GreenTREE Yoga Review

Part of Ella's homeschooling is dedicated to doing yoga exercises. Since we began yoga there has been a huge change in Ella's behavior. She is definitely more relaxed and centered. Yoga gives her a place to put all of her energy and unwind. I did a yoga week a few months ago and reviewed GreenTREE Yoga. They just released a new book, "Create a Yoga Practice for Kids" and it has been an amazing tool in our homeschooling!

Green Tree Yoga is an amazing non-profit Yoga instruction company. Their mission is to educate the public about the healing and strengthening benefits of Yoga through various programs. Green Tree Yoga will provide you with the tools that can be used in a variety of settings for people of all ages and abilities.

"Create a Yoga Practice for Kids" was made to help parents and teachers teach their students how to get through a complete yoga exercise. It begins with opening poses and what you can say to get your child's attention so they will be interested. All of the poses are fun and any aged child can participate. Though you might have to do some altering for younger children. Ella's favorite opening pose is the Cat/Cow/Puppy Wag. Your child starts off on their hands and knees-arms bent- with a flat back and their head straight-kind of like a table. Then they arch their back up and straighten their arms to go into the Cat Pose. Ella likes to meow when doing this pose. To go into the Cow Pose, your child lifts their head and arches their back inward. Then your child will go back into the opening pose on their hands and knees and "wag their tails." Ella also likes to start barking while shaking her tail. This helps the spine get a little more flexible for the upcoming poses.

The book then goes into Themed Poses with a series of exercises that go along with the theme. There are themes like Opposites, Pose that Make you Feel Powerful, Poses that Flow, Poses that Grow, Poses that Kick and lots more. Each theme has at least 4+ poses. I like that the themes can go along with other activities you might be teaching your child. Every pose is explained with pictures and you are told what you can say to your child. You are also told the benefits of the pose!

"Create a Yoga Practice for Kids" has Relaxation exercises to help wind down the activities. We usually take this time to reflect on what we just did. My favorite is to have Ella lie down and I say things to help her visualize relaxing. I will say things like, "Wiggle your toes, then let them doze, relax your feet to this gentle beat, relax your heels, like sunning seals, relax your legs like mama birds sitting on eggs..." Sometimes Ella is ready to get up before the mantra is over, but that's ok.

I really like the section of games! The first one is the Alphabet Game. You have your child try to make letters with their bodies. If you are teaching your child the alphabet, this could be a fun way to incorporate that day's lesson. There are a bunch of other great games that can be done with just 1 child or a whole classroom.

You can get "Create a Yoga Practice for Kids" at GreenTREE Yoga for $20. You can also download a free MP3 or preview their CD tracks.

Thank you Yael for the new awesome book! I have loved learning how to become a better teacher! :)