Welcome to my classroom of 28 yoga mats
I’m sitting in my yoga studio – aka my classroom reflecting on my week. Reminders of the activities are all over the room: little feet prints on the wall, mats are out of order on the floor and the scent of lemon and orange oil linger in the room. I am ready to go home but ready to come back with new ideas.
I reflect on this week’s wins – children worked together, a kindergartner created his own yoga poses and a second grader lead the mindful breathing exercise. Every day is different and brings its own challenges and successes. Over time, I realized that it’s through these challenges and successes that I witness the power of yoga in the lives of my students and in mine. Welcome to my day of teaching and welcome to Mosaic Kids Yoga!
THE BEGINNING
Teaching yoga has always been a calling of mine, and Mosaic is the extension of my passion! I’m Jodi and I’m extremely excited to share with you my story and my support for those of you who are curious about the world of children’s yoga. My first memory of yoga takes place when I was about four years old. I remember practicing alongside my pregnant mother to a yoga show on PBS called “Lilias, Yoga and Me.” I distinctly remember the joy I had moving around and stretching on the floor alongside my mom.
Me and my Mom -I’m a bit older than 4 years old but you get the idea
It would be many years later when I would be re-introduced to yoga. To relieve my work-related stresses, as well as the accompanying physical pain and anxiety, my doctor “prescribed” me to take yoga before considering any pharmaceutical options. Similar to when I was four, I remember the release of emotion I felt as I practiced. I rediscovered mental peace. I felt empowered to make different choices about how I cared for my mental, emotional, and physical well-being.
After this experience, I knew immediately that I wanted to teach yoga to others. So, in 2016, I completed my 200-hour yoga teacher training and the rest is history.
THEORY OF CHANGE
My initial “why,” or theory of change for teaching yoga, was that if I could reach the adults, I could impact a whole family in a positive way. And if I could impact a family, I could impact a community and ultimately a city, and why stop there?
It was a close friend of mine, who was both an elementary school teacher and a yoga instructor, who suggested that I apply for a job to teach yoga at her school. Like many new yoga teachers, I primarily taught adults. I didn’t consider teaching yoga to kids as a sustainable career path. I heard from other yoga teachers about the challenges they faced while teaching children’s yoga at school. Because of the stories, I quickly recognized the burnout these teachers faced.
Naturally, I was resistant at first, but the wise words of the Dalai Lama rang in my ear: “If every 8-year old in the world is taught meditation, we will eliminate violence from the world within one generation” opened my eyes. If I could teach a child to pause for a moment and make different choices, a parent will take notice and perhaps follow suit. Transform the child, impact the family, change a community, and transform the city. My new theory of change made much more sense and gave me clarity. I was ready for the challenge.
THE SEEDS OF MOSAIC
Some of my favorite little yogis
Today, I teach about 600 kids and hold 30 classes a week in addition to five adult classes. Over the past three years, I have taught over 2,000 yoga classes.
Let’s be honest, even with all of my yoga certifications and training, my first year of teaching was tough. I had a serious learning curve to overcome. The pressures to create several grade-appropriate yoga lesson plans, adapt to a longer teaching schedule and manage classroom behaviors were very intense and foreign to me. Not only did I have to acclimate to this new setting and tend to the needs of my students, but I also had to be extra mindful of my own physical and emotional health.
There were moments when I cried in frustration. There were moments where I felt the pressure to instantly show how yoga could help kids. I had the passion to teach yoga, but I was unsure whether I would ever be “good enough.” Fortunately, those emotions and experiences weren’t in vain. It was out of those vulnerable moments that the seeds for Mosaic Kids Yoga were planted!
COME BACK AND STAY IN TOUCH
I want to take a little break now to arrange my mats before the day ends. Again, welcome to my story. I’ll be back with Part 2 of what Mosaic Kids Yoga means and what’s my goals for this blog.
In the meantime, if you are interested in you can become a kids yoga teacher, feel to drop me a message in my “contact” section or if you are a teacher and looking for creative and culturally-inspired themes and ideas for your lessons, click here for your free 101 themes and idea calendar PDF!
Namaste!
