Halloween Party & Dance Yoga – Banghara Style
November 3, 2008 by Aruna Kathy Humphrys
Filed under Lesson Plans, Resources
Can life get better than teaching kids yoga on Halloween?!
To celebrate the harvest, Halloween, Diwali, and all the holidays of this season I want to show how you can have a little celebratory fun in your kids classes – Bangra Style.
I hesitate to call it work, because when it is a passion the time flies by. I think it is more like running a marathon – exhilarating, very focused, yet tiring.
Originally I was trained in Kundalini Yoga as taught by Yogi Bhajan and if you go to the big retreats (summer solstice/winter solstice/France Yoga Festival) you are sure to have a great time. There is usually at least one point in the week where everyone dances.
After the meditation was done, Yogi Bhajan used to get everyone up to dance – and the tradition continues.
That means every muscle, every nerve and
every meridian point in the whole body from toe to top moves.
I had to introduce this because I never want
to see people sick and getting old.”
So this week in yoga class we did Bangara Dance and the kids loved it. By the way – so did the teachers – everyone was shaking and moving.
First I taught them some of the basic bangara dance moves. Then I put on one of my favorite song and we danced. It was a great release and kids love it.
www.YoungYogaMasters.com
© K. Humphrys
A great way to use dance in kids classes i have found, it to shake & freeze … play musical yoga mats, or freeze yoga, all great games which involve dancing stretching and posing!
I look forward to checking out this video ~ I often use dance in my kids classes and Im always looking for new ways to incorporate!
I love doing the one that is presented on FitTV! Love to get the Bollywood version though, so I can see if dear daughter (2 1/2) likes this better than Shiva Rea.
She tells me, “Mommy no Yoga!” What is up with that? (Of course, Shiva Rea’s Yoga and my yoga are quite different….she still likes to jump on my back during plank, and go under me during down dog….can’t get any upper body strength work done….)
Hey I took a fitness test at my “Y” last week. When I first restarted doing yoga back in 2001, I could only do 1 push up. At the end of 3 months, going 3 times a week, I could 19 push ups. Last week, I could do 25….I don’t know if that is improvement or not, but I’ll take it!
gaileee