There were 18 children in the class at Columbine Elementary yesterday. This school is 89 percent Hispanic, oddly enough, since it is in the middle of Boulder, within a neighborhood where houses easily start at $450,000. I suspect the Anglo parents ship their children off to another school and I feel that this open enrollment policy with Boulder Public Schools destroys diversity, encourages racism and undermines all children's learning. I never knew segregation was alive and well in the United States.
But the children were eager to learn yoga, and again I teach to these children in service. Using the theme again of the Hero's Journey, i teach them that yoga is a journey to the self, to find that union within. The children love the puppets i use, especially Mr. Bones, the small skeleton who encourages drinking water and eating healthy foods. And of course the pirate, Jean-Jaques JeuneGens, sets the tone for the story and is a philosophy lover. A child asked, "What is Philosophy?" and I replied, "the love of knowledge and wisdom." Such smart little children. I love watching them do the poses and get into their bodies, they are so flexible in upward bow pose, and it was a joy to help those up who never have done it before. We practiced meditation, of breathing deeply and then a visualization of bring a tree. The exhalation sinks our roots deep into the earth, grounding us, helping us to control our bodies and be still. Then the in breath makes our trunk and branches expand. They visualized thousands of tiny leaves shimmering in the wind, and I urged them to make those thousand of leaves become very still. I use a bell to remind them to stay in the moment, to feel their bodies and breath moving in and out, in and out and to see the leaves perfectly still. THey did well in shavasana, although it took the reminder that the most still will be rewarded with ringing the bell to bring the group out of relaxation, and that helped a lot!
I will continue teaching the theme of non-violence and peace using heart opening poses.
Lalita the Marequite lady bug puppet was very useful in reminding children of the rules of conduct in the class. These children were especially talkative and interuptive. Perhaps because it was such a large group.
Love and peace,
Sydney Solis
www.StorytimeYoga.com

I have a bipolar child in one of my classes, and I have been focusing on awarness with him and the other children. To use the breath to be completely here and now and in control, so that we can make our dreams come true.
I asked children at the beginning of the class series, what they wanted most in the world. Some said to have all the food in the world, another to fly, another to live in California. I tell them that we have the ability to make all our dreams come true, if we follow the disicpline of yoga. The discipline requires that we get our minds into harmony with our body, which in turn gets into harmony with the environment. And we do that with the breath. I help the children realize that their minds are like monkeys, and with a big breath we inhale our arms up over our heads and put a leash on our monkey, then bring our hands down in anjali mudra into our hearts and are perfectly still as we exhale. Otherwise, our monkeys escape with our energy, and it's too scattered to make our dreams come true. We want to be like a tree, big and powerful, with all its energy contained in itself.
I started with relaxation first, using a child friendly version of yoga nidra, and told them the native american story of Jumping Mouse. We acted the story out afterwards, and I emphasized that we are all like jumping mouse, from a tiny mouse, but willing to take great risk to find the sacred mountains, our true selves. It takes courage, faith, strength and more to shed the "mouse" mind and be transformed through sacrifice into the eagle. I had them become aware that they are a different person from when they started class, and now that they are finished with clas, they have transformed through yoga.
love and peace,
sydney solis
www.StorytimeYoga.com

On Monday I taught my first after school class at Creekside Elementary where my children attend. I have spent many years teaching children's yoga classes, but it was that day that I had an ephiphany of why I teach.
Teaching through the Wellness Initiative, a non-profit organization devoted to providing nutrition and yoga education to children, I passed out a sheet with questions pertaining to the children's lives. One question was what were some of the challenges in these 3-5th graders lives. Many said stress, homework, etc. And when I asked about how the home life was, one young man said, "rough."
I continued to tell the class a story about my childhood. How "rough" it was with an abusive mother and sick father. That our family was poor and that there wasn't a lot of hope. However, it was yoga that got me through. As a young girl, my father gave me books on yoga that always gave me hope that within me, I had the power to change my circumstances. I taught them that this whole universe is our creation, and it's our choice to make it better and into anything we want. I explained that yoga is a discipline, and that if followed, we can achieve our hearts desire.
That afternoon, my whole heart poured out to these children, who many are Hispanic or from low-income households. My worries about myself were shelved, as my greatest concern was to bring the tools of yoga and story to these children. For I realized that I am those children, and there was no greater satisfaction than to see these children performing yoga poses, feeling the strength, hope and power inside of them. Walking home from the school that afternoon after class, I felt that my life was full and satisfied, just in reaching and being with those children.
For that first class, I made up a story about the Hero's Journey, such as Mythologist Joseph Campbell teaches (www.jcf.org). That it was their journey into themeselves, to find that union, or yoga, within themeslves. There may be difficulties on the path, but there are always helpers along the way. And that doors will open to them that were never open before, just because they were following their hearts with courage. We did warrior poses and the triangle to mimic traveling. They came to a tree, did tree pose, and animals came and brought them a gift. Children made up what gift they received, and we added a yoga pose to it. It was a beautiful day of being with children. They are the future.
Namaste,
Sydney Solis
www.StorytimeYoga.com