<![CDATA[Glow Yoga Kids

<![CDATA[Glow Yoga Kids - Shine On]]>Sat, 21 Mar 2026 03:42:39 -0700Weebly<![CDATA[Happy Summer Solstice/ International Day of Yoga/ National Indigenous Peoples Day]]>Mon, 21 Jun 2021 23:49:05 GMThttps://www.glowyogakids.com/shine-on/happy-summer-solstice-international-day-of-yoga-national-indigenous-peoples-dayToday is a beautiful day full of multiple celebrations and I felt called to write a quick post to share some of the ways that I am celebrating and educating myself today, all of which can be shared with your kiddos!

Summer solstice is a time of deep reflection, all about recognizing both our inner and outer light. For the summer solstice, along with just simply spending time outside on this beautiful sunny day, I had an awesome afternoon of creating flower crowns with my niece and nephew. This is a super fun and fairly simple craft that combines nature and art to create an gorgeous reflection of the earth and sun. PLUS, it's impossible to put one on and not feel your inner light expanding outward. To learn how to make your own, check out the link here. We used dollar store materials and it was so fun!

Another way you can celebrate is by joining us for our Rainbow walk, nature madala and family yoga in the park event happening on July 3 from 9-10:15am at the Wolf Willow Stairs. Register by donation here.

My nephew did not want to be in the picture.

Nature Mandala 2017

Now a lot of people don't realize this but yoga in it's truest form is simply a meditative practice. The Monks would sit for hours and hours on concrete, breathing and meditating. The physical poses of yoga (asana) didn't come until much later to help the Monks fight inertia and were actually derived from Icelandic Gymnastics. Pretty crazy right? What this tells me is a couple of things... 1. The physical poses aren't as ancient as one might think and therefore can continue to be created and adjusted to fit our bodies AND 2. It makes me feel less bad for not being able to get into all the poses but I am no gymnast... nor is that something I aspire to be. ANYWAY, I love telling people about this and then spend time creating NEW yoga poses. So on
this International day of yoga, I urge you to break the mold and spend some time creating something new with your kiddos. Don't forget to name your poses.

Finally, for National Indigenous Peoples Day, I spent a good portion of my day, and the previous months, learning more about Indigenous culture and ways that I can be an ally and support the people and communities in my area. I'd love to share with you some of the ways that I show my support and encourage you to do the same. For more information on ways to support click the link here.

1. Speak up. If you witness unfair or biased treatment taking place inside of your workplace, one of the most effective things you can do is to speak up. Prejudice and racism are learned behaviors; therefore they can be unlearned.

2. Share your resources. Each of us has resources and opportunities we can share to help others. We can look no further than our vast networks to understand our abundance of assets. Research indicates that 85% of open positions are filled through networking. Sharing our networks with others can be an instrumental mechanism for deconstructing oppressive systems.

3. Amplification. Each of us can amplify the voices of the marginalized through a number of different methods. When you read a story from someone who is of a different background than you, reshare, repost or like that story—share their story with your audience.

4. Show your support. One of the best ways to impact oppressive systems is by providing those in marginalized communities with your tangible support. This could be monetary or could involve our time. Purchasing products or services from founders of color can make a huge difference.

Comment below the ways you are celebrating today- we would love to hear from you!

Xoxoxo,

Robyn

Ps. Check out our NEW podcast: Kids Yoga Education on Podbean. :)

]]><![CDATA[Sister Company- Little Lotus Inc.]]>Wed, 24 Mar 2021 14:20:48 GMThttps://www.glowyogakids.com/shine-on/sister-company-little-lotus-incHappy Wednesday everyone,

If you live in Edmonton, you have probably already heard of Little Lotus Preschool.... But if you haven't listen up because this is IMPORTANT!

Little Lotus is ANOTHER incredible kids yoga sister company that has customized their beautiful preschool program around yoga and mindfulness. I needed to get the word out there and share some of their offerings because this type of program is the future. Imagine what would happen if every child grew up and learned in a place where they could play, breathe and bloom? Surely the world would be a better place.

Little Lotus has been around since 2016 after the amazing Cynthia Stobbe crafted the program and opened the doors. Her team has worked hard to create a nurturing place for littles to just be themselves... Something we admire them greatly for.

If you have a little between the ages of 3-6 and are looking for a new preschool to call home, I highly recommend you checking them out. The world deserves a little more yoga and a little more love.

Here's the link to their website for more information.

Robyn
Xoxoxo

]]><![CDATA[Top 15 Reasons to Read to Your Child EVERYDAY]]>Sat, 13 Mar 2021 13:57:52 GMThttps://www.glowyogakids.com/shine-on/top-14-reasons-to-read-to-your-child-everydayHappy Spring ya'll!

The warm weather has put me in an inspired mood and so I wanted to share with all of you some of the main reasons why reading to your child EVERYDAY is a MUST. The reasoning below was gathered by some incredibly talented children's book authors. Take a peek at our last article, Visualization & Movement: Important in Literacy & Education, to check out their offerings.

Let's get to it:

1. "When we read to kids, we expose them to different worlds that they haven't yet experienced." - Harriet Beth Carr, Author of A Mindful Walk

2. "Literacy helps kids engage with the world around them. It gives them the foundation to be better thinkers and it makes them more accepting to other's viewpoints." -Victoria J. Hyla, Author of Bartleby The Brave

3. "Reading builds confidence, increases vocabulary and general communication." -Melissa Martin, Author of Conversations with Cooper

4. "Literacy increases empathy and creativity." -Elyssa Nicole Trust, Author of Daisy Moves to America

5. "Reading is crucial for cognitive and social wellbeing." -Karisa Siramarco, Author of Don't Forget Your Mat

6. "It gives children a chance to think critically and for themselves." -Amanda Cottrell, Author of I Am Fearless

7. "When you read to your children it gives you time to connect with them. It's your undivided attention for that child." -Rosie Talley, Author of Linus the Troll

8. "You need literacy for everything. If you need to read a manual to make a meal or move a suitcase, you are using some form of literacy." -Amanda Syryda, Author of Mandi the Clown

9. "Literacy is beyond academic. It helps us to learn emotion and relationships. It sets you up to be a better human." -Ashley Wellman, Author of My Friend Fresno

10. "It affects how they learn and without it creates stumbling blocks that shouldn't be there." -Jacqui Shepherd

11. "Books are windows into your own soul and doors into other worlds." -Meaghan Axel, Author of the Power in Me

12. "It helps them to get to know sight words and the core words that are crucial for school." -Liz Cavanaugh, The Strong Tree

13. "It's applications are unlimited. It gives kids insight in how to deal with situations that they've never dealt with before." -Tia Perkin, Author of Two

14. "Reading is the magic pill for everything. It is a critical foundation point." -Shanita Allen, Author of What is a Dream?

15. "Stories give you special powers." -Anna Smithers, Author of Yogi Superheroes.

There are so many AMAZING benefits to reading to your child every single day... even more than what is listed above. My suggestion... try incorporating movement or action into your storytelling. It adds a layer of fun and engagement and helps children to better retain the information they are receiving.

Stay tuned for our NEW YouTube channel offering coming soooon. Follow us here to stay up to date on our latest videos.

Lots of love,

Robyn
Xoxoxoxo

Looking for a book that already incorporates movement and mindfulness? Check out our new book, A Yoga Adventure Through Space.

]]><![CDATA[Visualization & Movement: Importance in Literacy & Education]]>Fri, 26 Feb 2021 23:13:43 GMThttps://www.glowyogakids.com/shine-on/visualization-movement-importance-in-literacy-education

Visualization and movement are critical to literacy and education. As a yoga teacher, I see the benefits of incorporating these tools into learning every single day but I don’t want you to just take my word for it. There are tons of educators, authors and parents who have been incorporating these tools into their lessons, books and parenting techniques for years. It was my mission to hear from these incredible humans and share with you my findings. For this article, I interviewed 14 authors, many of which have careers outside of the authoring realm including; parents, professors, elementary educators, yoga teachers, hula hoop instructors, librarians, actors, screenwriters, homicide survivor advocates, engineers, psychologists, massage therapists, activists and more. The wealth of information I received is well-backed by research and among their responses, I will be incorporating some of my research findings into this article as well. I will also list their books and information at the bottom, so make sure you check them out before you leave.

On top of this article, Glow Yoga Kids is doing packaged book giveaways for March, April, May & June for EVERY single book listed in this article including our own, A Yoga Adventure Through Space. Follow us @glowyogakids on both Facebook & Instagram to learn how to enter the draw!

“If you want to draw a picture, write something, remember something or solve a problem... you use your imagination for all of those things.”-Jacqui Shepherd, Author of Superpower Imagination

Topic 1:

The first topic we discussed during the interviews was simply (and not so simply) the importance of literacy as a regular routine and how this affects childhood development. As many of you probably could’ve guessed or already know is that this is a vital part of your child(ren)’s overall development. It is a starting point for the advancement of many skills and is truly unlimited in its potential applications. I’ve listed a few below that can be found in many books including the ones listed at the end of the article.

Reading, spelling, speech patterning, writing cadence, comprehension & vocabulary
School subjects such as math, art, language arts, science, social studies, etc.
Problem-solving & optimism
Independence & self-expression
Emotional self-regulation through many mediums including yoga, mindfulness, body awareness & senses
Social skills including building relationships, nurturing empathy, understanding, kindness & compassion
Critical thinking about the world
Imagination & creativity
Health, both physical and mental
Differences in people, places & things
How to deal with different/ difficult situations including dealing with a bully, how to cope with change, etc.
Engagement & focus
And the list goes on…

As children grow, the skills being introduced deepen and so do the connections they make to them in the world around them. As mentioned above, the key to success in these areas is starting your child young. Every single person I interviewed on this topic said it is never too early to start reading to your child. A lot of them even recommended reading to your child in the womb.

“I think that reading in any form should be incorporated into their (kids) day even if it’s just a couple pages before bed… even if they can’t read or understand the words, it’s still that time spent with a loved one.” -Karisa Siramarco, Author of Don’t Forget Your Mat

Did you know that babies can recognize and process sounds related to language from a very early age? Infants respond to sounds produced by their mother while still in the uterus. Their auditory system may not be fully developed but it is still able to function. A new-born to the age of 12 months is actually able to identify between the different sound levels and duration, different phonemes and constants of all the languages they are exposed to during that time. However after 12 months, this ability disappears and they are only able to discriminate the phonemes of their native language. This is why it is so important to start early and to introduce as much literature, arguably in as many different languages, as possible.

Incorporating literacy into your regular routine can seem overwhelming, especially at first but below I’ve listed a few of the ways you can make literacy a part of your day.

~Reading with your child(ren) as often as you can. Even if your child(ren) can read on their own, reading with them has a huge impact on their love of books. Bonding with your child on this level and being able to support them and answer their questions throughout is immensely beneficial to child development and social skills.

“When I read to them (my kids), I like to get animated. I ask them questions. I make the words fun and exaggerated. People laugh at me sometimes but it’s just so fun!” -Liz Cavanaugh, Author of the Strong Tree

~Incorporating literacy into activities that your child(ren) love. If your child likes art, get them to draw a picture about the story after you’ve read it. If your child loves drama or yoga, get them to act out the book as you are reading or following the book. If your child likes science, do an experiment based on the book. Just find out what they love and relate it to the story.
~Using words, sounds, rhyming, rhythm & letters throughout your day. Not all of us have time to read a book with our child(ren) everyday, so finding ways to use new words, sounds and letters can be really helpful to bridge the gap. An example of this would be a word of the day app/ calendar and discussing it with your child or writing out the alphabet on a chalkboard or on sticky notes and making them easily viewed by your child(ren).

“Sometimes as a mom, you can get caught up in your own mind and don’t think to talk to your baby who can’t talk back but it’s so important because that’s how they get their words.” -Tia Perkin, Author of Two

~Sharing different types of literacy with your child(ren). Incorporating things like financial, physical & homemaking literacy into your day. There are many ways you can share other forms of literacy with your child. As an example giving your child the choice to spend, save or share the money in the piggy bank can help to build financial literacy or having a regular yoga practice at home can show them the benefits of physical literacy.
~Point of view exercises. Encouraging your child to notice differing viewpoints. This is something that is shown easily through books but if you don’t have one handy, asking your child to describe how someone else might feel or perceive something or even how an inanimate object might view something if it had conscious thought is a great way of growing literacy in the home.

“I recently gave my students a project to write a piece from the perspective of an inanimate object. One of my students wrote from the perspective of their Iphone. They wrote, “I’m so sick of being used all the time”....They need to learn perspective and point of view, then they can use it through literacy.”
-Amanda Cortell, Author of I am Fearless

Topic 2:

In the second topic of our discussion we talked about the main reasons why an author might write a children’s book and what types of problems literacy solves for children and parents. In almost all of the instances, the authors I spoke with believed that leaving a lasting moral or message within the book was the most important reason for sharing their work. Of course this isn’t always the case, but in my experience most books, even if not otherwise intended, leave behind a message of some kind and help to solve issues that kiddos and parents deal with on a regular basis. Some of the themes that I see consistently and also show up in the books listed are:

Spreading kindness
Generosity
Sparking imagination
Self-acceptance

“You don’t have to listen to your doubts any longer, yes they are strong but you are much stronger.” - Meaghan Axel, Author of the Power In Me

Self-love
Empowerment
Building self-esteem
Confidence
Resiliency

“All of us have them (skeletons), we might as well dance with them.” -Ashley Wellman, Author of My Friend Fresno, The girl who dances with skeletons

Mind & body connection
Celebrating differences
Self-compassion
Inclusion

“Sometimes they just need to be told and shown that they can also do that… have a character that looks like them that is going into space for example. They will think, “ I can do that too? I didn’t realize that was possible.”” - Shanita Allen, Author of The Let’s Go Dreaming Book Series

Friendship
Self-assurance
Mindfulness
Learning & growing from your mistakes
Relaxation & sleep encouragement

“Prevention should be the priority. Don’t wait til they (kids) are broken and then try and fix them. Give them the reconnection tools they need early.” -Harriet Beth Carr, Author of A Mindful Walk

What types of problems does literacy solve in your household? Is it on the list or is it something else? Comment your answer below.

Topic 3:

The final topic that was discussed went into depth about movement and visualization and the incorporation of them into literacy and education. As I mentioned, I interviewed many authors with varying backgrounds and book genres for this article. Despite all the differences, there was a consistent theme throughout the interviews and that was the importance of the mind and body connection.

We know that the brain and body are connected, so let’s just take a minute to recognize the neural pathways that transfer signals between the body and the brain to control our everyday behaviours. Even though as adults we may not have conscious thought about our brain telling us to move our pinky toe for example, the neurons are still firing to make that happen. The more neural pathways we create for finding information in the brain, the more likely we are to recall information long after it was introduced. This can be seen in people who suffer with Alzeimer’s disease. Muscle memory alone has a strong impact on physical function when your brain is otherwise incapable.

“It’s been proven many times that visualizing an exercise in your mind can have a positive impact on your body.” -Anna Smithers, Author of Yogi Superhero

This is something that I’ve been working with for years and after these interviews I was ecstatic that this is being encouraged not just in my line of work but among authors, parents, teachers, psychologists and more. As many of you probably know, this wasn’t always the case. While writing this article I thought back to my own childhood when visualization and more specifically, movement were offered in a highly competitive environment that left less athletic children out in the cold. I even recall deciding to take the optional physical education in grade 11 and felt completely left out as the majority of my class was heavily involved in sports outside of school.

“Mental and physical health are the pillars of children’s health. Combining them together is killing two birds with one stone.” -Melissa Martin, Author of Conversations with Cooper

Utilizing movement in education, ALL EDUCATION not just gym class, is the key to developing a strong and healthy life long relationship with exercise. To further my point, did you know that only 2% of girls ages 12-17 receive the recommended 60 minutes of physical activity daily? AND that if a girl doesn’t participate in sports or activity by age 10 that there is only a 10% chance she’ll be physically active at age 25? These are REAL statistics and they are pretty scary. Below I’ve listed just a few of the benefits that can be seen after introducing visualisation and movement into your child(ren)’s everyday activities.

“If you weren’t an athlete or a dancer, there was no room for you in the movement world… exercise needs to be introduced at a young age in a fun way that doesn’t feel like exercise.” -Elyssa Nicole Trust, Author of Daisy Moves to America

Healthy growth and development
Better self-esteem
Stronger bones, muscles and joints
Better posture and balance
A stronger heart
A healthier weight range
Social interaction with friends
Learning new skills while having fun
Better focus and concentration during school
Relaxation
Memory improvement
Changing behavior
Relieving pain
Goal setting & achievement

“It (movement) should absolutely be incorporated in schools. Everybody has their bodies, so they can literally do it anywhere.” -Amanda Syryda, Author of Mandi the Clown

On top of the obvious benefits above, there are many educational benefits to incorporating visualization and movement into education. The important thing that I’ve come to realize in my years of teaching yoga to children is that much like adults, children all learn differently. There are a ton of different types of learning styles including but not limited to visual, auditory, verbal and kinesthetic or physical. The crazy part about learning styles is many of them overlap in both children and adults. The more styles you can incorporate into a lesson, the better chance you have of connecting to each and every child and having them actually retain the information you are providing. There is something so liberating about having a child move and explore the information they are receiving with their bodies and senses.

“Anything you are doing, if you learn it in 2 or 3 more ways, you will learn it and retain it better… When they (kids) are young you don’t always know their learning style and so adding movement might get that kid who otherwise wouldn’t be a reader to join in.”
-Victoria Maldonado, Author of Bartleby The Brave

Integrating movement and play-oriented problem solving into your environment and daily curricular activities, provides children the opportunity to explore many critical thinking skills that lay the foundation for understanding math and science concepts. Through simple exploration of movement activities, you can teach children to categorize, compare/contrast, form hypotheses, and much more. As children engage in movement activities and learning opportunities, encourage them to explore, experiment, and learn.

“They (kids) are already going to be wiggle worms. Use it (movement) to your advantage; use what they do naturally to help teach them.” -Rosie Talley, Author of Linus the Troll

I hope this article has provided you with enough information to start making visualization and movement a priority in your child(ren)’s education or in your classroom. Here at Glow Yoga Kids, we strive to make this connection every single day in our classes and online so if you need some help on where to start, feel free to reach out via email or by phone: info@glowyogakids.com & 780.604.2512.

Don’t forget to enter our packaged book giveaways in March, April, May & June where you will get a chance to WIN all of the books from the authors interviewed for this article. Follow @glowyogakids on both Facebook & Instagram to learn how you can enter the draws.

Lots of love,

Robyn
Director & Owner & Instructor & Author with Glow Yoga Kids
Xoxoxox

For more information on the articles and research listed above, check out these sites below:
Babies and Phoneme
Filtering Women and girls in sport overview
Mindlessness- The Benefits of Using Muscle Memory for Dementia Optimizing Early Brain and Motor Development Through Movement

Author contributions (In alphabetical order) with their advice for children and authors:

"Just be mindful not to let people stifle your creative flow." -Harriet Beth Carr

"Do a little bit everyday and trust you can get there. -Amanda Cortell

"Follow your dreams." -Rosie Talley

"Take your time." -Liz Cavanuagh

"Find out what you love and do that." -Robyn Snow

"Ask questions & don't be afraid to ask for help." -Elyssa Nicole Trust

"Don't take no for an answer and make sure you hire an editor." -Amanda Syryda

"Everyday find a way to get better." - Tia Perkin

"Just write. Write good things & bad things." -Victoria Hyla Maldonado

"Don't give up! You are the author of your story" -Karisa Siramarco

"Doubts are natural but you can overpower them." -Meaghan Axel

"Believe in yourself." -Shanita Allen

"Just keep writing. It only takes a handful of people to apprecaite your book." -Melissa Martin

"Do it and do it scared. Being brave doesn't mean you aren't scared" -Ashley Wellman

"Be flexible and never give up." -Jacqui Shepherd

"Listen to your heart & follow your dreams" -Anna Smithers

]]><![CDATA[Top 5 Kids Yoga Resources We Use Online]]>Thu, 11 Feb 2021 19:00:34 GMThttps://www.glowyogakids.com/shine-on/top-5-kids-yoga-resources-we-use-onlineHoly man, it is cold out!

It doesn’t help that we are all confined to our homes with our kids with continually changing Covid restrictions. LUCKILY, it doesn’t have to be boring. We have compiled a list of 5 kids yoga resources that will have you wondering how you went your life without them.

These resources are GLOW approved as we use them in and out of our classes on a regular basis. We hope you will get just as much use out of them. If nothing else, it’ll help the winter fly by.

1. Jbrary: https://jbrary.com/
This one is technically not yoga related. HOWEVER, we use the rhymes, storytimes, songs, etc. from Jbrary in almost all of our kids under 3 classes. We just incorporate yoga poses into them. Dana and Lindsey are children's librarians. Jbrary is a library of storytime resources for those of us working with children. Join them for songs, rhymes, fingerplays, and more!

2. Kumarah Yoga: https://kumarahyoga.com/
I don’t even know where to begin with this one. Kumarah Yoga is jam packed with incredible resources for kids yoga and mindfulness. Lesson plans, mindfulness tips, games, breathing printables and more. Check out our recent blog post dedicated to them here.

3. Pretzel Kids: https://blog.pretzelkids.com/category/yoga-for-kids/
This incredible Boston based company has so many offerings for kids yoga and mindfulness on their blog and as a part of their membership program. They share lesson plans, monthly virtual trainings & branding information for all of you wannabe yoga teachers. Stay tuned for our collaboration with them to be released soon.

Babies to Bookworms: https://www.babiestobookworms.com/

Printables and books is the name of the game for this incredible company. Vicki has created an incredible Calm Down Kit printable that is a MUST HAVE for any parent or teacher when they are teaching about strong emotions with the littles in their life.

Kids Yoga Stories: https://www.kidsyogastories.com/kids-yoga/

There are so many incredible yoga posters, printables, cards, books, lesson plans and more on this site AND they ship to Canada! This is definitely a one stop shop for all things Kids Yoga! Check back for our latest post on their site to be published April 29, 2021.

Stay warm & have fun,

Robyn
Xoxoxo

]]><![CDATA[Kumarah Yoga- Our Sister Company in Minnesota]]>Sat, 06 Feb 2021 17:21:00 GMThttps://www.glowyogakids.com/shine-on/kumarah-yoga-our-sister-company-in-minnesotaHappy Saturday all!

I hope despite the recent cold weather, you are still finding ways to stay active and mindful with your kiddos. Speaking of WAYS to stay active and mindful… I have an amazing resource to share with all of you.

Here at Glow Yoga Kids we are all about sharing and building up other incredible businesses and kids yoga advocates. Today I wanted to spotlight one of our favourite sister companies, Kumarah Yoga! Based in Minnesota, Maia, their heart-centered leader, has built an empire of incredible kids’ yoga and mindfulness resources on her website. If you are looking for Printable Packages or a Kids Yoga Teacher Training, make sure to check them out.

She also has lesson plans, games, mindfulness tips, breathing printables and more, all available for FREE in her Free Resources Library. On top of all that, her blog is jam packed with information on yoga for kids and how you can get them moving at home. This is so incredibly needed right now and I am thrilled to be able to share it with you.

One of my favourite blog posts that she has done recently is Outer Space Themed Yoga for Kids. It is filled with amazing Outer Space facts, yoga poses, breathing techniques, games and a link to our brand new book, “A Yoga Adventure Through Space”. It can be hard to come up with things to do with your kiddos on a regular basis so take the hassle out of it by checking out some of her super fun ideas! I’ve used a number of these in my classes and trust me, THEY ARE SO FUN!

BLAST OFF!!!

Robyn
Xoxoxo

]]><![CDATA[Spring Move As If Cards]]>Mon, 01 Jun 2020 19:54:33 GMThttps://www.glowyogakids.com/shine-on/spring-move-as-if-cardsI love Spring time! All the rain and sun mixed together, spending time outside and enjoying the smell of fresh flowers. I know that this year looks a little bit different especially for our little ones but hopefully with a yoga magic, we can help!

If you are looking for something fun, active and creative to share with your kiddos while they are stuck in this new reality or in your center as things slowly start to open up again, then here's a sweet printable for you.

Spring Move As If Cards!

How to create:
To create your cards, download the file below, and print double sided on card stock. Next, cut out and laminate or simply leave as is.

How to play:
Simple. Choose a card from the deck, show the picture, say "move as if you are" and then read the back of the card. Direct the children to use creative movement to "act out" how they would move if they were the object on the card. These cards are a fun way to introduce a Spring theme and warm up little bodies at the same time!

We are wishing you all health and happiness!

All my love,

Robyn

signs_of_spring_move_as_if_cards.pdf
File Size:	465 kb
File Type:	pdf

Download File

]]><![CDATA[Free Halloween Yoga Fun]]>Thu, 25 Oct 2018 05:31:32 GMThttps://www.glowyogakids.com/shine-on/free-halloween-yoga-funI LOVE Halloween, if you remember from last year's post of the Halloween Dance, it is one of my favorite Holidays. Any time I have a chance to dress up in costume and step into an alternate reality for a night, you'll find me ready to go. I especially love going Trick-or-Treating with my kiddos, seeing all the other amazing costumes and getting a fright every now and then at the spooky decorated houses. This year we are planning to celebrate at a Halloween Party and then have a super special pumpkin carving night with friends!

If you are looking for something fun, active and creative to share at your Halloween Party, in your Spooky classroom or with your little monsters at home, here's a sweet printable for you.

Halloween Move As If Cards!

How to create:
To create your cards, download the file below, and print double sided on card stock. Next, cut out and laminate or simply leave as is.

How to play:
Simple. Choose a card from the deck, show the picture, say "move as if you are" and then read the back of the card. Direct the children to use creative movement to "act out" how they would move if they were the object on the card. These cards are a fun way to introduce your Halloween theme and warm up little bodies at the same time!

We hope you have a safe and Happy Halloween.

All my love,

Vanessa

halloween_move_as_if_cards.pdf
File Size:	745 kb
File Type:	pdf

Download File

]]><![CDATA[Sun Dance Series - Butterfly Dance]]>Fri, 22 Jun 2018 03:47:53 GMThttps://www.glowyogakids.com/shine-on/sun-dance-series-butterfly-danceSummer Solstice is upon us, as we transition into this beautiful, fruitful time of year it’s important to stop and smell the roses or stop and watch the butterflies. Nature teaches us so many lessons, when we are willing to sit and notice her challenges and gifts. Summer brings us an opportunity to relish in the warmth and splendour of what we’ve been creating, the buds in our lives to turn into flowers but of course roses don’t come without thorns. Some of what we’ve been growing towards may no longer serve us, and that means it’s time to burn, shed, disintegrate, let go…. You get the idea. Take the butterfly for example: the spring brings a chance for new life, eggs are laid, caterpillars are born, they grow to size and begin to form their chrysalis around themselves when it’s time. During this transitional phase, the caterpillar works hard to completely disassembles itself, breaking down it’s cells into goop and reassembling into an amazing, symmetrical, fluttery, magical gem of nature. Through the struggle of growth it comes out completely transformed, ready for a new life. As the seeds we sowed in spring have either grown or become over grown with the weeds of our bad habits, limiting beliefs, negative thoughts and patterning we can choose which plants to nurture, and which ones to burn away in the heat of the sun. This solstice brings up much for me, and as I sat at the lake last weekend admiring the butterflies I couldn’t help but tie them into our newest Sun Dance Post. Their story is so inspiring! So today, be like the butterfly, shed that shell that doesn’t serve you any longer and become the best, most amazing, symmetrical, fluttery and magical version of yourself. If you missed the first post in this series, be sure to have a look as it will give you the background you need to best use the new addition to our Sun Dance Series.

Stretch up high, wave to the sun in the sky
(Standing in mountain pose, reach arms up & wave)
Hang down low, tickle your caterpillar toes
(Forward fold, reaching down towards your toes & tickle them)
Feet jump back, onto a branch
(Bend your knees, place your hands down and jump or step your feet back to plank)
Belly down, let's settle in now
(Bending at the elbows, lower your body down to the ground)
Look up at the clouds
(Press the hands into the ground, to straighten the arms into cobra pose)
Now back at the leaves
(Knees under hips, curl the toes under & shift into downward dog)
And breath, and breathe, and breathe - making a cocoon around yourself
(Take 3 big breaths in through the nose and out through the nose)
Feet jump up, ready to emerge
(Hop the feet up, into a frog squat)
Hang down low, touch your butterfly toes
(Forward fold, reaching down towards your toes)
Stretch up high, bring your wings to the sky
(Coming to stand, reach both arms up and out to the side like wings)
Now, flap like a butterfly!
(Using your breath inhale to lift your wings up, exhale to drop them down)

Wishing you the most amazing solstice on this longest day of the year, may you be filled with light, love and surrender to shed that which no longer serves.

Yours in peace and joy,

Vanessa

]]><![CDATA[Sun Dance Series - Mother's Day Dance]]>Thu, 10 May 2018 21:30:11 GMThttps://www.glowyogakids.com/shine-on/sun-dance-series-mothers-day-danceToday I had the pleasure of being celebrated along with all of the other moms at my daughter's preschool. We had a lovely tea party, and they gifted us with beautiful cards and those adorable "about my mom" sheets filled out by the kids. It made me think about how blessed I feel to be a mama to my 3 beautiful littles. As they grow and change, each day is a new adventure and when I step into presence with them on that journey the days become longer, the colors become brighter and the magic is abound. My children are my greatest teachers; each and every day I learn so much about who they are, who I am, and how I can be a better version of myself and a better mom too. To all of my mama friends out there, this one is for you, the Mother's Day Dance. If you missed the first post in this series, be sure to have a look as it will give you the background you need to best use the new addition to our Sun Dance Series.

Stretch up high, wave to your mom
(Standing in mountain pose, reach arms up & wave)
Hang down low, tickle her toes
(Forward fold, reaching down towards your toes & tickle them)
Feet jump back, to cuddle with mom
(Bend your knees, place your hands down and jump or step your feet back to plank)
Get down low, we’ll play hide n’ seek
(Bending at the elbows, lower your body down to the ground and move from side to side)
Look up and around,
(Press the hands into the ground, to straighten the arms into cobra pose)
Now behind and down
(Knees under hips, curl the toes under & shift into downward dog)
And breath, and breathe, and breathe
(Take 3 big breaths in through the nose and out through the nose)
Feet jump up, mom’s spotted you
(Hop the feet up, into a frog squat)
Hang down low, pick up a rose
(Forward fold, reaching down towards your toes)
Stretch up high, pass your flower to mom as she comes by
(Coming to stand, reach both arms up over head, pretending to pass mom a flower)
Now, I love you pose (self hug)
(Cross one arm over the other, reaching for opposite shoulders and imagine giving your mom a hug!)

Have a beautiful weekend celebrating your role as a mother, and the woman who taught you to be who you are too! With a full heart, shining all my love to you for a Happy Mother's Day.

Be Bright, Be Bold, Be YOU!

Vanessa
xoxoxo

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