• We start this challenge on June 16th 2014.
• The challenge ends on June 29th 2014.
• The kids have been given stars to hand over to parents.

When do kids earn stars:

• 1 star every day they practice Suryanamaskara 3 sets.
• 1 star per pose, if they teach a new yoga pose to someone. 
• Stars for acts of kindness. Every star here should include a written explanation of what the child did to deserve this. 

Kids Yoga Challenge

Name:

Age:

	MONDAY	TUESDAY	WEDNESDAY	THURSDAY	FRIDAY	SATURDAY	SUNDAY
SURYANAMASKARA WEEK 1
SURYANAMASKARA WEEK 2
TEACH A POSE (Pose Name)
ACTS OF KINDNESS

Day 4

We practiced at Reston library. We had reserved library but since it was closed we practiced outside in the courtyard and it was a lot of fun! We actually practiced suryanamaskara under 'Surya'/ Sun. The kids seem to have fun yesterday. We learnt Bow pose, half bridge pose, side angle poses, twisted side angle pose and caterpillar pose.

We also discussed our 'Kids Yoga Challenge' that starts next week.

Day 3

Today we practiced all 3 pranayama's and sun salutation 5 sets. We practiced Warrior I and Warrior II asanas and tried Warrior III and modified Warrior III poses. We practiced chair pose, camel pose, Gowmukhasana (Cow face poses).

No class this Saturday

As most kids have a run we will not be having tomorrow's class. I'll see you all on Sunday. We will make up for this class later.

Day 2

Today we had a fun class. Thank you to everyone who made it to class on time. We started sharp at 8:30am by starting with the 3 pranayama exercises followed by 5 sets of Suryanamskara.

This was followed by cakravakasana (box pose), extended box pose, cat and dog poses, camel pose, a variation of camel pose, eka pada rajakapotasana (half pigeon pose), variation of half pigeon or sleeping swan pose, dandasana followed by shavasana (rest pose).

We discussed the story behind veerabhadrasana I, II, III that we will practice next time. See you all next class.

Good job all!

Day 1

Today we discussed some basic guidelines that we follow when we practice yoga.
Do you remember them?

1. Every forward bend is followed by a ____ back bend.
2. Every exercise that we start with one side of our body, has to be repeated with the ____ other side to complete the set.
3. Every inhalation is followed by an ____ exhalation.
4. When we do lunges, our feet should be at ____ right angles with the ground to prevent injuries to our shins or ankles and knees.

What 3 Pranayama did we learn today?
1. Anulom Vilom : we inhale and exhale deeply with our chest not our tummy.
2. Kapalbharti : we perform rapid exhalations and feel it by keeping our hand on our tummy.
3. Bhastrika : we place our thumbs on ears, fore finger on forehead, middle and ring finger goes on our closed eyes near the nose and little finger is placed gently on cheeks. With lips closed we try to hum 'Om'.

Sun Salutations
We will always start with Pranayama followed by sun salutations for every class.

What other asanas did we learn today?

Rest asanas
1. Vajrasana : sitting pose
2. Child's pose : rest pose, variation of vajrasana
3. Shavasana : Dead man's pose or complete rest pose

Can you identify the following asanas?
1. Half lotus pose
2. Padmasana: Lotus pose
3. Bhujangasana: Cobra pose
4. Adho Mukho Svanasana : Down dog pose
5. Butterfly pose
6. Ardha Matsendraysan: Half lord of the fish pose (twist pose)
7. Vrikshasana : Tree pose (balance pose)

How many animal poses did we learn today? Can you count them?
If you answer 4 you are correct!

If you consider how many living things are named in the poses that you learned, will the count still be same? No. You will add Lotus and Tree poses to the count as plants and trees also have life.

Excellent class today kids! You all did very well!

First Class Details

First class - May 31^st, Saturday. 8.30am   

When

• Our plan is to do yoga twice a week for 5 weeks on Saturday and Sunday from 8.30am – 9:45am. 
•  Exercise time would be around 60 minutes. However we would like to hear from you. What do you think would be the best time? We will try to make it as convenient as possible. 

Location

Cafeteria, Mcnair Elementary School

Herndon 

What should you wear: 

• Wear Clothes that are both comfortable and made from breathable fabric (like cotton). 

What should you bring:

• Yoga Mat
• Towel (Optional)
• Water

Some general guidelines:

• Yoga is to be practiced on an empty stomach, allow 2 hours after a light meal,
  4 hours after a heavy meal.

• We can drink water during practice but in moderation. We can drink water to our hearts fill after the practice.

• Wear comfortable, modest clothes that allow you to move and breathe freely. Clothes should allow the instructor to see alignment. 

• No jewelry. Jewelry may get in the way of practice. Kids may even lose jewelry.

• Never overdo a stretch or strain for a pose. With practice and increased flexibility we will notice that it gets easier to practice asanas.

• Always go to the rest pose if you feel you are tired or want to take a break.

What we plan to do in our first class: 

• Discuss rules listed above.

• Introduce rest poses.

• Introduce Pranayam is an ancient practice concerned with breath control. Research has shown that practicing Pranayama can relieve symptoms of asthma. It is also beneficial in treating stress related disorders, such as anxiety and depression.

• Introduce Surya namaskar / Sun Salutation means a salute to the sun. It is a continuous series of 8 related Yoga postures, some done twice, in what totals 13 poses. It is designed to warm up your whole body and integrate the body, mind and breath. The Sun Salutation is a warm up or toning exercise and is considered the best of all Yoga exercises as it stretches, compresses, arches and reinforces all the major muscles of the body, as well as the digestive and respiratory organs. It also helps develop flexibility, strength, balance, concentration and focus. Sun Salutation is a great way to synchronize your breath and can be practiced twice a day.

• Every class will end with Shavasana followed by chanting 'Om' thrice.