Creative Yoga!

A fun and active integration of yoga and creative movement practices to empower children to live happy, healthy lives.

I am a member of the PVG scheme.

Creative Yoga incorporates the practices of yoga such as postures, meditation and relaxation with the complementary expressive exercises of creative movement, music and storytelling. These include group and partner exercises that are fun, creative and involve the use of music and rhythm.

Hayley draws upon a wealth of experience teaching yoga and movement in Schools throughout the UK and Internationally for many years!

Creative Yoga:

Breathing exercises improve concentration and energy levels.
Relaxation techniques calm and clear the mind, promoting memory retention.
Postures to help revitalise energy levels and release tension as well as increase coordination, balance and body connection.
Supports children to enjoy movement and exercise.
Encourages time away from the computer / desk and supports the childs natural flexibility.
Yoga postures offer structure while creative movement offers space for free form movement, encouraging body awareness, creativity and self expression.
Improves self-confidence through vocalisation techniques, postures and group / partner exercises that are designed to release day to day anxieties and promote healthy communication and relating.
Creative Yoga is a complete form of exercise in a safe and non-competitive environment.
Promotes healthy sleeping patterns and allows children to explore their intuitive nature and spirituality.
Above all Creative Yoga is FUN and INSPIRING!

Youth Yoga Program

The Youth Yoga Program is a Yoga Education Program for Children and Teens. Classes are taught in a fun and relaxed environment, which allows the participants to develop confidence on physical, emotional, mental and creative levels.

Each class can consist of the following activities depending on age and level.

Yoga Postures to improve strength, flexibility, coordination, balance, spatial awareness, concentration, health and well being.

Breathing Techniques to balance and improve the function of internal organs and the nervous system.

Rhymes, Songs and Sounds to complement physical activity and increase listening skills.

Props to complement the class activities.

Games to stimulate coordination, balance, movement skills and teamwork.

Relaxation Time to lower stress levels and increase calmness.

Partner Yoga may be used in some of the classes to develop sharing and cooperation.

The classes give opportunities that offer depth and challenge each individual on many levels, planting the seeds for a sustainable practice that can help to maintain inner strength, health and well being in those who take part.

All in all, the yoga classes are aimed to enhance innate qualities such as confidence, creativity, respect for self and others, motivation, awareness and compassion in children and teens.

The Youth Yoga Program works with children from age 3 upwards in the following levels.

WeeYogi’s Ages 3-5 (pre-school)

WeeYogi’s is aimed at pre-school and nursery children. The classes are based around story telling with yoga postures weaved into the stories. This allows the creative imagination of the child to be brought to life in a class that feels like play. Focus is not so much on perfection in the postures, but on having fun. Song and Dance can be incorporated into the stories to add further breadth to the practice.

YogaGems Ages 5-7 yrs, (P1 – P3)

Similar to WeeYogi’s at the pre-school level, YogaGems is weaved around story telling. The difference comes in the way the story is delivered, that is more appropriate to the age of the children. Perhaps different warm up and cool down practices would be used. Again, song and dance may be used.

YogaStars Ages 8-12yrs, (P4-P7)

YogaFun is aimed towards children aged 8 – 12. The classes tend to be more thematic or project based. For example, we may use yoga practices to explore the elements, bringing a little yogic philosophy into the class and creating a project that expands over the weeks. Partner Yoga can be used in these classes for fun and working with others. This is the time where short, creative meditations may come in to play in the class with time for reflection and relaxation.

YogaTeens Age 13+

YogaTeens is a wonderful practice for teens aged 13+. Here, we begin to move the classes more towards what may be experienced in an adult yoga class. This lessens the gap when a teenager may decide to continue yoga in their own time.

More complex themes can be introduced that can help to develop deeper cultural awareness and self awareness, respect for others and the motivation to become a more responsible citizen. Partner Yoga and cooperation games may be used to enhance the ability to work with others, loosen up and have fun. YogaTeens is fantastic for teenagers to learn to relax and relieve stress for exams and the other pressures of life in these awkward years!