Frequently Asked Questions

Lisa Flynn, the founder of ChildLight Yoga and Yoga 4 Classrooms, developed the most well-respected children’s yoga teacher trainings in the world. Her original training manual has been touted as ‘the bible of kids’ yoga’, inspiring and empowering adults to share the gifts of yoga with the children in their lives. She is a recognized leader in the kids’ yoga movement and school yoga movement, has authored two published books on the topic of yoga for children, and is highly sought speaker and presenter at professional, education, school counseling and yoga related conferences around the country.

On October 1, 2019, longtime Director of Trainings, Sally Delisle, and Marketing Director, Megan Morris, were invited to pick up the reins, creating ChildLight Education Company with the intention of broadening the scope of offerings. Working side-by-side as yogis and business colleagues, along with a knowledgeable team, they tirelessly continue to cultivate successful training programs for the ChildLight community.  As of 2022 ChildLight has grown from the initial 17-hour training to offering over 470 hours of trainings and workshops with an unlimited number of additional classes!

Our trainers are all E-RYTs (credentialed through Yoga Alliance as Experienced Registered Yoga Teachers) with a combined total of over 120 years experience teaching yoga to children. Additionally, our professional backgrounds include education, psychology, doula services, special education, recreational therapy, law, library science, nutrition, business, marketing, fitness, as well as studying and teaching various styles of yoga. We are also parents and baby, kids, special needs, teen yoga teachers who continue to learn and practice everyday what we share in our trainings. Meet our trainers: Sally Delisle, Megan Ridge Morris, Meg Durkin Vyas, Ann Biese, Rochelle Jewell, Larissa Noto and Colleen Smith here.

Traveling to you is what we do! This may currently take place in a virtual format. Please complete our Partner With Us Application to discuss options.

With the basics, of course! The Yoga & Mindfulness for Children Teacher Training and certification gives you all of the tools to get started. You will leave with knowledge of child development, breathing, mindfulness and movement techniques, games, songs, planning, and even business tips!

You will find our trainings offer many ideas, exercises, games, and songs which can be modified to incorporate into your work. If you are seeking additional, specialized training for working with people with diverse abilities, we offer ChildLight Yoga & Mindfulness for Diverse Abilities Teacher Training.

Our trainings are definitely active at times. However, yoga is about meeting yourself where you are and modifying as needed.  We have had many participants attend who are pregnant, are recovering from shoulder surgery, etc. and are simply directed to modify as necessary. If you need assistance or modifications please let your instructor know, or feel free to email our Director of Trainings with any questions.  Your health and well-being are important to us!

The majority of our trainings equal 18 contact hours typically beginning on a Friday evening and ending on a Sunday, though there are exceptions.  Please check the details for your specific training regarding training description, locations, dates and specific hours.  Optional non-contact hours will be discussed at the completion of all training weekends should you decide to complete the certification process.

Please see our Scholarships page and Group Discounts page for details.

Below, you will find Recommended Reading Lists for Teacher Trainees. Of course, the better prepared you are for this intensive, abbreviated training, the more you will gain from the experience!

* These are merely suggested and not required; no need to bring them to the training.

Yoga & Mindfulness for Children Suggested Reading List:
Yoga for Children by Lisa Flynn
Yoga for Children–Yoga Cards: 50+ Yoga Poses and Mindfulness Activities for Healthier, More Resilient Kids by Lisa Flynn
Yoga 4 Classrooms Card Deck by Lisa Flynn
Yoga Kids: Educating the Whole Child Through Yoga by Marsha Wenig
Starbright – Meditations for Children by Maureen Garth
Yoga Pretzels Card Deck: 50 Fun Yoga Activities for Kids & Grownups by Tara Guber, et al.
Ready…Set…R.E.L.A.X. by Jeffrey Allen & Roger Klein

Yoga & Mindfulness: Advanced Teaching Concepts Suggested Reading List:
Imaginations by Carolyn Clarke
I Love Dirt! 52 Activities to Help You and Your Kids Discover the Wonders of Nature by Jennifer Ward
Let’s Go Outside! by Jennifer Ward (A follow-up to I Love Dirt! appropriate for the 8-12-year-old)
Yamas and Niyamas by Deborah Adele
Human Anatomy Coloring Book by Margaret Matt

Yoga & Mindfulness in Schools Suggested Reading List:
Yoga 4 Classrooms Card Deck by Lisa Flynn
Best Practices for Yoga in Schools released by Yoga Service Council

Yoga for Babies & Toddlers Suggested Reading List:
Baby Steps: A Guide to Your Child’s Social, Physical, and Emotional Development in the First Two Years by Claire Kopp
Itsy Bitsy Yoga by Helen Garbedian
Itsy Bitsy Yoga for Toddlers and Preschoolers by Helen Garabedian
Positive Discipline: The First Three Years by Jane Nelsen
Yoga Mom, Buddha Baby: The Yoga Workout for New Moms by Jyothi Larson

Yoga & Mindfulness for Tweens and Teens Suggested Reading List:
How to Talk so Teens Will Listen by Adele Faber
Brainstorm, the Power and Purpose of the Teenage Brain by Daniel J Seigel
Building Resilience in Children and Teens by Kenneth R. Ginsburg
Yoga Exercises for Teens: Developing a Calmer Mind and a Stronger Body by Helen Purperhart
Teens Ask Deepak: All the Right Questions by Deepak Chopra
The body image workbook for teens by Julia V. Taylor, MA

Yoga & Mindfulness for Diverse Abilities Suggested Reading List:
Overcoming Trauma through Yoga by David Emerson and Elizabeth Hopper PhD
Yamas and Niyamas by Deborah Adele
The Power of Different by Gail Saltz, M.D.
What Color is Monday? by Carrie Cariello
Born on a Blue Day: Inside the Extraordinary Mind of an Autistic Savant by Daniel Tammer

Prenatal Yoga Teacher Training Suggested Reading List:
Meditations from the Mat by Rolf Gates
The Birth Partner by Penny Simkin
Guide to Childbirth by Ina May Gaskin

Many suggested props and resources can be purchased at your local bookstore or online.

• Yoga & Mindfulness for Children:  If you are attending our Yoga & Mindfulness for Children foundational training, everything you need to know is mentioned above!
• Yoga & Mindfulness for Children: Advanced Teaching Concepts Training:  If you are attending the Advanced Level training, please prepare and bring an original 30-minute lesson plan along with your favorite compact props, music, etc.  Attending this back-to-back with the foundational training? No worries.  You will acquire lesson planning skills along the way.
• Yoga for Babies & Toddlers Teacher Training:  If you are attending a Baby & Toddler Training, you are required to bring a soft-bodied, infant-sized doll (approximately 18-20 inches long), ideally weighted in the middle but otherwise soft. Plastic arms and legs are fine. The following type of dolls meet the suggested criteria:  JC Toys 20” La Baby and The JC Toys Lots to Cuddle line of dolls is similar and comes in several skin tones. It is not necessary to purchase a new doll if you already have one or are able to recycle one from a friend!
• Prenatal Yoga Teacher Training: If you are attending a Prenatal Yoga Teacher Training, you are invited to bring a pillow or sweater to wear under your shirt for yoga practices.

Yes! We will send you a detailed email several days prior to the start of your training. Please be sure we have your correct contact information on file when you register and notify us immediately of any changes. If you have questions please contact our Director of Trainings.

There are many reasons why we no longer provide hard copies of our manuals:

• In most cases it is more cost-effective for students to print than for ChildLight to print and charge for our time, the print cost and shipping especially for people that live outside of the US. 
• It slows down the time between purchasing a training and starting the learning process.
• Since 2016 we have worked toward becoming greener by reducing our carbon footprint which includes less travel, less paper, and less waste resulting in reduced tuition costs for our community. 
• We are consistently updating our materials. A digital format enables us to stay current without piles of outdated printed content. 

It is our commitment to ourselves and YOU to live a yogic lifestyle which includes being of service. Should you need assistance printing a manual or learning how to split your computer screen to “watch and read” we can certainly help! 

• The letters stand for “Registered Children’s Yoga Teacher” and can come after your name on your business cards, website, emails and any professional materials that you share with the public. This designation lets your audience know that you take your yoga education seriously and you’ve gone above and beyond to learn as much as possible about teaching yoga to children.
• Member perks with the Yoga Alliance, including discounts on hotels, rental cars, yoga clothes and more, plus access to webinars on how to grow your yoga business.
• A listing on the Yoga Alliance National Directory of RCYT instructors so that you are searchable by city and state for anyone looking for a knowledgeable and credible children’s yoga instructor.
• A listing on the ChildLight Education Company website as someone who graduated from our 95-hr program, which may include a graduate interview spotlight on our blog that is continuously shared with our community of over 10,000 on Facebook, over 1,000 followers on Instagram and 13,000 subscribers to our newsletter.
• Ongoing support from ChildLight Education Company, including mentorship and teaching opportunities shared exclusively with our 95-hr grads.

No, but you may find once you get started you are so inspired you can’t stop! Yoga teachers registered with Yoga Alliance as a 200Hr RYT are able to earn the children’s yoga teacher specialty designation of Registered Children’s Yoga Teacher (RCYT) by completing ChildLight’s 95 hr. Children’s Yoga Teacher Training Program. We have created a flexible format which allows you to attend one module at a time online.

Many participants start out teaching yoga to children and are then inspired to deepen their study of yoga by attending a 200-Hour training. You do, however, need to be a RYT in order to apply for the RCYT designation through the Yoga Alliance. Which you complete first is up to you.

Should you wish to apply for the designation of Registered Children’s Yoga Teacher through the Yoga Alliance their website states: “Teachers can register as a RCYT if they have successfully completed both a 200-hour yoga teacher training program and a 95-hour children’s yoga training—in either order—that are registered with Yoga Alliance. Applicants must submit 30 teaching hours in children’s yoga which must be performed after completing a program with a RCYS (Registered Children’s Yoga School).” Due to Yoga Alliance standards, we have placed a three-year time limit on completion of the 95-hour program, beginning on the date of your enrollment.

Should you decide to complete the 95 hour program you have three years to do so. It is not required to have a 200 hour training in order to teach yoga to children or to complete a 95 hour program. However, the Yoga Alliance requires everyone to have a 200 hour training in order to become a member of their organization. This is optional.

There are three options:

– A 200 hour training to teach adults (RYT)+ 95 hour program to teach children (RCYT)
– A 200 hour training to teach adults only (RYT)
– A 95 hour program to teach children only (CYT, unable to register through Yoga Alliance, however an expert children’s yoga teacher through us, a Registered Children’s Yoga School that is recognized by the Yoga Alliance)

ChildLight Education Company has been offering quality teacher trainings for children’s yoga programming for over ten years. We will continue to maintain our high standards, which may result in giving you even more training than is required by the Yoga Alliance Organization.

Anywhere!  Some training participants go on to teach in yoga studios, community centers, preschools, childcare centers, after school programs, gyms, YMCAs, or libraries.  If you an educator or other school-based professional interested in integrating yoga and mindfulness in the classroom/school day, we invite you to learn about our school yoga affiliate, Yoga 4 Classrooms.