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Have you considered delivering a yoga or mindfulness session for a community group such as guides or scouts? This is something that I have done before and I think it can be a really lovely thing to do for a number of reasons. In this blog. I’m going to share with you reasons why I think it can be great and also I’ll answer some frequently asked questions about this subject. Why do it?
Questions I’m often asked: Should I charge? This is a really personal one. I know many people do this for free as they may know the group, perhaps their child goes there. My own personal opinion of this is there needs to be a fair energy exchange. For me, if I give my time, energy and resources (driving their and back use of my equipment etc) and there is no energy given back to me – I feel resentment. I personally do charge for these experiences, but some don’t and you may feel like there is a fair energy exchange in sharing details of another class or service that you are trying to promote. It really is a personal thing and you need to do what feels good for you. How do I manage behaviour? Meeting groups of kids for the first time can be a bit overwhelming! Here’s some tips:
What should I teach in the session? It depends! Make sure that you know the outcomes that the group are hoping you will meet. There may be some aspects that you need to include for children to achieve a certain badge. Other than that teach what you are comfortable with! What has worked for you with this age group before? What do you love to share? Sounds great, how can I do it? Check out these links here: Scouts local groups Girl Guides local groups Find your local groups and get in touch with them 😊 Reaching out and working in the community can be really great for growing your business and also your confidence. Consider if this is something that you would like to do and how it could work for you in your kids yoga business. I'd love to hear from you, is this something that you have done? How has it worked for you? Would you like to work with me? Email me Julia@juliahankins.co.uk
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Sometimes, when I teach yoga in schools, I get requests for children to sit out of yoga due to religious concerns from the parents. I am not here to discuss whether or not yoga is a religion, but if you are interested in reading more in this area, you might find the blog by Yoga Journal interesting here. In this blog I'll be sharing my approach to this situation. As always, I am not saying this is the best way to handle the situation, I'm just sharing my own experiences. For me personally, it is really important to be sure about what you do and don't deliver in your kids yoga lessons and why. For example, I don’t say Namaste, use Sanskrit, or chant within my classes because this doesn’t feel aligned to me. I'm not at all saying that it is wrong to do these things; for you, they may be inextricably linked and an important part of your practice. What I am saying, is that you should be clear in your own mind about your approach and why you choose to teach the way that you do. If you are working with schools where parents may not have necessarily chosen for their child to be in your class, it is important that you are clear about what is and isn’t taught in your yoga classes. Communicate Yoga isn’t well understood by education settings and parents, so you need to make your approach clear in your communication with them. Perhaps by providing a letter (there is one of these in the editable document bundle) for the school to give to parents. Ensure that you communicate clearly what you do or don’t include in your lessons, for example, in my yoga for PE lessons, I focus mainly on physical and mental health. We practice movement and breathing, but I don’t really talk much about the spiritual aspects of yoga. As I already stated, I personally avoid using Sanskrit and chanting as this can be misinterpreted. Be clear about what it is that you have been employed to teach. What is the purpose of the lesson? For example, if it is a PE lesson, there is no reason to be talking about chakras. Be flexible a school that I work in had some students who were asked to sit out of yoga due to religious reasons. I shared with the school the letter about yoga and religion, but this didn’t change the situation for some children. The school knew that the lessons that I deliver are beneficial for both body and mind and wanted all children to benefit. We decided that the best route forwards was to change the name of the classes from yoga to well-being lessons, I altered the language that I use in the lesson to ‘mindful movement practice’. This feels like the right thing to do in this situation, as the children still benefit and the parents don't feel a conflict with their own religious beliefs. Be true to you yoga is a very personal practice and each of us approach it differently. However you approach your kids yoga lessons is fine, but it is important that you share your style and what is included and excluded if you are employed by a school to teach. As yoga teachers, we know that yoga has 8 limbs and is not just about movement practice (you might find this blog a useful explanation of this.) It can be perceived as an exercise or a spiritual practice or both. If you are going to be working with a school, teaching yoga, the most important thing is to have a conversation about what their motivation is for booking a yoga class is and ensuring that you are both on the same page. 📧If you would like some support with this email me about working together julia@juliahankins.co.uk ⌚If you would like to save time and receive the letter that I use in schools about this topic, get the editable documents bundle here 📽️ Watch the video here I'd love to know your opinion on this x Julia As a yoga teacher, I’m sure that you spend time reflecting on your classes- what went well, what didn’t, what you are going to change going forwards etc. But do you do the same for your business? I think it is REALLY important to regularly reflect on what is working and what isn’t. Three reasons why NOW is a great time to spend some time reflecting on your kids yoga business:
I thought it would be helpful to share with you one of the ways that I reflect this time of year. It’s a really great process that I love to do myself so I’m excited to share it with you. It is much easier to show you the method, so watch the video for a super easy, really useful reflective process. Download the free tool here and follow the steps in this video. I'd love to know your thoughts on this and if you found it useful. Would you like to work with me? Email me! Check out the video here
As it is stress awareness month, I wanted to talk about it as it is something that I have experienced first- hand many times in my life. Sustained stress can lead to burnout, anxiety and/ or depression and other serious health concerns such as heart disease. When teachers are stressed, it can also have a negative impact on the children that they teach. I left teaching in a primary school due to stress. I was diagnosed with anxiety disorder and I struggled to cope even part time teaching with young children and a husband who works away fairly regularly. I thought that teaching yoga would be less stressful and although there are some aspects that make this true- it certainly is not without stress. Over the past 7 years, I’ve had to learn how to build my business in a way that supports my mental health and I thought I’d share some of these 'learnings' with you today. 1. Get to know yourself REALLY well! What things bring you stress? What is your ideal way to work? I think that when we create our own businesses, it is an extension of who we are as people. Things arise that we hadn’t really noticed about ourselves and we can’t ignore them anymore! Maybe journal/ meditate on these questions:
2. Create space in your diary – however this works for you. For example, a lot of my work is in schools, yet I try and ensure that I am not in schools for the last week of term. This is because I have my own children too and I find that this ‘buffer’ enables me to start holidays on a more even keel. I also try to have at least one day a week where I don’t ‘people’. This is personal, so whatever feels ‘spacious’ to you is the right thing here. This links back to my first point- get to know yourself really well! 3. Reflect regularly Consider if the things that you currently do in your business are things that you want to do and are worthwhile. Sometimes we can get really caught up with the way that we do things, because that is how we do them. It can be really helpful to take a moment to pause and think about- do I actually WANT to do this? Is it worth my time and energy? And don’t be afraid to change up anything that needs changing- this is your business and you get to do it in a way that works for you. More on this next week😊 As people who are working with children, I believe that it is really important to put your mental health first. When we meet our own needs we can better impact the lives of the children we teach.If you are feeling stressed about any aspect of your business, check out my ‘Stress Less Hour’ where we get an hour to talk about any aspect of your business that is causing stress for you and we can work together to find solutions. I’d love to hear from you- what’s your experience of stress? What things help you be less stressed in your business? Email me at julia@juliahankins.co.uk Working in schools in curriculum time is a really rewarding thing to do as a yoga teacher. You can reach lots of children who may not otherwise experience yoga and for you as a business owner, getting regular income from an annual or termly contract can be a really useful thing. It is also a great way of spreading the word about other services or classes that you provide. A question that I often get asked is ‘how do you get into schools?’ There are lots of different ways that you can try to approach schools to deliver classes to them. But I’ll share with you the four main ways that worked for me.
Schools work is the main part of my business. It fits around my life, plays to my skill-set as a previous teacher and the regular income helps me to feel safe in my business. The main thing that I think is important about communicating with schools, is them knowing what you offer and also the benefits. Sharing regularly what you do and also making connections, makes it easier. 📧If you would like my help with this or anything else, email me and we can work together to find the best strategy to suit you and your business. 📽️Watch the video What would you like more information about? x Julia Have you ever lead a family workshop? Is this something that you would love to do but don’t know where to start?
They can be a really lovely fun experience for everyone involved, it can feel very special to be included in some ones family time! One -off events such as family workshops can also be a great thing to have in your kids yoga business both from a financial perspective and also because they help you to connect with a wider audience of people than you may be able to access in after school classes etc. There are a few things to consider and today I’d like to share with you some thoughts based on my own experience in this area. FAQs When should I run these? Some people run them as monthly events or even weekly! I find this a bit much for me personally, I’d rather do something more involved, less often. For me, family yoga workshops work really well in holiday times, so it’s worth looking at when the school holidays are in your area. I love running seasonal ones, then I link it with nature and what the general themes are around that time. If you would like to run a spring workshop, check out my tried and tested plan for this. How long should it be? This really depends on your energy and what you feel is right for you and the people who you would like to invite. For example, if the families coming all have very young children you might like to keep it to one hour – 90 minutes, but if your families have older children you can probably manage anywhere from 90 minutes up to three hours. What timing is best? Generally, I would avoid lunchtime, mainly because that involves feeding people lunch and although snacks are definitely something I’m comfortable with, I’m no domestic goddess and I don’t fancy feeding everyone. For me, that would feel stressful. But If you are someone who really enjoys feeding people then this may be something that you would like to include. Also, consider the age of the children you hope will come, would they be younger children that may need a nap at some point? Old older children who may not enjoy an early morning? For me, it comes down to knowing your people, ask them! Having said that, it’s ok to get some general feedback, but don’t try and accommodate everyone because you’ll never please everyone, if you have a social media account that your people interact with, a poll can be a useful way of finding out preferences. What should I include? I think this depends on what you love to share and do and what type of person YOU are! I personally love: eating treats, nature, being creative and connecting with others so that transfers to my family workshops! A structure that has worked really well for me previously has been:
I have found that this structure can be used for a variety of different durations and I have just played around with different amounts of time for each section. How should I price it? Again, this really depends! Some factors that you will need to consider are:
Pricing structure can also be a tricky one here, some people charge per person, others by family some do a combination of the two by having a price per person and then a family bundle price or a family price for up to 4 for example and then an extra charge for additional people. Whatever you choose needs to feel good for you. How should I advertise? Here are some ways that I have had success with in promoting my family workshops:
Considerations Terms and Conditions Make sure that you are really clear about your terms and conditions for events such as this and share this at the point of booking. For example what happens if a family pull out last minute? Have a policy in place before you even take bookings. Payment I always prefer to take full payment at the point of booking and I use either my own website or a site like bookwhen, this avoids people reserving a spot, not paying and then not turning up. It happens! Abilities and comfort levels Make sure that you have information before the event about any health concerns so that you can be safe, also make sure that everyone know that the practices are optional. I always introduce everything as an invitation, not everyone is comfortable with everything and that is ok! Safety Make sure that you have risk assessment and insurance in place. If you are planning crafts, make sure that they are appropriate for the age and stage of development for the children attending. Ensure that parents know that they are responsible for keeping their children safe at the venue. Photographs Some people LOVE having photos of them being involved in an activity with their family, they love to share them with friends on social media and love the photos as a really special memory. Others HATE it! Or have very valid reasons why photographs of them and their family aren’t to be taken or shared on social media. Ensure that you get this information before the event, as you want people to be as comfortable as they can during the workshop. I personally have really cut down on the amount of photos that I take because I want people to be as present as possible. I’d love to know your thoughts on this, is it something that you would like to do? Family workshops can be so much fun and I definitely enjoy the connections and the laughter that is created during them. If you are interested in running a spring family workshop, check out my bundle for this. Prefer a video? 📽️ Watch here
When I first started teaching yoga, I was intimidated to deliver kids yoga in schools, because I was worried that I didn’t have the right documents in place. I loved the idea of teaching yoga to children, but I felt unprepared and overwhelmed with what ‘legal bits’ I needed (what did I even need anyway?). Unprepared… My kids yoga training gave me loads of ideas and I couldn’t wait to use all of the exciting props that I had bought. But when it came to ACTUALLY teaching the classes, I found myself stalling. It wasn’t because of the teaching (I had been a school teacher for years- I knew I could do this). It was the paperwork! What did I need? Where could I get it from? How did I know that I had everything? It took me a really long time to get all my stuff together! I researched lots and also learnt the hard way -by a setting or school asking for something and having to suddenly create it! Now, after teaching in yoga in many schools (and nurseries and community groups), I’d like to share with you what I’ve discovered. Every School is Different! I’ve taught in state schools and private schools, nurseries, primary schools, infant and junior schools and secondary schools and there has been a real range in what documents they have asked for. There doesn’t seem to be (in my experience) a magical master list that schools have. BUT… There are some things that you will definitely ensure that you have in place whether you are asked for it or not! For me, the following documents are vital: My Top 5!
What else? Is that everything? Is that all you need? Not really! Over the years I’ve been asked for a variety of different policies and I have also discovered a few other documents to be helpful to me. I have compiled a list of all of the documents I have needed over this time, if you would like this super helpful document, you can download it here. If you want to save time, check out the editable document bundle that’s available to buy. The Fabulous folder! When you have your documents gathered and printed, I HIGHLY recommend getting a folder to keep it all in. As a self-confessed stationary addict, it’s not really surprising that I’d recommend this, but my folder really does save my sanity. I keep everything safe in my folder and carry it everywhere I go, guarding it with my life! It’s a good idea to have all of these documents backed up in a folder on your computer- just in case. One last note… As always, I am sharing here, my own experience of working in various settings in the UK, this may not be the case for other countries. If working with a new school or setting, I would also recommend checking with them if there are any documents or policies that you will need, prior to arrival, for example, schools usually ask for some form of ID- easily forgotten! Do you want to feel super organised and ready to go? Get your checklist here. Is there anything that you would like me to talk about in a blog or video? Would you like me to help you get your documents together? 📧 Email me here x Julia Recently, I was chatting to some kids yoga teachers at a training that I was delivering and they were talking about how hard it can be to manage/ engage children during an after school yoga class and that they seemed so wired after school. I shared with them about after school restraint collapse and so thought that it would be a good place to share it here to. So today’s blog is all about what after school restraint collapse is, how it may impact your after school class and also how you can support children who are experiencing this to make your after school class fun and calm.
📽️You can watch the video here if you prefer. What is after school restraint collapse? The term was coined by counsellor, parenting educator and expert Andrea Loewen Nair. Here is an article that she has written about it. Many children are ‘holding it together’ all day ‘behaving’ and fitting into the rules and constraints of the school day. Lots of children suppress their emotional reactions to things out of fear or embarrassment or just simply wanting to fit in or not make a fuss. It gets to a point where this ‘restraint’ is too much to hold. Andrea compares it to a bubble that needs to burst. This is usually talked about as something that children experience when they get home from school and are with their parents/ carers. In my years of teaching yoga to children, I believe that this happens in this situation too. I think that if the environment is one that feels accepting and compassionate and the children are comfortable with the adult, children may release the emotions that they have been holding on to all day. How does restraint collapse impact an after school class? In an after school class this might look like: lots of emotions- quick to tears or anger, running around a lot- many children will not have been moving as much as they need, explosive energy, loudness! It’s likely that the children will have been quiet for much of the day and now they have everything to say all at once, to anyone who will (or won’t!) listen! How to support children I find it really interesting to reflect on the article written by Andrea Loewen Nair, because many of her suggestions are what I put into place in my yoga classes! Here are her suggestions and my take on how this can work in the yoga class:
So, I hope that you can see that many of the things that you are already doing within your kids yoga classes are supporting children to unwind after school. If you are having any challenges that you would like my support on, reach out. I offer hour long mentor sessions as one- offs as well as longer mentor packages for kids yoga teachers and I can give personalised support and guidance. If you have an issue and you don’t have the finances for a meeting, email me about the situation, and I may be able to talk about it on one of my videos or blogs. If you would like more information about behaviour in your yoga classes: 🧠check out this blog or video, 🎁download the rules that I use, ⬇️get this training workshop. Hope you find this helpful, I'd love to know what you think :) x Julia 📽️ Prefer to watch or listen? Check out the video here.
Although I do teach in nursery settings and senior schools occasionally, my experience is mainly with the primary age group. This is the age that I have worked with most in my 20+ years in education. So this blog is mainly with this age group in mind. When we are teaching yoga to children of different ages it can sometimes feel like we need to do completely different lesson types for each age group. I don’t actually think that is true, but I do think that there are some things that we need to consider when working with children of different ages. Firstly I would like to bust some myths:
Here are some things to consider about teaching yoga to different ages: Teaching younger children:
Teaching older children:
All children need:
Ways to make teaching multiple classes of different ages manageable for you but also suitable for each group:
I hope that you found this article helpful or interesting. I would love to hear about your approach to teaching different ages. Is there something you would like me to write or talk about concerning kids yoga? If so, email me. Would you like to work with me? Email me to discover if I can help you develop skills and grow in confidence in your kids yoga business. X Julia Prefer video or audio? Watch or listen here
Last week I talked about ways to fall in love with your planning process (so if you missed that check it out). I shared how I batch my planning and do it all in one go. Today I’m going to go into more detail into my process of medium term planning- how I actually do my own plans in a really simple way! So I’m just going to break down my system of how it works best for me. I am not saying this is the best or only way to do this, just that it is the way I have found to work for me. I think it can be really helpful to learn each- others’ ways of doing things to magpie ideas that resonate or make sense for us. You may have a completely different way that works for you and of course that is fine! As I always say to those who are working with me, we are all different and need to find our own ways of working that suit our styles. Reflection Firstly, I sit with the previous term / half term plan and for each year group/ phase / class I think about:
Next steps Then, I spend some time considering:
If you aren’t sure what the next steps for the children you teach is, you might find a ‘Playful Planning’ session useful- this is where we work together and I help you to map out what comes next for the learners in your kids yoga classes. Email me to find out more. The actual plans Next, I start with one year group plan, one I am confident and comfortable with. I plan out how the next few weeks might look for them:
When I have planned out the lessons for one year group / phase/ class, I use this as a basis to plan my others classes. I like to do mine on the computer, because I literally copy the plan from one year group and edit it to suit the next year group. Personally, I start with nursery, then build up from there, making things more complex with each year group, but keeping certain things the same (such as the props). If you would like a copy of the planning grids that I use, you can get them here. This is how I have learnt to simplify my planning process, starting with what I know and building up my plans based on ones I’ve already created. It saves me a lot of time and I hope that you find it helpful in saving you time too. Let me know what you think! Is there anything that you would like me to talk about? Get in touch to let me know. x Julia |
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March 2024
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