The story so far-from GroovyKids to AlltheKids
Where to begin? The story doesn’t really have a definitive beginning, much more a succession of things that led to an inevitable birth of my own Kids Yoga classes, that led to the birth of a training. program that in the 17 years since has and continues to take me around the world.
It’s been a long trip from the nerves and fears of facing kids to the acceptance of my own limits and skills and the realization of what yoga is in daily life, not only a wellbeing pursuit at every level of existence, also a critical method of free self expression, beyond the reach of judgment or even measurement. The simple truth is that yoga is here and now, yoga is to be present. This has proven true in the 20 countries who’ve hosted my trainings, it’s been true with kids from over 65 nations and it’s proven true over three different decades
I wondered if the advent of mass mobile phones and ipads etc would change kids intrinsic needs and desires, and what I’ve seen is that yoga has become even more important as a way of utilizing all that kids are. I believe the practice of some form of non judgmental, non measurable past time is vital to kids now.
We’ve seen SEL (Social Emotional Learning) become more mainstream, we’ve watched mindfulness programs take off globally.
Yet we don’t have a kinder world, or a more patient one, nor a more social one. In fact, with the worldwide advent of a pandemic, we’ve actually gone the other way. It’s been a year where touch is dangerous, deep breathing is not advisable and laughter, singing and playing games has been literally banned by entire governments.
This time has caused me to stop and examine closely the part I play in the world, and it has made me question everything I do and think.
And that’s how I arrived at this transition in my life, from what was known as GroovyKids Yoga to this;
Allthekids Yoga
I came to understand that Groovy is a concept that was hard to grasp, not enough of us really knew what groovy was or is, my explanations fell short. We’ve had Rainbow Kids and Indigo Kids and Happy Kids and Cosmic Kids and GroovyKids and all I want to do is teach All the kids. Every single one who wants to join in. And so I came to start my new endeavor.
Who is it for? All the kids. Every one who wants to move and be more aware of their body and its functions.
Lewes, Delaware at the exceptional Dimitra Yoga
Right from the start I saw that movement, without creating a competition or rewarding one student more than another was crucial to the dynamic of the class. Children are undoubtedly more sensitive than adults, not only at the surface level but actually in their nervous systems, the direct connection to the brain.
The first hashtag I used was #movetolearntogrow because science has proven that movement can make the brain grow, it makes learning easier and more fun! So I base my trainings around the need for simple movement. I call movement a Universal language since words aren’t necessary for it to work! Coming up with. a 45 minute routine that involves brain development techniques that many of us are already familiar with, I added classical yoga poses and put them together in. a fun and dynamic way. This forms the backbone of everything. Yoga is literally a verb, an action, a state of being. This is as true today as it was in 2004 in. my very first kids yoga class. Kids love action, and they don’t like talking and. reasoning so much
From Norway to Vietnam, from Japan to Bahrain, from England and Switzerland to the USA, kids have continually demonstrated and taught me that movement solves a whole lot of problems. And yet, people still say they can’t do yoga because they’re not flexible.
“Flexibility and strength are not skills. Yoga means to be present. Due to the temporary nature of time as lateral, we can no more be “good” at yoga than we can be “bad” at it. This means the existence. of competition in the yoga room is the end of yoga. Being. present isn’t a skill, rather it’s a choice we make moment by moment. We literally keep having to start again in a new moment.
”
The kids from 96th. Elementary in Watts, CA with. their Christmas gifts!
So Allthekids Yoga is a natural evolution. I’m fiercely proud of what we have all created in the world and it’s led me to realize that in the story of the butterfly, I am only now in the cocoon stage. I’ve taken everything I know, from the 17 years experience of teaching kids from all over, added in some more movement and games, honed it with some easy chants, some calming and energizing breath techniques and off we go into the future.
The point of yoga is connection, wether to an internal senses of who we are or to simply feel part fo something larger than ourselves. Yoga brings us together with others of a like mind, a desire for greater vitality and health. The recent pandemic has shown how tenuous our bonds are, how easily broken. and when we are removed from each others company, we all suffer. Yoga is an antidote, a healing, a different way. We don’t have to stay broken, to suffer more, in fact, yoga opens the door to greater wellbeing and a wholistic sense that includes the body, mind and beyond. It’s time for yoga, yoga is now.
“Be yourself, everyone else is taken. ”
Shimoda, Shizuoka in Japan. The two ladies in front are two of the first graduates in 2006, the young man top right was one of the first international students. We all met in 2006 and the photo is from 2015.
Is it possible to learn to teach Kids Yoga in one weekend? Yes, it’s a great start. Truthfully though, it takes a lifetime, I have learned more from the kids than they from me. Teaching Kids Yoga has been the greatest gift life has given me, it keeps on giving. If you’re a parent or an educator of some kind, or just someone who’s spent time with kids, I believe you have had a similar experience.
So, while the name may be different, the core of the teaching remains. Kids Yoga is about relationship, about wether the group leader can trust the process of allowing kids to be themselves. That’s really scary and equally vital. We cannot have a different society without changing the way we think and view ourselves and those around us, be it our household members or someone thousands of miles away.
“Giving and receiving are not separate. How I treat you is how I treat me. You are my friend. ”