Posts Tagged ‘yoga’


Sing Song Yoga® Teacher Introduction

We would like to introduce Sing Song Yoga® Teacher, Mellissa Zoerhof, BSEd, MA, SSYT, K-8 Educator, 200hr TKYM!

Mellissa is one of those people who makes the world a better place simply by being who she is. She works to continually teach on the leading edge, always going that extra mile to most powerfully engage and reach her students. She provides a purposefully positive learning environment within which her students feel supported to take positive risks to move beyond where they’ve been before, physically, emotionally and socially.

Mellissa is an educator, an innovator and a leader, who has an uncanny ability to connect with kids and adults alike. If you ever get the chance to connect with Mellissa in any capacity, I highly recommend you do so! You can learn more about her current programming or connect with her here.

We asked Mellissa a few questions about becoming a SSYT and below are her heart-felt answers!

Why did you want to be a Sing Song Yoga® Teacher?

From the first time I learned about this program, I was in love. The movement, learning, singing, collaboration between participants and the heart of yoga all wrapped into one. Having the ability to inspire confidence, strength, balance, flexibility for kids both on and off of  the mat was so moving.

What do you look forward to doing with your teaching?

I look forward to bringing yoga to kids who have been looking for something that they can connect with, something that builds their spirits, grows their confidence and also their perspective. I adore watching people step out of their comfort zones, try something new and show themselves how brave and strong they are! I look forward to bringing Sing Song Yoga to community groups in my area as well. And as a Spanish speaker, the ability to partner with groups en Espanol is something I so look forward to!

What other degrees or certifications do you hold?

I have a Bachelors in English and a Masters in Elementary Education. I am also 200 hr Yoga Certified in addition to being certified as a Sing Song Yoga® Teacher.

What other classes do you offer in the community?

My goal is to inspire confidence, growth mindset and courage in every class I teach. From motor Movement with little ones, to bilingual Move! Play! Learn! (a literacy-based movement class), and Teen Yoga – which focuses on leadership and confidence building… each class is aimed to help others feel positively impacted so that they then go and positively impact elsewhere.

Tell us about your family, hobbies, loves, passion, etc.

I have two wonderfully energetic kids, Macie and Reid, who have grown up on Sing Song Yoga. They are my favorite teacher’s assistants. My hubby Chris is a builder who has been on this yoga journey with me from day one and is my biggest cheerleader.

I love whole-health… continuous work on maintaining and sustaining a healthy mind, body and soul. Exercise, journal writing, reading and constant learning are things that fill me with peace, joy and wonder!

 

Thank you Mellissa for joining us in making the world a better place one young yogi at a time!

If you’re interested in learning more about becoming a Sing Song Yoga Teacher, contact us. We loved to chat with you!

 

Yoga Course Work

Author and Sing Song Yoga® Founder, Deb Weiss-Gelmi offers kids’ yoga teacher training and professional development for school teachers, as well as local yoga classes for kids and adults. Connect with her on FB, IG and Twitter.

 


Related Posts:

 

Yoga for Kids in School on Fox 17kids yoga in the news Sing Song Yoga® founder and school teacher discuss some tools for using yoga in school as well as some benefits of it.


Kids’ Yoga Teacher Training A heartfelt synopsis of our kids’ yoga teacher training experience through the grateful eyes of our founder.

 


Screen Shot 2015-01-22 at 11.38.49 PMGetting 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.”


2015-04-21 09.48.028 Kids Yoga Myths Some common misunderstandings about kids’ yoga. Explore other view points for a broader perspective.


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


Screen Shot 2015-02-08 at 1.21.43 PMYoga 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.


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


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


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


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?”

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

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.

Kids Yoga App Series #5 Time Management for Home & Classroom Super efficient time-management kids yoga app tools to get the most out of every second spent with our kids.


Some of Sing Song Yoga®’s offerings:Yoga in a School Setting

Kids’ Yoga Teacher Training

PD for School Teachers: Yoga and Literacy

Kids’ Yoga App

Kids’ Yoga DVD

School program

Our Website

This entry was posted on Monday, November 18th, 2019.
Posted in Sing Song Yoga, Sing Song Yoga Teacher Training.
Tagged: , , , , , , , , , ,


Sticky Note Reflections: Mindfulness in Middle School Yoga

middle school yoga mindfulness toolFor some, yoga is experienced as just another “workout.” The effects are often overlooked as we simply show up on the mat, do our thing, and move on with our day.

The impact yoga has on each person is certainly multifaceted and individual. But through deliberate reflection, even young yogis can notice changes within themselves as a result of doing middle school yoga.

As part of our yoga class, our middle schoolers write down their state of mind when they arrive to class, after our opening relaxation, and at the end of class after Savasana. They gather these daily reflections in a folder for further contemplation in the last week of their 8-week session.

As they walk into class they grab their mat and blocks, as well as a blank stickymiddle school yoga sticky note reflections note and pencil. They quickly jot down the date and a word that describes their current state of mind or emotions. They set the note and pencil aside while we do an opening relaxation and they then record their state of mind again — often times feeling a change after only 90 seconds of stillness.

We enjoy a full yoga class. And then after Savasana they record their third word and put their sticky note into their folder, which is a large piece of construction paper folded in half.

Their folders remain with me in between classes and the young yogis see them at the end of each class as they add their latest sticky note to it. Keeping the folders with me is not only less distracting for them during class, but it keeps our young yogis from middle school yogalooking back to their feelings from the previous weeks. This allows them to remain more focused on their current emotions and experiences, rather than being taken back to past feelings.

At the end of the eight weeks our yogis will use their sticky note reflections to inspire a written or illustrated culminating expression of their experiences as yogis. I look forward to witnessing this full-circle process for them!

This has been such a gift to me as their teacher to be able to see vivid results from their experiences of yoga – through this super simple tool and process.

Yoga Course Work

Author and Sing Song Yoga® Founder, Deb Weiss-Gelmi offers kids’ yoga teacher training and professional development for school teachers. Connect with her on FB, IG and Twitter.

 


Related Posts:

Yoga for Kids in School on Fox 17kids yoga in the news Sing Song Yoga® founder and school teacher discuss some tools for using yoga in school as well as some benefits of it.


Kids’ Yoga Teacher Training A heartfelt synopsis of our kids’ yoga teacher training experience through the grateful eyes of our founder.

 


Screen Shot 2015-01-22 at 11.38.49 PMGetting 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.”


2015-04-21 09.48.028 Kids Yoga Myths Some common misunderstandings about kids’ yoga. Explore other view points for a broader perspective.


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


Screen Shot 2015-02-08 at 1.21.43 PMYoga 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.


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


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


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


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?”

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

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.

Kids Yoga App Series #5 Time Management for Home & Classroom Super efficient time-management kids yoga app tools to get the most out of every second spent with our kids.


Some of Sing Song Yoga®’s offerings:Yoga in a School Setting

Kids’ Yoga Teacher Training

PD for School Teachers: Yoga and Literacy

Kids’ Yoga App

Kids’ Yoga DVD

School program

Our Website

 

 

This entry was posted on Monday, March 19th, 2018.
Posted in Benefits of Yoga, Education, Yoga in Schools.
Tagged: , , , , , , , , ,


Family Yoga Night @ The GRCDC

Family Yoga is such a lovely concept! Yoga is often defined to mean ‘union’ or ‘connection.’  It’s so brilliant that the Grand Rapids Child Discovery Center created an evening of bringing families together through Sing Song Yoga at school – allowing for connections on several levels!2016-04-18 18.09.38

As often happens within new unfamiliar experiences, our evening together began with some of the children feeling a bit nervous and unsure. But as soon as we started rolling, they warmed up and soon fully engaged in our Family Yoga Night.

“The mission of the GRCDC is to continuously expand the potential of children, Screen Shot 2016-04-19 at 9.26.28 AMthe experiences of educators and the involvement of parents within the diverse community of Grand Rapids, MI.” Thus, using yoga as one of their tools for moving toward their mission makes perfect sense.

Thank you GRCDC for inviting Sing Song Yoga into your welcoming space to explore and play with yoga with your lovely families. I so enjoyed our time together!

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Related Posts:

Yoga for Kids in School on Fox 17kids yoga in the news Sing Song Yoga® founder and school teacher discuss some tools for using yoga in school as well as some benefits of it.


 

Screen Shot 2015-01-22 at 11.38.49 PM

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.”


 

2015-04-21 09.48.028 Kids Yoga Myths Some common misunderstandings about kids’ yoga. Explore other view points for a broader perspective.


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


Screen Shot 2015-02-08 at 1.21.43 PMYoga 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.


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


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


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


 

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?”

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

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.

Kids Yoga App Series #5 Time Management for Home & Classroom Super efficient time-management kids yoga app tools to get the most out of every second spent with our kids.


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 Thursday, April 21st, 2016.
Posted in Parenting, Sing Song Yoga, Yoga in Schools.
Tagged: , , , , , , ,


30-Minute Pregnancy Yoga Sequence

Screen Shot 2015-12-01 at 10.16.18 AM

I had the honor of writing this guest post for Gold Coast Doulas and wanted to share it here for any pregnant moms who would like to incorporate yoga into their prenatal care…

 

Pregnancy is an exciting and sometimes intimidating time of a woman’s life.  There is endless information available for newly pregnant woman and it can be overwhelming trying to decide what is best for you.

As a mom of three kids, a yoga instructor and one who did everything in my power to enjoy healthy pregnancies and natural births, I will share a simple yoga sequence ideal for the healthy pregnant mom.

Below are some of the poses I did nearly every day of my pregnancy with twins.  Even though I had already been doing yoga for 10 years, I took it more seriously during these 9 months than I ever had before. I knew that yoga would improve my chances of having a smooth healthy pregnancy and delivery. And with my daily practice I felt better able to adjust to my drastically changing body as well as remain calm and positive in each moment, and about my upcoming delivery. I carried my twins full term and had a natural delivery.

This sequence will run about 30 minutes. If you have any questions please connect with me via our contact page or on facebook.

reclined bound angle

Reclined Bound Angle Pose — Supta Baddha Konasana (5 minutes)

  • Sit with soles of feet together with your knees out to the side just in front of the bolster (or folded blankets) with a blanket for a pillow.
  • For a deeper sense of relaxation, either belt your legs as in the photo or rest your toes against a wall.
  • With the support of your arms and elbows, begin to lean back while lifting your ribs up and place them down on the bolster. Support your head with the extra blanket.
  • Prop your knees with blankets as in picture if they’re off the floor.
  • Shoulders are turned under slightly with palms of your hands facing the ceiling.
  • Begin to let go of tension throughout your body and relax in this lovely supported pose for about five minutes or until you would like to come out.
  • To come out use your hands to support bringing your knees together. Remove belts. Role to your side while allowing your head to gently settle on the floor. Lie on your side for a few moments. Use both arms to push yourself up to seated.

…To continue reading, see the original “9-Pose Pregnancy Yoga Sequence” post at Gold Coast Doulas, where you’ll find a star cast of doulas who can guide and support you in enjoying your dream pregnancy and delivery.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, December 1st, 2015.
Posted in Parenting, pregnancy yoga.
Tagged: , , , , , , , , ,


Kids Yoga App Series #6: Create & Save Custom Sequences

* This post is the 6th within a kids yoga app series #SSYappSeries… (here are #1#2#3#4 and #5 ).

In my life I absolutely gobble up any tools that allow me to effortlessly customize its components to fully meet MY PeRsoNal NeeDs!! — Especially when I only have to think through the customization once and then save my work for later use.

As a school teacher wanting to squeeze yoga into the school day, this was one of my main focuses when designing the Sing Song Yoga® kids yoga app. For those users who want to either build sequences from scratch or change the preprogrammed sequences to better fit their needs, the SAVE feature is a dream come true!

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Whether its “Ms. Zoerhof’s Morning Sequence” for a first grade classroom or Lia’sssy app pic arrows for save “Before Bed Sequence,” the time has come in which we can seamlessly and perfectly align our daily routines with our technology!! Thank you to our brilliant app developers for making this wishful feature a reality!!

saved sequences

This link will review how simply the app works, including creating and changing sequences that you’d like to save.

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.

Kids Yoga App Series #5 Time Management for Home & Classroom Super efficient time-management kids yoga app tools to get the most out of every second spent with our kids.

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 Thursday, September 17th, 2015.
Posted in Education, Kids Yoga at Home, Parenting, Sing Song Yoga, Uncategorized, Yoga in Schools.
Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,


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