Playful Yoga and Relaxation through Stories and Visualisation

Yoga promotes wellbeing, strengthens body and mind, improves co-ordination and flexibility and enhances breath awareness and relaxation.  Although yoga appears to be about the body, it is about the whole child - mind, emotions and spirit.

This workshop introduces Yoga poses (asanas) that are developmentally appropriate to build a varied movement repertoire in a playful way.  Through stories, beat activities, songs and games, children are encouraged to learn balance, flexibility and focus. 

Relaxation, visualisation and breath awareness are included, drawing on a range of traditional approaches including Hatha, Iyengar and Dru Yoga.

Covered in this workshop:

• fun warm up activities
• poses (asanas) for strength, balance and co-ordination
• breath awareness
• linking poses through stories
• progressive relaxation
• visualisation

The workshop will look at movements that use the extremities:  feet, eyes and hands.  Asanas are also introduced in a fun based way through mimicking animals and birds, e.g., using various asanas in sequence:  dog pose, cat pose, tiger pose, camel pose, cobra pose.  Linking the various poses to stories and/or sequences makes them entertaining as well as easy to remember.

This workshop is presented by specialist Early Childhood Presenters, Gary and Carol Crees.

Gary Crees, B.A., Dip.Ed. (Syd), Dip.Lib. Sc., Cert. Somatic Therapy, is a musician with twenty years of experience in performing and also writing, arranging and recording children’s music.  He has specialised in sound therapy and bodywork, and enjoys encouraging Early Childhood teachers to gain confidence with singing and how young children learn to sing.  Gary is an experienced presenter in the Orff Schulwerk music education approach, which supports the concepts of emergent curriculum.

Carol Crees, B.A., B.Soc. Sc., M.E.Ch, Dip.Ed. (Syd), combines academic pursuits with interests in singing, folk dance, yoga and other modalities - aspects of which are incorporated in her workshops and early childhood musical resources.

Gary and Carol have presented at conferences and inservice training throughout Australia and have been studying wellbeing practices, including yoga, somatics, remedial massage, bodywork and martial arts for over 15 years.

Gary is currently completing the Dru Yoga Teacher Training course.  He has also trained in Somatics and related therapies which, like yoga, see the mind and body as interconnected rather than separate.  Together, Gary and Carol draw on a range of approaches including Hatha, Iengar and Dru Yoga, Somatics and Qigong.

The course is conducted over a 2.5 hour period.  Course content and light refreshments are included.  The cost includes GST.