Marsha Wenig - YogaKids: Educating The Whole Child Through Yoga

Copyright 2003 by Marsha Wenig

All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, mechanical, electronic, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without written permission from the publisher.

Published in 2003 by Stewart, Tabori & Chang
A Company of La Martinire Groupe
115 West 18th Street
New York, NY 10011

Export sales to all countries except Canada,
France and French-speaking Switzerland:
Thames & Hudson
181A High Holborn Ltd.
London WC1V 7QX
England

Canadian Distribution:
Canadian Manda Group
One Atlantic Avenue, Suite 105
Toronto, Ontario M6K 3E7
Canada

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Marsha, Wenig

YogaKids: the whole-child program of learning through yoga/By Marsha Wenig

p. cm.

ISBN 1-58479-292-2

1. Yoga, Hatha, for children. 2. Exercise for children. I. Title.

RA781.8.W465 2003
613.7046083dc21

2003042448

Designed by Susi Oberhelman

by Laurel Izard

YogaKids is a registered trademark of Dancing Feet Yoga Center, Inc.

The exercises in this book are gentle and safe provided the instructions are followed carefully. However, the publishers and authors disclaim all liability in connection with the use of the information in individual cases. If you have any doubts as to the suitability of the exercises, consult a doctor.

This book is dedicated to children everywhere: Learning yoga at a young age will bring peace and light to us all.

In loving memory of my parents, Ruthie and Eric Loeb.

Namaste to my magnificent family: Don, Dakota, and Kiva. I love you.

Contents

Introduction

S wami Satchidananda, one of the most famous yogis of our time, was once asked in an interview, Are you a Hindu?

No, he replied. Im an undo.

Over the past twenty years, two things have transformed me: yoga and motherhood. Both forced me to come undone, and in time, to come back together. The word yoga means, to yoke. Teaching yoga to children has inspired me to slow down, has demanded that I practice what I preach, and continually allows me to educate in ways that encourage a peaceful mind, a healthy body, and a creative spirit. By bringing my two deepest passions together in a labor of love, I have been able to serve myself, my family, and my community.

YogaKids teaches children to bunny breathe in order to boost energy when theyre tired, to release their anger with explosion sounds in Volcano, and to focus before tests with Take 5 breaths. When they practice the Warrior series with affirmations, their bodies grow stronger, and their confidence and self-esteem are enhanced. I love knowing that, at five years old, theyre learning life skills I didnt have until my life nearly fell apart.

Back in the 1970s and 80s, I was a heavy smoker, a stressed-out professional woman whose past careers had included TV news producer, public relations VP, film music coordinator, and road manager for the singing group The Manhattan Transfer. Both of my parents passed on in a short span of time. My grief was great, and yoga became my solace.

For someone with a tense lifestyle and an over-active mind, yoga was the perfect antidote. Physically, it made me feel good. Mentally and emotionally, it steadied my nerves and helped me to relax. In a short time, I felt a new ease in my body.

I quit smoking, began teaching creative writing to children in the L.A. public schools, and met Don, my yoga instructor, who became my husband. The frazzled, nicotine-addicted woman Id been years earlier became a distant memory. Don and I moved to the Midwest with our three-month-old daughter Dakota and opened the Dancing Feet Yoga and Retreat Center in Michigan City, Indiana.

While L.A. had a yoga studio on every other corner, Michigan City had misinformation and confusion about the practice. Our aim was to educate people about yoga, and their curiosity spurred our fledgling business.

Meanwhile, I was a yoga mom, learning how to be a mother and practicing my craft every day to help me stay present, peaceful, and healthy. Dakota had been doing yoga with me since before she was born, in utero, and now I enjoyed her willingness to play yoga. I wanted to branch out, share yoga with her and her friends. When her Montessori preschool accepted my offer to teach, I felt confident. After all, Id been teaching yoga to adults for several years, and studying Iyengar yoga for almost a decade.

I was in for a surprise. Two classes later, my frustration nearly overcame me. Teaching children was nothing like teaching adults. I knew what wasnt working, yet I didnt know how to fix it.

Unlike adults, children didnt wait for my instructions, nor were they interested in explanations. They just jumped right in and did the poses with me. They had absolutely no interest in holding poses, or in trying harder or trying again. They wanted to play and have fun. Children live in the moment; those moments move fast, and the questions come even faster. Why is Dog pose Dog pose when it doesnt look like a dog? Dogs bark, nip heels, and lift their legs to pee; they dont look like little pup tents!

It was time to undo what I had learned.

I got off the mat and experimented. Dakota walked me around by my shirt collar in Down Dog while I barked and growled. We rolled around like puppies. She kissed me with licks. We hissed like snakes in bhujangasana, the Cobra pose, and I slithered out of my old skin. After my training from the children, yoga would never be the same. The kids began to call me Mrs. Yoga, and they became my beloved Yoga Kids.

Once I began to tune in to how they wanted me to teach them, we created amazing classes together. I continually modified traditional poses to make these age-old techniques child-friendly and fun. We played games, read books, learned anatomy, counted, sang songs, and put stuffed animals on our bellies as breathing buddies.

Yoga became the springboard to creativity and exploration. We did yoga with nature, and observed animal behavior. We played percussion instruments as we walked in kooky and rhythmic ways. We wove stories with both our bodies and minds. With this interdisci -plinary approach, the classes were exciting, expressive, and alive. The children were hungry for movement through space; though they loved having their own mats, they didnt want to be confined to them.

If I had quieted the children and forced them to learn in a rigid, adult manner, theyd have quickly lost interest. But because we learned together, the children responded, and the YogaKids program blossomed.

Often when I leave a school, the children say, I wish every day was a yoga day. Now it can be! This book is an introduction and guide to the YogaKids program, something you and your child can experience together in your home.

Peace begins with me is one of the affirmations the children say in YogaKids classes. This phrase helps them recognize they have the power to change the world, both internally and externally.

In your hands is the power to help your child develop a strong body, gain respect and love for herself, and discover a place of stillness and peace. YogaKids is a stepping stone on the journey. It brings that marvelous inner light that all children have to the surface. Watch them shine!