Today started my kids yoga summer camp! Perfect timing and a perfect start to the summer! We danced, we created yoga poses and we made tshirts! So much joy and happiness filled the space as we initiated the beginning of the most playful time of year!
As the children entered the room, I encouraged them to place their mats in an angle, which would create a circle. I described how our circle represented the sun and how our sun represents summer.
We began by sitting in a circle and introducing ourselves by saying our name and what summer means to us. The children replied with answers like ‘Summer is going to the pool’ to ‘Summer is going to the beach.’
Next, I explained that seasons change and that this is the beginning of summer. I explained that when summer begins we have the summer solstice. I explained the solstice in the most simple language that I could. I told them summer brings more joy, happiness and play into the lives of everyone….
To get them moving I turned on some playful music and had them get up and dance around the room. Then once their fire was ignited, I sat them back on their mats.
Here is a quick run down of the poses we did to bring in the summer:
*Cooling breath
*Community Tree….here we gathered in a circle as we held hands while standing in tree. I explained to them how trees give us shade in the summer and how they also give us shade and flowers.
*Sunrise/Sunset
*Twisty flower with bee buzzing breath
*Rock pose
Next I wanted to encourage them to create their own poses. So I sent them to the window to gaze out and look for things that reminded them of summer.
They came back on their mats and each one told the circle what they saw and what it looked like. They demonstrated what it looked like by creating their own pose. For example, I had a boy say ‘grass’ and demonstrated the grass by standing tall with his arms over head. I asked him ‘what happens when we cut the grass?’ Each one of them replied by saying that it gets shorter. So I then showed them chair pose as a way to show ‘cut grass.’
After asana practice I handed out white tshirts and fabric markers for them to create their summer tshirts.
Once the shirts were done we laid in savasana and soaked up the solstice…
This was a joyful way to start the summer! Each of them brought home a new awareness of summer and of course a new shirt to play in!
I am looking forward to next weeks class!
Hooray!!!!