Shifting the Energy in Your Kids Yoga Classes

📽️Watch the video here

Last week I talk all about changing the energy of the children in our yoga classes.

It is likely that you already do this, managing the energy of the children in our care, quite often comes naturally, without us really thinking about it.

This week I thought I would share with you some ways that I do this in my own classes. I’d love to hear how you do this too.

Lifting energy up
Sometimes kids will come into our classes slow, moody, tired and lacking in enthusiasm.
It could be that they are tired after a busy day in our after school class.
Or maybe they’ve been sitting in an assembly before our curriculum class with them, either way the kids seem sluggish and maybe even like they don’t want to do anything.
Here are my top tips for raising the energy higher!

Meet them where they are- the energy is low, that’s ok, a nice opportunity to start in a gentle way.
This might look like:

• Playing an instrument (such as a tingsha bell) to get attention.
• Playing calming music and encouraging the children to move or lie in whatever way feels good in their body (safely, in their own space). You might give some examples rolling on their back from side to side, lying down on their front, stretching. I always move myself to and say that if anyone isn’t sure what their body wants to do, they can just copy me.
• Consider starting with a breathing exercise or relaxation if you feel the children need it.
• Doing a gentle follow me warm up, using lots of slow and gentle movements, stretches and twists, transitioning from the floor, to seated, to standing.
• Using a calm voice and slower body movements.

 
Teach the lesson you have planned making any changes that feel necessary-
This might look like:

• Encouraging more introspection into the movements for example, in frog- trying different foot positions and feeling the effects on different parts of the body, or swaying from side to side.
• Practice livelier activities together as a group, for example, everyone is going to jump like a frog together, 1,2,3 jump.
• Adding in elements that are more playful gradually as the mood shifts, for example next time we jump make a funny frog sound.

Use an uplifting breathing practice
This might look like:

• Combing movement with breath.
• Encouraging sound with breath.
• Playing a breathing game.

Use an uplifting relaxation exercise.
This might look like:

• Self -massage.
• A guided visualisation story that goes on a journey.
• A body scan sending warm ball of light to each body part.

Bringing energy down
You know those times when you feel like you are hit by a wall of noise and movement? The kids are in the room and you feel like you can’t hear yourself think?
Maybe, they have been sitting for too long, maybe it’s a windy day (and a full moon!), whatever the reason.

Meet them where they are- the energy is high, there is no good trying to enforce a calm breathing technique, or a gentle sharing circle. They want to move and this means that you need to move it or lose it yourself!
This might look like:

• Clapping call and response rhythms to get their attention- ideally using the whole of the body (clapping the hands, stamping feet, patting body etc)
• Using an enthusiastic tone of voice and playful body language.
• Encourage the children to move in whatever way feels good in their body (safely, in their own space)
• A high impact warm up exercise, to some lively music, using the body in lots of different ways. Transition from jumping, skipping, dancing gradually to seated.

Teach the lesson you have planned making any changes that feel necessary-
This might look like:

• Including more interactive, movement games for example, in frog- passing a frog jump around the circle.
• Adding in more opportunity for the children to call out/ participate such as singing together, telling the person next to them an answer to a question, doing sound effects when you wave over them. This helps to ‘guide’ or shape the excitable energy.

Use a calming breathing practice-
This might look like:

• Combining movement with focussing on something, such as moving a finger to follow a shape.
• Connecting to the feeling of the breath in the body and encouraging interception.
• Feeling the breath on the body such as hands, fingers or arms.

Use a calming relaxation exercise.
This might look like:

• A body scan sensing each body part relaxing and going soft.
• A guided visualisation story that is slow and gentle.
• Lying on their backs with feet raised on a chair.

✨If you would like more practical ideas and also the resources to use in your classes, check out Captivate with Cards Training or Props like a Pro.

✨If you would like some support to structure and plan your lessons, download the free lesson planning grids here. The Structure for Success training might also be helpful to you.

✨If you struggle with managing behaviour in your classes check out the free guide and poster and/or the training Tame the Crowd, without being Loud.

⚠️The price of these training will be going up soon as they are being converted to online courses with separate modules and additional resources.
If you would like to get them for the low price that they are at now, you will also get lifetime access to the new e-courses.⚠️

❓If you have a question email me at [email protected]
👩🏻‍💻Would you like to work with me? Find out how here.