As a former first grade teacher in the NYC public school system, I know what it’s like to try to teach over 20 kids how to read, write, do math, treat each other with kindness and everything else expected of teachers, all with very little outside help. The kids I taught came from a low income area of Brooklyn with little resources to help them succeed in the world. I struggled to get them to focus and sit still while also attempting to get them to reach the goals the system had set for them. I started teaching them yoga in between lessons, during lessons, in the hallway, after lunch, after school and it seemed to be working. After 5 years in the classroom, I knew I had a higher calling. San Francisco was where I started my biz Full of Joy Yoga. I decided that as a former teacher,… Read More »
FOJY In the News!
This week a sweet little news report aired about me teaching yoga to kids at Alphabet Academy in Hamden, CT where I’ve been teaching for years. When Meghan from WTNH (a local CT station) came to do the filming for CT Style months ago, I was so nervous! The work I’m doing and what I am trying to accomplish is a really big deal to me and I wanted it to come across in a way that makes an impact. I couldn’t have been happier with the results! Of course I wished I had said many things that I did not, but that’s ok. She really did an awesome job creating this beautiful piece about why yoga works so beautifully in the schools. I hope that this story encourages more schools to bring yoga in to give as many students as possible the opportunity to learn the tools to stay calm, focused… Read More »
Rainbow Yoga!
This month my theme is Rainbow yoga. I love when I start a themed class at the beginning of a month and see how it evolves with all my classes. This sequence works great for a 20 or 30 min preschool class. 1) Breathing ball! I always love to start with the breathing ball– especially because it’s rainbow colored.2) Paint a rainbow – Glue your bottom to the mat. Raise one arm out to the side and reach it up over your head to paint a color of the rainbow over your head. Go back and forth from side to side. Let the kids call out the colors of course!Bringing arms behind you, hands on the floor, opening your heart, look up at your beautiful rainbow!3) Roly poly to your feet. What do we need in the sky to happen to make a rainbow? the sun and the rain of… Read More »
