I love TED talks.  Here is one - nearly 30 minutes - on the importance of play.   Dr. Stuart Brown is a play researcher and shares his perspective on play:

"Rough and tumble play is a great learning medium for all of us. Preschool kids should be allowed to dive, hit, whistle, scream, be chaotic and develop through that a lot of emotional regulation…

He goes on to describe the importance of imaginative play, social play and spectator play and says, "Nothing lights up the brain like play."

He states, "The opposite of play is not work, it’s depression."

Today, children's lives can be highly structured.  It is crucial for their development that they have several hours a day of unstructured free play.

Much of the benefits Dr. Brown mentions are experienced in children's yoga classes as well.  Children engage in play by making up stories and poses to go along with them.  They figure out how to move their bodies through human obstacle courses made up of live yoga poses.  There is also a large meausure of imaginative play through visualization and creative expression such as drawing in a typical yoga class.  

Academic achievement is important, but it's value is lost in the absence of a life filled with play.

Children today are misdiagnosed and over-medicated at an alarming rate. Oftentimes the symptoms for which they are being diagnosed include symptoms of stress, anxiety and an inability to focus. Rather than treating children with a medication, these conditions may well be more effectively and safely treated by addressing lifestyle habits – those taught in the tradition of yoga.

Alan Sroufe, professor emeritus of psychology at the University of Minnesota’s Institute of Child Development (and one of my former professors), wrote an opinion piece in the New York Times Sunday Review on January 29, 2012 titled Ritalin Gone Wrong. In it he states that when Ritalin, Adderall and other drugs prescribed for trouble focusing are “given to children over long periods of time, they neither improve school achievement nor reduce behavior problems. The drugs can also have serious side effects, including stunting growth.”

He goes on to debunk the notion that ADD is “a brain problem of genetic or otherwise inborn origin.” This was thought to be true back in the 60s and 70s when these issues started to appear in children with increasing frequency. He states in this article, “It turns out, however, that there is little to no evidence to support this theory.”

Most of the research published on these drugs does indeed show a significant increase in focus in the short term – for about 6 to 8 weeks.

The Institute of Child Development at The University of Minnesota is known for its long-term studies on children. In this article, Sroufe describes one they have been running since 1975. He reports, “What we found was that the environment of the child predicted development of A.D.D. problems.”

He goes on to state that “One of the most profound findings in behavioral neuroscience in recent years has been the clear evidence that the developing brain is shaped by experience.”

Drugs don’t address the environment. Lifestyle training does.
This is something the practice of yoga addresses. It shapes our view and attitudes through strengthening and focusing the mind. Specific techniques include mudras, mantras and meditation. Yoga also addresses attitudes and beliefs as well as lifestyle considerations of diet, sleep habits, communication styles, etc.

Family Yoga achieves this in the context of all members learning together how to self-regulate and reduce stress. Ultimately, the practice of yoga helps us develop personal responsibility and healthy habits that last a lifetime. This goes a long way toward creating an environment in which the brain can develop and function optimally.

Yesterday I taught a family yoga class at Om on The Range here in Chicago. I love the community they have created around the practice and I’m always delighted to facilitate these family workshops in their sunny Bucktown loft.

The class is for families with children 5 years old and up, but I always expect a few younger kids to sneak in. Since my intention is to support family wellness, of course I’ll let them join. The one caveat is that if this younger child cannot settle into quiet during the final rest, a parent will sit out in the lobby with them during this time. Parents are agreeable to this arrangement and glad to have the whole gang enjoy most of the class together. This “Om” class yesterday had children from 3 years old up through teens. It can be a tremendous challenge to engage such a wide age range but the experience a family shares together in a class like this makes it well worth the effort.

To begin, I briefly described the content of the class and invited each person to take care of him or herself and listen to the teacher within. Family yoga classes often include first time students and in this class of about 45 participants, two dads were attending their very first yoga class. I talked with one after class to see how it was for him. He liked it. I jokingly warned that now any adult class he takes is going to seem boring by comparison. Throughout the class I saw him smiling and engaged with his kids and wife – the set intention of the class.

The initial set up is important. Parents are told they don’t need to focus on or adjust their kids in poses. It distracts the parent from his or her own practice and the side-talking adds a lot of noise to the room, making it difficult for others to hear the instructions. Many parents still feel compelled to do this. I reminded them several times during this class that they don’t need to be giving additional instructions to their child but the din of parent whispers prevailed throughout the class. The invitation to make animal sounds in poses and interact in partner poses seems to open the door for additional conversation in an otherwise silent setting. This is where the “Magic Listening Bells” come in. I use Tibetan cymbals known as Tingshas to get everyone’s attention and re-establish quiet as needed through out the class – most often after partner poses or a game.

At the start of class, I also let the older kids know that because there are so many young kids in class, we will be doing some things that may feel silly or “immature” to them. I invite them to just roll with it and notice how much the younger kids enjoy it. I also promise to challenge them with poses that will meet their level of interest. Many older children – ages 11 and up, roll their eyes and complain that a family class is “too babyish”. If I’ve already addressed this with them, it helps manage expectations. Before class even started, I had a conversation with one 11-year-old boy. He was there with his mom and 6-year-old sister. I got to know him a bit so I could offer something that interested him during class (in this case it was Crow pose). As I was giving directions in class, I would look at him directly and share a knowing glance. It’s important that the older kids know that we know they are mature! When we were playing Wind In The Trees – a game where the adults are in Tree pose and the children run through the trees as wind, I flew by him as wind and he asked me, “Do I have to run around?” I told him that he could stay in Tree pose and he was visibly relieved. The two teens in class were there with their mom – a kids yoga teacher herself. They were used to the extra sound and movement and had a great time.

For me, the ultimate goal of a family yoga class is to introduce all members of a family to the life-affirming, stress-relieving benefits of this practice in a playful and approachable way. There is much a teacher needs to do to create an experience where this can happen in a way that meets a huge variety of needs and interests. But as I reflect after class, I feel great knowing that these families now have strategies they can use at home to self-regulate, self-soothe and connect at a deeper level to themselves - and each other.
 

Recently I've spoken with several people who were excited and inspired to share the practice of Yoga with children but felt concerned about the cost of certification. When investing in training, it is reasonable to assess the potential return. So I thought it would be helpful to lay out the “return on investment”, so to speak.

The cost of each one of our trainings varies, but we’ll take an average and assume you are an Ohana member - with access to our discounts on trainings and workshops. One 30-hour training is about $700 – often less.

There are many factors to consider when trying to estimate what you will earn teaching Yoga. Starting out, you will probably get paid less than someone with several years experience. Where you live also plays a part. A children’s Yoga class in Manhattan runs $25 per student. A class in a small town may be just $5. Sometimes teachers are paid per student, other times it is a flat fee.

For the purposes of trying to estimate a return on your training investment, let’s use $50 for each hour you teach. This is a reasonable amount – though it could be more or less depending on the various factors. When you consider that your training costs you less than $25 an hour – it is an excellent value! At this rate, you need teach only 14 classes to recoup the $700 investment in training. All the while, you will be gaining valuable experience. It’s like a paid internship!

Another great way to earn money to offset your training expenses is to gather neighborhood kids or relatives and ask them to support your training with a home-based class. Have them donate whatever they like, charge $5-$10 or think of some other kind of exchange that brings value to both parties. You’ll again be getting paid while honing your skills. Once you are committed and you share your intention with your loved ones, it is amazing how a path will open up.

But more importantly than the facts and figures, is the true value of wellness. What is a child’s mental, emotional, spiritual and physical health worth? What is the price of living in a society where its members are stressed, disconnected and physically or mentally ill?

The Eastern teachings, out of which Yoga comes, say that no one is well until everyone is well. No one is happy until everyone is happy and no one is living in abundance until we are all living in abundance. Yoga is one of the most practical, efficient and effective ways for people to cultivate health, happiness and abundance. And that is an investment we can all profit from.

The bigger question is, with the state of children’s health today, can you afford not to?
 

This is a season of giving. It’s also a time for schedule overload. The intention to give can often translate into hours spent shopping, running errands and laboring in the kitchen. This can end up as time taken away from loved ones. UNLESS, in the words of The Lorax, unless quality time can be carefully cultivated into the activities of the season. Here are some ideas:

1) Make holiday plans together. Include children in the process and they will feel like valued members of their family. Even the youngest child can offer a suggestion or choose between two simple options, for example, “Would you like to wrap presents together in the living room or in the dining room?” “Red sprinkles or green on these cookies?”

2) Turn running errands into a treasure hunt. While my mom and I were racing to get to a social event during Thanksgiving weekend, I was driving and needed to gather several items from my travel bag and get them into my handbag. It could have been a stressful moment but it quickly turned into a game as I described what I needed and she rifled around in my big bag to find it. We were howling with laughter before long. What tasks need to be done that can be turned into a game? Kids love clues and pretending to be spies and you end up with extra help!

3) Listen Deeply. This is an important skill for all of us to use in our relationships throughout the year. But especially in the hustle and bustle and sensory overload of the holiday season, it’s easy to slip into mindless “uhuh” and “ya” and glazed over eyes when communicating with loved ones. Whenever a child in your life initiates a conversation, regard it as a sacred message and give it your full attention. This is a radical and transformative practice.

4) Let it Go. Is there something you are “doing” that you can let go of in place of “being” with a child in your life? It doesn’t have to be anything special. Just reading a book together or playing a game is very affirming for a child.

Most kids have a long wish list of dragon books, Lego sets, Music CDs and video games that they hope to get for presents during this season. But what each child truly wants and needs, whether able to articulate it or not, is our presence.

Gabor Mate states in his book, Scattered – How ADD Originates And What You Can Do About It “research shows that many parents spend virtually no more than five minutes, if that, of meaningful contact with their child each day. If that snippet of time is to grow, parents need to create some space around themselves, and in order to do so they may have to reconsider their lifestyle.”

Spending quality time with children helps them develop a healthy sense of self. Your presence affirms their perceived value in the family and in the world. One of the best investments we can make in our children, is giving them the gift of time.
 

Yesterday I had the opportunity to visit Ms. Erica’s 1st grade class. They are studying holidays from around the world and she asked me to come in to talk about Divali. I’m no expert but have celebrated in India and Nepal.

I walked in just an hour before the day was done, on a Friday before holiday break week no less, to an organized classroom and calm kids. Ms. Erica was a delight to watch. All transitions and activities were managed through questions and inviting the children to show her they were ready. She consistently named children who were showing their readiness describing what she saw so other kids could do the same.

The children got up out of their seats and gathered on the carpeted gathering space of their classroom with efficiency and ease. A second class was invited to join us and when they all showed up at the door, Ms. Erica’s class scooted to the back of the rug, giving their guests the front row seats they had only moments before raced to claim.

Divali is a festival of lights originally celebrated in India. There are many different origins of the festival; I focused on the story from the Ramayana. Ram, is wife Sita and brother Laxman had been in exile for 14 years. When it was time for them to return, the people of the kingdom lit the path home with candles so their beloved leader could easily find his way. While in exile, they had great adventures. I told the children about the golden deer, the evil demon Ravana and Hanuman, chief officer of the army of monkeys. The children were delighted to hear about Hanuman leaping from India to what is now Sri Lanka in a single bound. They also had lots of questions about the demon! They politely raised a hand and waited to be called on and were easily redirected when they started to stray from sitting quietly.

After our question and answer session, I taught the children two poses: The Eagle (Garudasana) and the Crow. Children love balancing poses and this group enjoyed the challenge of balancing on their hands. The children then spent their last half hour of the day in “Free Choice Friday.” Some kids played with Toasty, the pet uromastyx. Others played with the classroom SMART board, built block structures or read books.

What impressed me most about my visit to Ms. Erica’s 1st grade class was how the children transitioned from free time to their “sunset meeting” at the end of the day. Without saying a word, Ms. Erica walked up to the SMART board, selected the music player and chose a song titled “Clean up”. On cue, the children started putting their things away, skipping around the room and singing along as they did so. A second song about being happy followed and in the length of these two songs, about 4.5 minutes total, 80% of the children were sitting quietly on the carpeted gathering space. The sunset meeting included the assistant teacher handing out stars with personal notes written on them like, “Dear (child’s name), Thank you for being a good friend today. Love, Your Teacher." The children who got these stars put them in their “take home folder.” Two boys got a different kind of note to take home. They had been roughhousing and someone got hurt. It had been going on for much of the day and this warranted a note home to the parents. Ms. Erica wrote the note (keeping a copy for herself, like a receipt) while explaining the behavior and inviting them into the dialog. I watched as the boys, one quite upset, tucked the note into the “take home folder.” It was a powerful display of practices that help children develop personal responsibility.

Here was a group of six and seven year olds given consistent opportunities through out their day to take responsibility and make informed choices in a structured, loving and creative environment. Being able to see this made my experience as a special guest, a special treat.