I have been thinking a lot about how my Yogalore classes are going to be this year with having to take COVID precautions in the classroom. No matter what I think of, I am sure there will be 10 things I don’t think of until I’m right there in the middle of it. I want my students to be safe while also teaching them yoga and giving them some emotional tools that can help them in a variety of situations. Challenging? Yes. Impossible? No.
I am fortunate to have a large empty room to teach yoga. This means socially distancing is not going to be tricky. We use yoga dots (circles I cut out of yoga mats) which give the children a defined space that is their own. This year each child is fortunate enough to have their very own yoga dot, which will be kept in their classroom and cleaned and disinfected regularly. Teachers may find these dots are helpful in other situations as well, especially with social distancing being an integral part of activities when possible.
we can easily adjust to make sure the kids are social distancing. These are our yoga dots.
In Yogalore we have sensory centers for part of class time, which we will be suspending for the time being. Small groups of small children with little fingers all over the same things in close proximity, probably isn’t a great idea. While I will be sad about this, I know it’s necessary.
This year teachers across the globe will be focusing more on social emotional learning, making sure students are managing okay while also making sure they themselves are managing okay. Yoga is no exception and honestly I can’t think of a better activity for our children and teachers during this time.
The focus in our Yogalore classes this year will shift a little. We will be learning more about mindfulness, expressing our feelings, how to Rest & Relax, and being able to enjoy the moment. We will slow the pace of our classes a bit and talk a bit more while we get our yoga on. We will focus more on friends and how we can effectively and safely interact with our friends.
Each child will have their own eye pillow (SO EXCITED ABOUT THIS!) and calming bottle for Rest & Relax. Being able to calm, de-stress, unwind, and let go of the worry are all very important life skills and this is the perfect time to improve on those skills.
I really am looking forward to this year. COVID precautions in the classroom will not stop us from our yoga practice. I know it will be vastly different and not always go as planned, but we will get through it together and figure it out.
