Posts Tagged ‘mindfulness’


Kids Yoga App Series #5: Time Management for Home & Classroom

* This post is the 5th within a kids yoga app series #SSYappSeries… (here are #1#2#3 and #4.

Parents and teachers have one BIG thing in common – the need for super efficient time-management tools and skills to get the most out of every second spent with our kids. For this reason when designing our kids yoga app we focused heavily on features that assist with efficiently managing time spent on yoga, so it can easily fit into our daily schedules.

4 Time Management Features:

  1. Length of pose displayed
  2. Length of SSY Sequences (preprogrammed sequences – series of poses each with an end in mind, i.e. Test Prep Sequence, Calming Sequence, Athlete’s Sequence, etc.)
  3. Total Sequence Time Display **My personal favorite!!
  4. Transition Speed Slider

1. Length of Pose

For specific times down to the second, the app displays the actual time duration for each individual pose right on its corresponding picture within the Tabs section. See arrows in below pic…

SSY app pic arrow pose length

2. Length of SSY Sequence (preprogrammed)

…and as shown below, on each Sequence picture the length of the sequence is displayed — under the SSY SEQUENCES tab.

SSY app pic arrow sequence time

3. Total Sequence Time

And one of the features that I personally LOVE is the “Total Sequence Time” display on the Sequence Canvas. This display changes as you add and throw out poses from your sequence that you’re building on the Sequence Canvas…

SSY app pic arrow Total sequence length

So let’s say you have five minutes to spare in between recess and writing. But the “I Can Focus Sequence” is too long at 11:01 minutes.  You can open the sequence (drag it to the Sequence Canvas) and then proceed to throw out some of the poses by pressing, holding and moving the pose back up to the tabs area (as shown above with Sailboat) until you’re under 5 minutes. And viola!! Now you have time for yoga! I so love this!!

4. Transition Speed Slider

Before each pose is a transition slide that displays:

  • Pose name (kid name & Sanskrit name)
  • Photo of pose

photo 1

The default length of time for these slides is 4 seconds (as in the DVD version). But the Transition Speed Slider (shown below) allows the user to shorten that slide to as quick as 1 second to squeeze in more poses. Or lengthen the time to as long as 30 seconds. This can be useful for children with physical limitations who may need more time to move from one pose to the next, or for use during a game where kids are moving from one area of the classroom to another between poses. The possibilities are endless.

4 speed slider

 

We’d love to hear about additional ideas that you have found to help efficiently manage time with yoga in the classroom and at home!

And please let us know ANY questions or comments you might have on Facebook or Twitter, using #SSYappSeries or #SSYkidQuestions. We look forward to hearing from you!! Happy Yoga!!


Related Posts:

Kids Yoga App Series – #1. Adult Help Symbol in DVD/App Quick video explaining the “Adult Help” symbol used in the Sing Song Yoga® kids yoga app.

Kids Yoga App Series – #2. Try it Free A super quick video to demonstrate some features within the Sing Song Yoga® kids yoga app.

Kids Yoga App Series – #3. Restore Purchases –FAQs: How to easily restore in-app purchases in seconds with this simple illustration.

Kids Yoga App Series #4 Guidelines Video Our Sing Song Yoga Kids share their wisdom about doing yoga in this Guidelines Video.

Top 5 Kids’ Yoga Tips for Greater Flexibility A kids’ yoga question answered: “We want to know how we can stretch better! Any tips?”

8 Kids Yoga Myths  Some common misunderstandings about kids’ yoga.

Crossing the Midline and Kids’ Yoga Kids’ yoga is one of the many activites that can provide cross-lateral experiences for children. If done regularly might assist in building the brain for…

Top 6 Yoga Poses for Toddlers  “A few months ago a parent asked how she could best do yoga with her one-year-old daughter…”

Kids’ Yoga App – Create Your Own Balancing Sequence Effortlessly create a balancing sequence with a few taps of this kids’ yoga iOS app.

Yoga in Schools: Kids and Teachers Talk Kids’ Yoga A quick peek into what kids and teachers are saying about using the Sing Song Yoga app in the classroom.

Top 5 Tips to Help Balance in Kids’ Yoga: Kid Twitter Question Answered A kid question answered: “Do you have any tips to help us balance better?”

Getting Kids Ready to Write: Yoga in Schools A teacher question answered: “I was wondering the best combinations [of poses] to use [with my students] for getting ready to write.”

Twitter Leads to Most Rewarding Visit Imaginable  Sing Song Yoga founder does yoga with students she connected with on Twitter.


For more info:Yoga in a School Setting

Sing Song Yoga® Kids’ Yoga App

Sing Song Yoga® kids’ yoga DVD

Sing Song Yoga® school program

Sing Song Yoga® website

 

This entry was posted on Tuesday, September 15th, 2015.
Posted in Education, Kid's Yoga Sequences, Kids Yoga at Home, Sing Song Yoga, Yoga in Schools.
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Kids Yoga in Schools: Getting First Graders Ready to Write

Sue, a first grade teacher from Michigan writes:

I was wondering the best combinations [of poses] to use [with my students] for getting ready to write.”

Screen Shot 2015-01-22 at 11.39.23 PM

 

This is a great question!  Yoga in schools can be a powerful resource for helping kids get ready to write, as well as do other school tasks.  Kids’ Yoga is not going to take overly energetic children and mesmerize them into a state of conformity, but it can help a child transform their energy into a more usable form for accomplishing particular tasks. As teachers we occasionally need tiny reminders that children are not built to sit for long periods, and their squirminess might be good feedback to us that their bodies truly need to move in order for their brains to work most efficiently.

I know that, as an adult, when I rush around my world to run errands and then sit down in front of my computer to get some work done, it takes me a bit of time to refocus on my task at hand.  Also, if I sit for an extended period of time I need to get up and move to focus most efficiently. Similarly, if a child is moving from one activity to the next without time to refocus with some deliberate guidance, or is sitting for extending periods of time without a chance for specific movement, then it’s likely that s/he won’t be able to give her best.

Yoga in schools can provide purposeful tools for helping children refocus.  There’s much involved in how yoga can do this.  However, simply put, focusing on one’s body to get into and hold a pose can help quiet the mind’s chatter, allowing more space for purposefully focused thought. And if the yoga movement itself is sufficiently involved it can fulfill the body’s need to move in order to stimulate the necessary systems for optimal learning.

In other words the physical yoga poses and the focus necessary to accomplish them work in tandem to help children refocus.

In addition to this, particular sequencing of poses also has the potential to calm the nervous system, which counters the stressors that physically shut down the brain for learning. The brain of a child who is in distress physically shuts down the networking necessary for learning.  The brain of a relaxed child has much greater learning potential.

When thinking about yoga in schools it might be helpful to know that poses can be divided into three categories regarding their main effects on the nervous system:

  • energizing poses (red – see arrow in pic below)
  • calming poses (blue)
  • neutral poses (yellow)

Poses can be sequenced to deliberately shoot for particular goals. For example, our Brain Break sequence was created to assist students in refocusing within their school day with the least number of poses necessary to accomplish the goal.

Brain Break Sequence includes:

  • Triangle – general movement lengthening and strengthening the entire body
  • Standing V – the inversion allows blood flow to the brain which may enhance mental functioning and forward bends calm the nervous system
  • Eagle – crosses the mid-line helping the two halves of the brain communicate through the corpus callosum (helping to coordinate skills being carried out in different parts of the brain).  Eagle also stimulates the vestibular system (balance), stimulating the brain for new learning
  • Sailboat – crosses the mid-line and twisting allows for additional release of tension

Note below: the color coding above each pose in the app screenshot: red, blue and yellow represent energizing, calming and neutral poses respectively.

Brain Break Sequence shown in Canvas. Press Play to begin video.

Brain Break Sequence shown in Canvas. Press Play to begin video.

 

The Jazz up My Brain sequence within the Sing Song Yoga App is a longer version at 22 minutes. Teachers can throw poses out or add poses within the app within the sequence canvas and make it work for each situation. Sequences you create can be saved and named.  And here’s another example of the app in use.

Thanks for stopping by! We intend to continue growing our posts dedicated to helping teachers enjoy the benefits of yoga in the classroom!

Until next time, Happy Teaching!

 

We would LOVE to hear from you – how you’re using yoga in schools or questions of how to begin.  We are on Twitter @singsongyoga  and Facebook  and really look forward to connecting!

#ssykidquestion green room

 

For more info:

Sing Song Yoga® kids’ yoga DVD

Sing Song Yoga® Kids’ Yoga App

Sing Song Yoga® school program

Sing Song Yoga® website

This entry was posted on Saturday, January 24th, 2015.
Posted in Benefits of Yoga, Education, Kid's Yoga Sequences, Sing Song Yoga, Yoga in Schools.
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Top 6 Kids Yoga Poses for Bedtime: a calming sequence

Ahhhh!  Summer is here.  After long lovely days at the beach, at the ballpark, on the playground and running around the neighborhood, kids tend to remain wired when heading to bed.  Unless of course a calming activity is deliberately infused into the routine leading up to bedtime.

One such activity can be a short series of kids yoga poses.  Here are top 6 yoga poses for helping your child begin to calm their bodies and minds — in as little as 8 minutes. These poses also happen to be the included poses in the free Sing Song Yoga App.  So enjoy – and let us know what you think!

Sailboat T

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sailboat begins the series during which your child will twist around the straight spine, which has a neutral effect on the nervous system.

 

Half Butterfly T

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Next comes Half Butterfly.  Forward folds have a calming effect on the nervous system and the one bent leg opening up the hip adds to the calming effect.

 

Fish T Still Image

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fish pose is a lovely night time yoga pose to add to our sequence.  We tend to hold stress in our hips, so allowing our legs to relax out to the sides enhances the relaxation effect.  Open up the chest and allow your head to relax back and look behind you (slightly different than the picture). This multifaceted pose works beautifully to continue the calming effect.

 

Bridge T

Bridge pose is an inversion well known for its calming effect on the nervous system.  This kids’ yoga pose can also be used anytime you have an extra minute during your day to give your child an extra sense of calm. Great, of course, for moms and dads too!

 

Dead Bug T

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Deadbug pose adds a final dose of a calming response before the big finale! Your child can even add the hum of the bug to enhance the relaxation. Hearing the humming sound within one’s own head can also double the calm for some children.

 

Savasana 1 T

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Savasana is the final yoga pose in this series and the granddaddy of the relaxation poses.  Encourage your child to lie flat on his or her back, close the eyes and imagine themselves floating on a cloud allowing their bodies to completely relax.  For preparing for bedtime, it can also be helpful for your child to do savasana right in their bed and then allow themselves to drift softly into dreamland!  Ahh! Now mom and dad can slip off for their own quiet time.

 

 

If you would like to learn the songs and more in-depth directions to these Sing Song Yoga kids yoga poses, check out the award-winning Sing Song Yoga App in the iTunes Store. The above poses are the free ones at launch. Or see our website to order the DVD.

To see a fun White Board Animation about our program click here!

Sing Song Yoga Kids Yoga App video animation

 

 

 

 

 

 

This entry was posted on Saturday, June 21st, 2014.
Posted in Benefits of Yoga, Kid's Yoga Sequences, Parenting, Sing Song Yoga.
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Gift of Movement for Kids – Kids Yoga!

Here are some unique gift ideas for the kids in your life that will help keep them moving over the winter months — kids’ yoga is the gift that keeps on giving throughout the year!

Here’s a quick video of some ideas to gift Sing Song Yoga!  Happy Holidays!

 

Gift Idea Number One:

If the children in your life have access to an iPhone, iPad, iPad mini or an iPod Touch, you could put together this simple gift package:

gift card package 1

 

  • $25 iTunes Gift Card to attach to this printable Sing Song Yoga Gift Flyer which together allows your child to download the Sing Song Yoga App and own all poses and sequences
  • Yoga mat
  • could add in yoga clothing (comfortable t-shirt and pants)

Gift Idea Number Two:

  • Sing Song Yoga DVD (can order here)
  • Yoga mat
  • could add in yoga clothing (comfortable t-shirt and pants)

Gift Idea Number Three:

  • Sing Song Yoga DVD (can order here)
  • $25 iTunes Gift Card to attach to this printable Sing Song Yoga Gift Flyer which together allows your child to download the Sing Song Yoga App and own all poses and sequences
  • Yoga mat
  • Yoga clothing (comfortable t-shirt and pants)

Links mentioned in video:

 

screenshot:

Screen Shot video

This entry was posted on Tuesday, November 26th, 2013.
Posted in Parenting, Sing Song Yoga.
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Gratitude Before the Storm

I could barely utter the word seizure ever since a decade ago when my 30-something-year-old brother had an unexpected seizure, never having had one before.  So recently when my 20-month-old little man had a febrile seizure it was scary to say the least.  A febrile seizure is one brought on by a fever in very young children and are typically benign.  It helped immensely that I was aware of this type of seizure and felt assured that he would be fine while going through the challenge.  Frightening but manageable.

My husband and I, over the week or so prior to the seizure, had been increasingly forgetting to stay in the moments of gratitude with our quite active twin toddlers.  We were tending to get wrapped up in the moments of chaos with things being knocked over, pulled down, dumped out, torn up and thrown over our deck.  The chasing, redirecting, reminding and repeating were dominating our thought process as well as our conversations.

Everett in sand

After the seizure that day we were more than grateful to see our little man coming around to being himself again.  We were thrilled to say “yep, our little dude is back to himself” when he chucked a stuffed animal across the room to initiate a game of catch.  I’d never been so grateful for the flinging of a toy!

IMG_8943

As a whole we do strive to stay in the moments and enjoy this stage of life.  We do stop and simply take in the moments much of the time.  But often times we allow our mindfulness to dwindle, getting caught up in the busyness of life, until something forces us to remember to do so.

Not only is life precious, but it’s the tiny moments that make it so.  Striving to live in gratitude and fully experience these little moments, in the absence of a storm, is fully worth striving for!

This entry was posted on Wednesday, September 4th, 2013.
Posted in Parenting.
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