YOGA BY THE DOZEN

- JoAnna Ross Contributing Writer

I have been teaching kids yoga ages 2-6 for the last 4 years out here in Los Angeles. I mainly teach in two Montessori schools twice a week. These children do more yoga then I do! I also teach a public class at Blackdog Yoga. About two years ago most of my students were leaving the Montessori School and going off to first grade. 25 kids out of 40 to be exact. I was really sad for many reasons.

First of all, I am going to get 25 new 2-year-olds. And they’re fun don’t get me wrong; but mostly they cry for the first 2 weeks because they miss their parents. And on top of that I show up to teach them yoga! TO put all parents at ease right now after that last paragraph let me go on record and say that 2 weeks from their first day ALL of the 2 year olds are happily doing yoga. It is fascinating. To me it seems as if they are sitting there in our magic circle, not listening, not paying attention, not getting anything I’m saying and secretly they are learning everything I have been teaching. It happens every year like clockwork.

Secondly,those 25 kids that were leaving loved yoga. I was giving them new poses every Monday. They couldn't get enough. We were doing side crow! Mermaid! Side plank! From crow jumping back chaturanga! I had to work really hard to keep up with them. My thought was “Will these kids continue to do yoga if it is not in their new school's curriculum”

So this is where the journey began for Yoga By The Dozen™.

Yoga By The Dozen™ is a fun, engaging children's yoga DVD designed especially for kids ages 2-6. My 12 friends and I demonstrate 12 poses that will introduce your children into the exciting world of Yoga. An easy warm-up followed by sun salutations leads into 12 fundamental poses that give children the basics of yoga.

Yoga inspires confidence in children and reinforces the idea that they can do or be anything. Yoga not only fosters physical awareness but also gives children:

     Courage when they try a new pose

     Support through a non-competitive atmosphere

     A way to safely improve strength and flexibility

     A connection between breath and movement

     Respect for themselves and one another

  Self Confidence - A platform for setting goals (yoga poses) and accomplishing them

I know I teach yoga but what I really teach is to try your best. Ages 2-82 I tell them the same thing.  When I started teaching kids I never thought that teaching them would make me a better teacher to older kids. Maybe it is because kids remind me of a time in all of our lives when fear wasn’t present or when things were simple. Sometimes we need those reminders.

I am not a mother but I have 185 kids. I dedicate this blog to the parents. You do have the hardest job. This next section (if I may be so bold) is tips I’ve learned or a story of how these children continue to change my life pose by pose. By the end of the year we will have covered all 12 of the poses I chose to start your child’s yoga journey. These 12 hints may or may not help you, but I know for sure that some stories will entertain you!

HINT: Although it is not the pose of the month, use camel pose (ustrasana) when washing your child’s hair. Tell them to look up at the lights. They will have no more tears.

Pose of the month: Warrior number one. Starting the year off with the first of the strong, powerful warriors. Questions to as your child. Where does this warrior take you? What special power does this warrior have?

Check out a preview of the Yoga By The Dozen™ DVD