Kids Yoga - One of my greatest Joys

One of my biggest joys of my Yoga journey, is teaching to kids. For me yoga was first introduced to me by my mom, and while it was fun and silly time, I enjoyed it! Kids in so many ways have the yoga practice that should inspire all adults. They have no ego. It is about having fun, supporting each other, learning to breathe deep, singing and having FUN! When I was teaching grade 1 & 4 in the Public School system, I used Yoga to help calm down the energy, and also to have students aware of their body-mind connection. It was a great tool for fourth graders before State Testing time. Since then I have been blessed to go on to teach and share Kids Yoga with Little flower, Yogi Beans, Bamboomoves, Harmony By Karate, and soon Karma Kids. A huge passion of mine has been to bring Yoga to children with special needs. Working with kids on various areas of the Autistic Spectrum, with Cerebral Palsy, Down Syndrome, ADHD, Sensory Integration and even Williams Syndrome....thank you Yogi Beans for giving me such cherished opportunities! Regardless of what level of learning a child is at, they all relate to yoga. They love to move their bodies, love to chant, love the breathing, and they love to show adults how to have fun with the practice. Falling out of Tree pose is so much more Joyful after years working with Kids Yoga. Whether it's working with Girl Scouts, at a Yoga Studio, at the Rebecca School or in an after school Program, Kids yoga is an AMAZING experience! A recent Yoga Journal Post was brought to my attention highlighting the top 5 reasons Yoga should be in schools:

1. To manage Stress
2. To beat obesity
3. To maintain focus
4. Resistance to bullying
5. To improve behavior overall

While I am grateful for all the opportunities, I wanted to take a minute to highlight some of the companies that are really making the movement of Kids Yoga have an enormous and beautiful impact on the community (in no specific order):

1. Yogi Beans - An Awesome Kids Yoga Experience. Lauren loves the kids! -AMAZING!
2. Karma Kids - The first Yoga Studio for Kids in NYC- Shari loves the kids! - AMAZING!
3. Little Flower - Jennifer gives AMAZING workshops and programs! AMAZING
4. Radiant Child - Shakta's song Fly Like A Butterfly is AMAZING!
5. Bent on Learning - Working with Inner City Schools - AMAZING!
6. Sonia Sumar - She trains Teachers to work with Children with Special Needs AMAZING!
7. Itsy Bitsy Yoga - the name says it all - AMAZING!

It is important for us to spread the awareness of this amazing practice, and share in the quest to bring Mind-Body-Peace to all. In my experience, teaching Kids Yoga has showed me who my greatest teachers are.....Kids! Thank you to all the kids who practice with me....Love you all!

Joy with Kids Yoga

When you love Yoga as much as I do, you cannot help but feel a tremendous amount of gratitude for every experience both teaching and taking classes. Yoga is an amazing practice with incredible power to change lives by harmonizing the Mind-Body & Spirit. While I am so grateful to teach adults both private and group, kids Yoga, and Pre/Post Natal classes, teaching Children with special needs brings joy to my heart like nothing else.

I always say that these children are truly God's Angels. The past few weeks for me have been incredibly challenging, and it is the special angels that I work with that brought joy to my heart.

This year has brought so many blessings, and learning lessons, and amidst a challenging week, I had the opportunity to teach my regular amazing Kids Yoga classes for Kids with Special Needs at the Rebecca School in Manhattan through Yogi Beans. I am so thankful to have been part of Yogi Beans from the start with the amazing Lauren. Lauren had a vision to bring Yoga to kids, and she has done and incredible job. In my opinion Yogi Beans provides the Best Kids Yoga Program because Lauren is a Yogi herself, and a big kid at heart, and took the time to craft a program that inspires confidence, creativity, concentration, sense of calm, and increased strength & flexibility in kids, all while having fun!!! Lauren also welcomes Instructors to bring their own creativity to classes also, which I love.

The amazing Kids I am fortunate to work with at the Rebecca School amazed me this week! I am still getting to know these amazing kids, and like with any child, every day is a different experience. First off giving me the most loving hugs, with smiles that could light up the darkest room, and saying "hello Ambria" with excitement that was filled with heavens loving energy made my entire week. To top it off, these incredible kids sang along with my songs, did yoga poses and inspired me with their energy and enthusiasm!!! WOW! What a breakthrough, and what an amazing way to share energy! So thankful for Yogi Beans, and so thankful for all the amazing opportunities to teach Yoga.

Compassion - Daya

The Vedic Yama Daya means compassion. For two weeks now I have had the privilage to work with a lovely group of kids teaching them yoga. Two kids who have high energy (one is a lovely girl who I have worked with for over a year & a new boy). Both the parents of the high energy kids say that they would benefit from more focus based activities. The third child in the yoga class is a wonderul girl who has autism. Her parents wanted her to be in a class that was not primarily for autistic children. Immediately, the experience reminded me of when I taught first grade, and had one child with autism in a class of 23 kids. I knew it could work, and would be a wonderful learning experience for all! The high energy kids have A LOT of energy and are extremely chatty, while the little girl who is autistic is mostly non verbal. Last week, I had no idea what to expect and was amazed when I saw an incredible display of compassion. The girl who is usually eager to display her high energy/hyper take on yoga was extremely compassionate to this other young girl. She was encouraging, complimenting, understanding, and nurturing to her quiet classmate. This week, the little boy was the same. To top it all off, the little girl who was described to me as non verbal autistic, was speaking, laughing, and making animal sounds when cued!!! She was also very responsive to the music. It was so lovely to witness compassion in this unique yoga class. Often times, in adult yoga classes we talk about the ego with regard to the importance of being present without the obsession to get in the asana (pose), refraining from judgement. This was such a wonderful display of compassion and ego-less yoga. These are the highlights of teaching yoga.

Kids Yoga Party with Yogi Beans

On the weekend, I had the chance to lead a Kids Yoga Party with Yogi Beans. In the past, I have had the chance of doing Yoga Birthday Parties with both Yogi Beans and Bamboomoves, but this was just a Party. The lovely young girl won the party at a school auction, it was given as a donation from Yogi Beans, and she decided to invite 9 of her friends to enjoy a Yoga Party. I set up Yoga blankets and each girl paired up on the blankets as we did some yoga. We did sun salutations, pranayama (breathing exercises), Yogi Says, Asana (yoga poses), Toga, Yoga chat, and meditation, and it was so much FUN!!! This lovely group of girls were so attentive, polite, caring to each other, well behaved and a total delight to teach! They enjoyed some snacks afterward, made sure to say thank you and cleared out. Many of them gave me hugs and said "You're the best yoga teacher ever", "I had so much fun" and "I want to do yoga with you again Ambria". Thank you girls for making such a wonderful Yoga experience!

Zane and Laura OM with Joy!

Yoga comes from the Sanskrit word "Yuj" to yoke or join. Since we are all made of vibration, sound activates our chakras or spirit and further allows us to join our consciousness with universal consciousness. While I love to work with adults, kids, pre/post natal ladies, to enhance their yoga practice, the two lovely kids Zane and Laura have my heart every week. Working with Zane for over a year, I have watched him sing along with words, display enthusiasm to say OM, and much more. Laura has evolved into a mini teacher, by volunteering to lead our sing along sun salutation and various other activities. Laura has become Zane's Big Yoga Sister. We usually wind our class down with sharing our OM, hands held and with tremendous joy! Yogi Beans provides many yoga experiences for kids with and without special needs, for more information on available classes visit their site. www.yogibeans.com

Yogi Beans makes Yummy Mandalas

One of my favorite yogi bean groups to work with is on Friday, with Zane and Laura. These two kids have amazing energy, tremendous love for both yoga and all participants in the class, and they are both a joy to work with. While my every yogi bean class is special, this one is really really special. These two brilliant kids have special needs (down syndrome) and prove how beautiful yoga is to every child. I have watched as Zane has learned new words, and reacted to the music doing all the physical poses to the best of his ability. I have enjoyed watching Laura recount poses that she had done weeks prior. These two enjoy Toga so much! Laura will demonstrate how she can pick up more than three pom poms in her toes and Zane is grabbing the tiny ones every chance he gets. The lovely Laura is a teacher in training. This past week, she led us in a brilliant Sun Salutation and Zane decided we would create a mandala with food. His food of choice was "apple". While Zane is generally quiet, except to giggle at the songs he loves, and say a few choice words related to some of my yoga songs, it was so thrilling to hear him share "apple" for our mandala. So healthy and Yummy. This class is truly joyful! One the best things is to witness how involved the parents and baby sitters are with regard to encouraging the progress and even participating in the yoga! What a wonderful class to share in!

Yogi Beans in the Yoga Garden

Every Sunday is a Yogi Beans Sunday for me, and after a lovely Mommy & Me group of 16, I have the honor of teaching a group of three adorable kids. The class is comprised of two brothers and a little girl. Each week we pack our class with high energy sun salutations, balance postures, warrior poses, and focus games. Today, the lovely little girl, Helen brought in her favorite yoga game called "Yoga Garden". After doing some Yoga stretches and breathing exercises, along with a great new Yogi Bean teacher-trainee Hailey, the five of us played a wonderful non competitive yoga inspired game called "Yoga Garden". We did poses, laughed, and took turns. It was a great Sunday in the Yogi Beans Yoga Garden. The kids reacted to this game with enthusiasm and peace. I think this is a great game for everyone, looking to get one myself.

Yogi Beans on Pix 11

Today the lovely Lauren Rosenfield led the cutest little yogi beans in some Kids Yoga stretches on Channel 11. The morning local news Pix 11 had a studio filled with the yogi bean kids and enjoyed the lions breath, Downward Dog, Tree Pose, Donkey Pose, and other fun poses that the kids enjoy regularly. I was particularly excited to see Meghana, a little girl who takes classes with me every Wednesday smile into the camera as she did her poses. Go Girl! Go Yogi Beans!

Building a Carin with Yogi Beans

For weeks I have had the privilege to teach Kids Yoga with an amazing, high energy, brother duo at the Yogi Beans Studio . Like many boys, it is not always appealing to color mandalas, sing songs, and do yoga poses as it may not always captivate their attention as much as it would for young girls. Often times even the regular education system takes for granted that boys have more energy than girls, and often times think in a more mathematical way. These two boys have inspired me to find new ways to make meditation, yoga poses and breath work fun for them. I love to watch them progress and encourage each other every week. They truly bring joy to my every Sunday. While I want to do yoga exercises that are catered to their physical needs as well as emotional desires, I want them to embrace a sense of calm and mediation. This Sunday we had a meditation breakthrough!!!! I decided to pull out the Block Pile or Carin. A Carin is also known as a man made pile of blocks. These blocks are cut in various jagged ways, and kids are required to focus as they slowly create a pile with these oddly shaped blocks. This activity improves and spotlights a child's spatial reasoning. So far any kids I have worked with never get the pile higher than 3 or 4 blocks, and it usually wobbles the entire time. This Amazing Brother duo had me in total amazement as they piled up all the blocks with ease, humility and precision. They even described why they would position each block where it was. In all honesty, I don't know many adults who would be able to get the pile passed 3 blocks, let alone build the entire pile....And these boys did it repeatedly!!! WOW! While I know I am drawing many comparisons it is only to highlight how we are all unique and gifted in our own ways. While some of us have talents in arts, some may have talents in math or science etc. These two boys had joyful focus like nothing I have seen. Paul & William you are the engineers of the future. Thanks for making my Valentine's morning so thrilling!!!

Toga Friday

One of my greatest joys is to do Yoga with Kids. I work with kids of various ages and abilities/disabilities. It goes without question that Yoga calms the mind, and heals the body, so to introduce kids to yoga is an amazing opportunity. In turn, kids have an amazing ability to remind you of the joys of life, and the hidden joys of a yoga practice. Kids have a brilliant way of approaching asana (yoga poses). When teaching adults Yoga asana (poses) is focused on alignment, while with kids, they find joy in wobbling in and out of alignment. This joy is just the enlightenment, and liberation from our own tendencies to judge ourselves, and our world around us, that many of us need in our lives.

The hands down game of choice for kids is "Toga". On Fridays I have the wonderful chance to work with a group of kids with Down Syndrome. Being apart of their yoga experience is life changing for me. These kids improve their speech with my songs, gain confidence with the poses and learn to calm their minds with meditation. Along with the benefits of yoga they continue to amaze me every week. One week, I introduced Toga to them, which is Yoga with your toes. This involves picking up pom poms using only your toes. Kids Love Toga! It improves flexibility in the arch and ankle, improves concentration and like I said before it is FUN! The part that amazed me, was when one of the kids picked up four pom poms with one foot! After refereeing dozens of Toga games, it was amazing to see this brilliant little girl pick up FOUR pom poms with her tiny toes. She is the record holding champ of Toga thus far.

Yoga for Kids with Aspergers

Aspergers Syndrome is an autistic spectrum disorder. Often times kids have difficulty with social interaction, and can be a little clumsy with body mechanics. Emotional empathy is hardly displayed. As I love to work with Kids with Special Needs of any kind, I jumped on board when asked to sub a special needs Yogi Beans class. There were four vibrant young girls in the class. All were on various levels of the spectrum, and enthusiastic to do Yoga. We did sun salutations, balance, action songs, and a dog tunnel where one girl had her moving toy hamster crawl through our tunnel. Throughout the practice all the girls support each by cheering each other on. They each made up a Yoga pose and taught it to their friends. The most touching point of class was when we came to a close, and all 4 girls dedicated their yoga practice to something they hold dear to their hearts (family, friends, school etc). One of the young ladies dedicated her practice to all the teachers, specialists, and especially Yoga teachers who have helped her come far and join into mainstream activities. At the end she told me she loved the class, and that my class helped her to relax and find the calmness that she needed for a good night. Her eloquence and sincerity were so touching. Yoga helps kids with confidence, motor skills, social skills and so much more. I am so thankful that I had the experience to work with this lovely group of brilliant young girls.

Yogi Beans New Tunes

Yogi Beans is another Kids Yoga experience that I am happy to be apart of. Kids get to stretch, learn yoga poses, work on breathing exercises, sing, do meditation, relax and most importantly HAVE FUN!!! I am so happy that Yogi Beans has got some New Tunes!!!! While I think music is so wonderful to add to a Yoga class for any age, I am so thrilled to be using the new Yogi Beans music. For a few weeks I had been using my own original Kids Yoga Music in YB classes which the kids loved, but now I am so happy to share the new Yogi Beans music in the classes too! So far all age groups have been digging the tunes. Hip Hip Horray for Yoga & Music!!! If you are interested in learning more about the Kids Yoga Experience with Yogi Beans visit www.yogibeans.com

My Brilliant Lena - Kids Yoga

Last Sunday was a tearful goodbye to my lovely Lena. Lena has been working on Yoga with me through Yogi Beans for quite a while now. Her warm spirit, enthusiasm, genuine kindness to fellow classmates and love for yoga has inspired my personal practice. From the time I met Lena, she has always had a way of saying the most profound wise statements. Even her observations of her surroundings have always been wise beyond her years. Every week, I watched as she would dive into yoga poses with ease and joy. While I have enjoyed working with this wonder kid, due to scheduling, she is now in another class. I know that she will be awe inspiring to her new group, and I can only hope that we will practice yoga together again in the future. It is amazing how we build bonds within a yoga class. At the end of class, Lena wiped away tears and said she wished she could stay in my class, I was moved deeply and wish the same, but understand that sometimes we have to make adjustments for scheduling purposes. In the words of Lena, "I will treasure my yoga classes with her forever". ~ Peace & hugs, Ambria

Mandalas with Yogi Beans

It is no secret that kids love to color. It is a chance for them to express their creativity. The vivid pictures, the lines to stay in, and that waxy smell of a new box of crayons is familiar to us all. Sometimes, in a yogi beans kids class, the kids color mandalas. While they color the mandalas they meditate on a happy place, time or thought which is later shared. Recently, I watched as two young ladies colored their mandalas. One little girl paying attention to creating a pattern with speed, and the other paying attention to detail and more abstract. It is amazing what the human eye can create when given a blank page. A blank artists page is very much like our lives, we have the opportunity to use and appreciate all the colors in the box, create patterns, be abstract, be detailed, and feel however we choose. After coloring her mandala, Lena told me that she Loves Yoga and decided to write that on her Mandala. Make the most of your lives, color with joy and love the process! ~ Peace & Hugs, Ambria

Mind, Body Spirit Harmony for the Special Child

From my experience teaching as a public school teacher and a Kids Yoga teacher, I am amazed at the common reaction kids have to music and yogic movement. Music inspires learning, it is the way we all learned our alphabet. Yogic movement improves motor skills, focus, and brings relaxation. I wish more teachers would incorporate music and yogic movement into the classroom, but the curriculum standards have been set. Many times before a standardized test, I would guide my 4th grade students in meditation which would relax them. At one time I had my 4th grade students analyze the song lyrics to two famous pop songs, so they could learn how to write a comparative essay. After singing the songs together, and to themselves, it was the first time they were able to understand and utilize the tools to write a proper comparative essay. Since I had previously worked at a major record label, my former boss at Def Jam was kind enough to reward my students with posters & pencils (of the particular artist) which made them even more excited. Once upon a time, these kids were looked at as the group that would never write a paragraph. I knew one day, I would have to do something to help inspire better habits, and inspire learning with music and yogic movement.

My biggest inspiration for my latest project of "music for movement" has been from the reaction of kids with Special Needs. I have had the privilege to work with some kids who have Down Syndrome, ASD, Autism, ADHD, Sensory Integration, Williams Syndrome, Cerebral Palsy, and various other fine/gross motor & speech delays, both through Yogi Beans and on my own. The results are amazing! One example is when I sing my "Tree" song, kids not only come into yoga tree pose with focus and balance, they also learn the song and most importantly have fun. Most of the things that we learn in life stay with us when it was fun, and often times we link a song to an experience. While my catchy "music for movement" songs inspire the same reaction in all kids (both with and without special needs) and even most parents, it is important for us to use this as a supplementary tool for learning, and not forget that it is the way many of us learned the alphabet and general communication skills. So between yoga sessions, my goal has been to complete the recordings for the kiddies so they can enjoy them whenever they like. When you teach a kid a concept in an enjoyable way, learning is the result. Between my yoga sessions, I am busy in the studio recording Mind, Body, Spirit Harmony, the Latest Zoga Yoga Project. ~ Peace & hugs, Ambria

My Brilliant Lena is Back!!! - Kids Yoga

Today, I was reunited with the lovely Lena! This little girl who is technically ASD (autistic spectrum disorder) amazed me in the summer during our Yogi Bean sessions. I walked in to her home, only to hear her enchanting piano practice, playing none other than Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata. WOW, that is the piano piece that nearly had me quit piano years ago, and this little angel played with such brilliance. We progressed into our yoga practice complete with sun salutations, my yoga tree song, a yoga adventure, some chanting, meditation, and of course savasana. I was so happy to be reunited with Lena, as her energy and vibrancy are a true delight. The benefits all kids have with yoga and with music is unquestionable. To be part of someones journey and share my yoga practice is more rewarding than I could describe, but since my two primary passions in life are music & yoga, and being that I am a former NYC public school teacher, to witness the progress in a child from yoga and music is my hearts delight. At the end of our sessions Lena shares with me her insight on some meditation topics, and her profound outlook, and vast vocabulary are truly inspirational! The reason I highlight that she is a kid with ASD is only because her ability to dive into a yoga practice is inspirational for everyone. This amazing girl proves that it does not matter what our age, gender, or if we have some form of a disability, everyone can benefit & enjoy life with Yoga and Music. Thank you Lena for making this an amazing weekend! ~Peace & hugs, Ambria

Joyous Approach to Tree Pose

Yesterday was one of my longest days teaching yoga. With back to back sessions beginning with my amazing group class at Bamboo, 6:30 am and my last class with Yogi Beans ending at 5:30. I am so grateful to do the things I love and help people in the process. That being said my body was physically in need of a nap, a luxurious bath, an amazing massage etc. (things of that nature). The joy from this day was in the Tree pose. Tree pose is a challenging pose for me due to my low arches on my feet, so I love the chance to focus my mind in stillness. Most adults who do Yoga are fixated on balance and finding that perfect stillness. The joyous tree came at the end of the day when my Yogi Bean kids were eager to do Tree Pose for the purpose of: who can stay up the longest and who falls out the funniest! Kids have the most joyous approach to life and yoga! What a wonderful way to cap a day.

Tree Pose with Kids Yoga

While I love to teach yoga, teaching kids yoga is super duper fun! There are so many different approaches to asana (postures) and pranayama (breathing). Kids have an amazing imagination and since I am a kid at heart, I always feel like kids are on my wave length. Often times I will incorporate a story, or allow them to make a story that together we re-enact with yoga poses. Most stories are made in the moment with their suggestions. Since it is the season to plant gardens, a popular story involves planting trees, flowers, beans etc. One of my favorite yoga garden experiences was when we planted seeds that grew into magic trees that have candy blooms, and tweety birds that sing on the branches. Too fun!

Treasure Yoga with Autistic Spectrum Disorder Kids

I have enjoyed working with an inspirational young girl named Lena. This young lady was introduced to Yoga with some DVD's and came to me in a Yogi Beans class for further instruction. While I was told that she is ASD (autistic spectrum disorder), I knew that each individual child is unique and approached the situation without any judgement. Our first class was a private session. This young lady knew the poses like a pro! We played games like Yoga Adventure, Toga, and more. Her energy was absolutely fantastic. After class her mom mentioned that she loved the pace of the class but will be going away for the remainder of the summer. I was sad to not work with her again till the fall.

Because of Lena's enthusiasm about Yoga, her mom decided to sign her up in a group class I teach on Saturdays before they left for vacation. This young lady again impressed me. She introduced me to a new pranayama (breathing) technique and worked so great with the rest of the kids. At the end of class I gave the kids little word cards. The kids read the word on the card, and tell the group what that word means to them, and how it relates to Yoga. One sweet little girl had the word treasure, and with ear to ear grins she said she loved this word. She began to list jewels, crowns, coins and all the most beautiful items of treasure that she would love to have. My lovely student Lena said (and I quote) "it can also mean a special memory that you will treasure forever in your heart". She then said how she will always treasure her yoga class. WOW!!! Teaching this wise little girl is a memory I will treasure forever.

Yoga for kids with ADHD

For many weeks I have been teaching a wonderful little girl yoga. She is very excited to roll out her mat and tell me all the new events in her life. We would do various pranayama techniques like feather breathing, and balloon breathing. She loved doing Sun Salutations, Warriors, Yoga Adventures and Yoga Obstacle courses. At first her grandma, who would watch on the side was surprised that she was able to focus during our classes. I thought it was normal since most kids like yoga.

Soon I came to find out that she has ADHD. Slowly, I started to notice her attention fleeting. She quickly wanted to just spend our sessions blowing balloons, or doing nothing related to asana or meditation. I became concerned and was unsure what to do. Every suggestion was rejected. I felt I needed to somehow engage her in yoga so she would get the full benefits of the class.

So one day I gave her a Mandala to color and meditate. She colored a little bit and was quickly bored. So I asked her to turn the page over. I explained that the blank page is her place to draw all the Yoga poses she remembers. She amazed me!!! I called out poses and she drew the asanas with such detail. I had no idea she remembered so many yoga poses, since we spent many classes without asana work. She told me I could keep it, but I showed it to Grandma and saw how proud she was. Grandma took the picture home to show everyone and share her amazement with this brilliant little girls ability to recall and draw all the yoga poses.