Things they never taught me in a Kids’ Yoga Teacher Training that I will be discussing in mine
Teaching yoga to grown ups from a decolonial and abolitionist lens in an accessible way is a lot of words. Talking about it with kids is tricky. Neither is impossible. And lucky for us, Yoga is about doing The Hard Things. And it makes for way more interesting + engaged yoga - and hopefully community relationships.
What the heck does this mean? We’ll talk about it all in the training, but for now, here are some things I’ve learned “in the field” but really “on the playground”:
Teach Community Care at the center of everything.
How?
Create, use + CELEBRATE community agreements or class promises in action. As adults, we may know the importance of concepts like safe vs. courageous spaces, self-care, integrity. Don’t stop at definitions. Stop + CELEBRATE students IN THE ACT when they have the self-awareness to take a break or tell the truth about making a mistake, and use those words when you give positive feedback.
Teach + encourage dissent, self-agency + self-advocacy. This breaks down the dangerous power dynamic that is inherently there because we are older and in the seat of the teacher. We know that it is not always true that the “teacher knows best”. Yoga is about knowing what you need, and using your agency to advocate for yourself. As adults, we know we have personal responsibility and autonomy. If we model healthy self-agency for children, they can use it to keep themselves safe and free from harm not only as children but they can grow into themselves as confident adolescents and responsible adults who advocate for themselves and justice on a larger scale. Doesn’t that sound like what Yoga is about?
Teach Brain Science Basics + model what it looks like to question assumptions we make and notice our brains’ desire to split things into binaries like good /bad, boy/girl. Our brains are very smart and helpful, but they do have tendencies. Yoga is about noticing our tendencies, when they become harmful, and how to counter them. I will provide some awesome Brain Science lessons + activities for you to work into your yoga classes!
Challenge self-criticism: body acceptance, how to handle loss/grief, feeling like we’re not doing any of it “right” - a lot comes up in yoga. Kids often feel that grown ups “don’t like when they talk about that stuff” when we don’t know how to field important questions, teach about “difficult knowledge” (the truth that not everything harmful that happens is an accident) + cognitive dissonance. This leads me to...
Learn together. We’re not doing them any favors by avoiding topics we ourselves feel undereducated in or uncomfortable talking about.
Teach honest + loving self-reflection: Are our words and actions getting us closer to or further away from what we value? Are our words/actions really having the impact we wished or hoped they would? Do we need to revise our community agreements or promises to reflect what we’ve learned together?
Then, celebrate that growth. Oftentimes, the stuff that we’ve conditioned to view as “small” is often significant. Consider the small graces students offer each other, the moments where students choose to open up, be vulnerable, and share something personal. That means together you’ve built a trusting community and a space safe enough to learn, grow and share. That is incredibly valuable and worth being celebrated from my perspective.
Teaching forgiveness + accountability. Kids will copy what we do. Transformative justice starts with us. Teach + model how to authentically apologize and be patient and compassionate in creating repair. We will review age-appropriate steps for an authentic apology as well as “how to respond” and “what to expect” when students go in to a reparative conversation.
Teach Disability Justice: From sensory games to visual aids, we get to use our creativity and take the time to consider each of our students' complexities - and guess what? Classes are way more engaging and everyone benefits. We will cover lots of ideas and considerations for students with learning, developmental, and physical disabilities and complexities in my trainings.
Read more about how this works in schools : The Curb-cut Effect and Championing Equity: Centering the needs of underserved people often has a broader impact on the community. The same is true in schools.
Learn more about my Foundational Kids’ Yoga Teacher Training and register here.
Intrigued but not sure if this training is for you? Email me and let’s set up a time to chat!