Are you looking for a short yoga DVD to share with your child or your classroom? We found a great one! Yoga Calm’s Flying Eagle DVD inspires the imagination through yoga poses, breathing techniques, focusing techniques, and music….and it’s student led!
Are you looking for a short yoga DVD to share with your child or your classroom? We found a great one! Yoga Calm’s Flying Eagle DVD inspires the imagination through yoga poses, breathing techniques, focusing techniques, and music.
The entire DVD is about 30 minutes long, with the primary yoga class lasting for just over half that time, which is just right for children ages PreK-Grade 5. The most endearing feature of the class is that it is led by a child. The leader is great at giving directions, she encourages the other students to take the lead occasionally, and she continually asks the students to praise each other. These are impressive, subtle ways in which positive re-enforcement and social skills are demonstrated.
The class is built around the theme of the Eagle, and emphasizes our connection to nature through poses, visualization, and music. After warming up with a focused breathing technique, simple and repetitive yoga poses are woven throughout the leader’s narrative, often encouraging the children to visualize themselves as Eagles.
Some standout elements of the video include:
• A meditative exercise centered on the Eagle and the Grand Canyon.
• In another segment, a child performs her original song written about the Eagle. (Later, in an interview with the creators of the DVD, we learn that the whole DVD actually originated after the student presented them with the song after being inspired by one of their yoga classes!)
Other special features include:
• Informational video about Eagles
• Interview from creators of video who talk about the inspiration for the video, and about how yoga can positively affect the behavior of children (included for parents)
• Focusing activity- involves tossing a ball back and forth 10 times without dropping it. Best for a group, but suitable for two people as well
The best audience for this DVD is the K-5 age group. It keeps children’s attention and the length of yoga class is just long enough to really immerse children into the theme of the Eagle.
After using the DVD, my own son felt calm and refreshed, as the title promises. It also peaked his curiosity about Eagles and the Grand Canyon, so be prepared for your little person to request a search online for images and information when the DVD is over!
The poses are in the easy to moderate range of difficulty, providing comfort in the easier poses, and challenges in the slightly more advanced poses. The entire program is put together beautifully, from the setting to the class participants. The participants display a wide variety of body-types and ethnical diversity, which makes the concept of yoga approachable for any child.
Children, along with their parents and educators, will like the unique aspects of this DVD which make it stand out from a traditional yoga DVD. Yoga Calm Flying Eagle could be very useful for a parent or educator who is interested in settling bodies and focusing minds while presenting some education on the life and qualities of the wise, majestic Eagle.
For more information and to order this DVD, click here.
Cari Quater is a writer and longtime yogi and parent of two young yogis, students of ChildLight Yoga.
Yoga Calm is a leader in the field of yoga and mindfulness education for children. For more information about the work of Yoga Calm, visit www.yogacalm.org.