buzzing with joyful delight. We checked into the feeling of our bodies after such activity and took the time be with those sensations.
We filled the middle of class with exercises that involved coordination and left and right side of the brain activity too.
Within this play we chatted about what it meant to have a body, about why we love having a body, and about the gift that our body truly is in our lives.
Yay! We Have A Body!
What do our kids love about having a body? Some of their sweet responses include:
- We get to laugh
- We get to cry (Yes, and wow! These precious 6-9 year olds expressed that even sadness and tears, although not always fun at times, means we have a body and that is a gift too!)
- We get to walk
So what do YOU love about having a body?
Moving With Breath, Exercises For Kids
The end of the class included the practice of moving with our breath. This was awesome! One of the exercises we did was walk silently around our mats, doing only one thing, feeling our breath. I asked them if they thought this would be easy or challenging, and it was a unanimous “EASY!” And then we began.
We got only half way around the room when one of the girls (my 6 year old daughter, hee hee) started giggling and talking. So, back to our mats we went and again I asked them, “Do you think this exercise is challenging or simple?” At this point they all agreed that focusing ONLY on the breath as they walked in our circle, without thinking of other things was not necessarily “easy.” It really was neat to see them approach the second time around with a willingness to simply be with only their breath.
We made it all the way around the circle! The energy was focused and calm. We continued moving with our breath using simple sequencing to do so. Inhale lift the arms, exhale lower the arms is just one basic example. Then each of them had the opportunity to teach the group another possibility of how we could move with our breath. Some of the examples included:
- walking to the top and back of our mats while breathing
- moving from child’s pose to a lifted spine with stretched arms
- stepping off the sides of our mat into a V and stepping back on the mat
It was cool to witness them all exploring the way in which to invite their breaths into their bodies and movements. We chatted about how this felt for them. Their responses include:
- It helps me concentrate.
- It helps me move slow.
- It makes me move more graceful.
- I feel calm.
- I could feel my breath in my belly.
- I could feel my breath move all the way in.
How Can Breathing With Awareness Help Us?
And when I asked how we could take this practice of being aware of our breaths off of our mats and into our lives, some of their sweet replies include:
- I can use my breath before a test to calm me down.
- When I need to focus.
Yahoo!!! How amazing are these little beings of light?!
Have they inspired you to move with your breath too?
Samantha’s kids yoga and creative movement classes are on the north shore of Kauai in Kilauea on Fridays at 2:30, for 6-9 year olds. Feel free to call me at 808-351-4958 for more info.