Customer Reviews

Yoga Calm for Children: Educating Heart, Mind, and Body

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The Gillen's have figured it out. Our children are under a lot of stress - school, work, sports, families, friends -- our young people are over-scheduled, over-stimulated and overwhelmed.

Their combined years of teaching yoga (Jim) and working with children (Lynea) has produced a terrific collaboration that works to help our kids find new mental and physical strength and provide new-found control over their lives. They have taught kids and teenagers the keys to restoring balance (both physical and mental!), building social skills and creating life-long fitness habits that are so often lacking at this age.

This book supports and supplements their workshops that teach these skills to our young people directly and, more importantly, they teach our teachers how to help our children in the school setting.

Whether you have kids that need your help, or just want to start building a lifelong habit of the positive effects of Yoga - this is the book for you. Both adults and children can benefit from the lessons they teach.

As an Occupational Therapist working in elementary schools, much of my work is helping students find ways to manage their own energy levels and increase their ability to pay attention in class. I have found that using the techniques described in Yoga Calm for Children, especially the breathing and calming strategies, students are discovering what it feels like to be focused, centered and able to concentrate on their school work. They enjoy the challenge of the balance poses. I have just begun going into preschool through 5th grade classrooms to do 15 minutes of yoga poses, breathing and positive visualization. Students and teachers appreciate the movement breaks and centering exercises. I use Yoga Calm for Children as my reference: it is quick, easy to use and stimulates my own ideas for activities. The exercises described in the book are a wonderful way to honor children and set a positive tone in the classroom. Thanks to Jim and Lynea Gillen for creating such a timely and much needed reference!

This book is a great way to let children learn through activity using mind and body together in an easy and practical way. Anyone can use these activities in the book. It's written in a way that is easy to read and has lesson ideas that are easy to apply right away with kids. It's a great way to learn about YogaCalm, especially if you haven't had the chance to take their workshops, which are amazing! I am a school counselor and use this program on a daily basis in elementary schools (in a very conservative community) where the kids and parents both love it.

I've been practicing yoga off and on for years and have appreciated all of it's healing benefits for my mind and body. The emotional boost I feel afterwards is a great reminder of how important it is to have a wellness habit. So when I was given the opportunity to attend a yoga workshop aimed at helping children, I got my yoga mat ready!

Within the first hour of the workshop I began asking myself, 'How have I been working with kids for so many years and not discovered the power of using yoga as a strategy to emotionally strengthen children??' Over the course of the day, we learned how to combine simple yoga with effective counseling techniques to use in small groups or classrooms. There were so many 'a ha' moments I thought I might explode. I've been teaching kids how to breathe and get calm for years....counting to 10..taking breaks...blah blah blah. Apparently, I've been missing a few ingredients for a true calmness recipe. One of my favorite breathing techniques was -Volcano Breath (it's all in the book).

I returned to school today and did an activity called, The Mindful Walk with a 3rd grade class. Of course I had a few kiddos thinking this was silly time. But within minutes we were all walking peacefully around the classroom counting our breathing and clearing our minds for positive thinking. Afterwards, a student who often suffers from frustration asked me if they could come to my office during recess to practice the calm breathing. Um, how cool is that!?

Yoga Calm is a wonderful resource that enhances social/emotional skill building, breathing techniques, and simple EASY yoga poses. We all know how important movement is to help students in the classroom environment. Incorporating yoga into schools is a total NO brainer. I'm going to continue my journey and hopefully work on being a Yoga Calm certified instructor in the fall. It's that good!

Yoga Calm for Children is one practical resource! The book continually provides actual things you can do RIGHT NOW with children, to help them focus, be more grounded, feel confident in themselves, and relate with the world in a positive manner. Jim and Lynea have proven their techniques to be successful, through their own experiences with children. Read even a little of this book, and you already have options and approaches to try, in whatever setting you are in. The bonus is that you get to also do these poses and exercises yourself! In this challenging world, we all need tools like Yoga Calm, to use in our daily lives, with children and also with other adults. I have brought Yoga Calm into my art classes, and it has helped all of us focus, feel grounded, and more confident to meet the day with inner strength.

The Gillen's have outdone themselves with this great new resource. Yoga is a great way to unwind, and regain balance for adults. They apply the same principles for children.

It's a step by step book so teachers, counselors, parents, whoever works with children can help children reap the benefits yoga provides.

Highly recommend adding this book to your collection!