Whether it is to start the day off right, prepare to take an exam with inner calmness, sharpen focus and improve the attention span, or end the day on a positive note, Creative Yoga for Children offers step-by-step instruction for more than 60 poses, plus breakthrough breathing exercises that use fun, innovative imagery cues. It is a powerful tool when used in the classroom. It is low-stress and non-competitive. Watch the children stretch and balance in poses named for animals and shapes. Several minutes when they lay down in the Cocoon Pose for a rest, their wiggles are gone. They are calm, focused and better prepared to tackle the rest of their school day.

Creative Yoga for Children offers a simple, ready-to-teach Montessori-based yoga program for children age twelve and under. Following age-appropriate classroom themes, the book's forty detailed, one-hour lessons are designed to supplement any learning environment and are accessible to parents and teachers alike--no special training is required. In a recent study by California State University, Los Angeles, yoga was found to improve students' behavior, physical health, academic performance, and attitudes toward themselves. Research also shows that the benefits of yoga are particularly strong among children with special needs. This book demonstrates how yoga can become a fun daily practice inside or outside the school classroom. Enhanced with over 100 black and white photos, the book's themes, or lessons, are divided by age range (ages four to six, seven to nine, and ten to twelve) and explore topics based on the child's developmental level. For four- to six-year-olds there are twenty hour-long lessons on subjects ranging from colors and the holiday seasons to sounds and words. Ten hour-long lessons for seven- to nine-year-olds introduce such topics as the body, countries of the world, botany, zoology, and the universe. For ten- to twelve-year-olds, ten hour-long lessons cover the environment, geometry, the Earth, fractions, the food chain, and more. Following the structure of a classroom lesson plan, each lesson incorporates elements of yoga including poses, breath work, meditation, and mindfulness. A discussion of the theme and intention of the lesson is followed by a warm-up of yoga poses. The children then engage in a cooperative "connecting" activity designed to bring them together, and a fun and lively theme-oriented activity that involves movement and awareness. The class winds down with breath work, a craft, and often a story. Finally, there is relaxation time and a guided meditation. With this preset structure, the children feel safe while being challenged and inspired. Derived from the educational philosophy of Dr. Maria Montessori and the author's own experience in the classroom and yoga studio, Creative Yoga for Children allows children to move at their own pace and to be free to learn and grow within a non-competitive, nurturing setting. An essential resource for the 4,000 certified Montessori schools in the U.S., this book will appeal to yoga teachers, classroom teachers, parents, and anyone who works with children.

Help children build healthy fitness habits for a lifetime with lesson plans that explore the principles of movement. This simple approach to fitness is based on the Pilates method and includes a variety of ways children can express themselves with creative dance. Children love being in motion, and this book gives them plenty of opportunities to express themselves.

In the midst of the stress, violence, drug and communication problems of today's families, Meditation for Children presents a sane and practical blueprint for creating strong, close bonds between family members. For parents seeking practical solutions to the tough issues and problems of today's children, this book contains more than one hundred light, fun exercises that have been shown to spark children's creativity, engage their imagination and build a positive self-image. First published thirty years ago, this best-selling book has been updated to address the unique problems children face in the new millennium. Its techniques have been widely tested in homes and schools, and been proven to: calm hyperactive or anxious children; reduce stress in both children and adults; put children in touch with their imaginative and intuitive capacities; improve concentration in students; and create trust and enrich friendships.

Children from three on up can enjoy gentle, fun-filled exercises from the experts at Gaia--no matter where they live or what their abilities are. Yoga is a great way to develop strength and suppleness, as well as good posture and coordination in a noncompetitive setting. 100 4-color photos. Diagrams.