Tater Tot Yoga Part 2 & Real Life Experience
The second day the workshop was held on, Mother Nature was nice and gave such a glorious day. The drive up in the morning after my 8:30am yoga class was just beautiful. I did get there way too early, which allowed me to walk around a little. Unfortunately, the craft fair i saw the day before was only that single day. Guilford is a cute little town. Ever saw the show Gilmore Girls? The green park in the center and little shops and home surrounding it? Yeah, well that is Guilford, just add a ton of bike riders (including a woman wearing a skirt with a basket on the front of her bike) and familys fishing in a nearby creek.
When the workshop did begin, we were joined by 5 other people who took Full of Joy's previous workshop. That workshop was only five hours and did not include information like games, behavior issues that may come up, etc. Personally, i didn't like that new people came into the workshop. Although this isn't a training that requires bonding or anything, but when you have a small group of five, and you add another five who were previously together, the dynamics do change slightly. No real introductions were made outside of a name this second day with the new people. So we didn't know their stories and they didn't know ours. Not that it really matters because you are there for the training only really. Maybe i'm old fashion.
The workshop itself was well worth it. The second day we learned all about yoga games, partner yoga, themes that one can put into their yoga classes for the kids. We went over different props that are used and how you can incorporate books and music. We did get into groups and had to teach a class to the others. My group did a class about going on a trip to the zoo. We incorporated beanie babies as props for the animals that we saw. We had about 10 to 15 minutes for our mini class, so we picked out the animals that we saw. I did get nice feedback from Lani in how i ended our particular class. Instead of everyone being on their mats, we ended it in a big group together.
I was a little disappointed with the business aspect of the workshop. Seriously she could have just elimitated it from the agenda. She barely went over how to go about getting classes. Now i wasn't expecting a step by step lay out, but a bit more than she did would have been nice. I can understand that she is new to the area and is building up her business in teaching kids yoga in the area. She was excited to have this teacher training because she was looking for teachers to work for her like she did in San Francisco. When pressed how she priced things, she gave a vague answer. Never going into details. Just that she does charge $60 to $100 but it also depends on the number of groups taught during the sessions. Nor going into how to get into these places. Like i said in some ways i can understand the tightlip because of business competition especially since she is in a new area. But i was expecting a little more in a workshop that does state it would go over business stuff.
Overall i would do the workshop again. It was a valuable experience. In fact , i had already scheduled a tater tot session with the pre school i've been with since november. The workshop really let me get out of this certain way of thinking, and opened up the creative dam. I emailed the preschool to find out what the kids were learning that week. The topic was recycling and the rainforest. Taking the theme of the rainforest, the kids and i took an imaginary trip to the rainforest. Before we did, we played a little yogi says which helps with the kids listening skills. At first the kids would follow what i did. When i put my hands on my belly, but said "put your hands on your toes," most of the kids put their hands on their belly like i did. I had to remind them that i said toes not belly. After a few tries they got the hang of it. Then we went on our trip to imitate the animals they learned in the rainforest - monkeys, sloths, snakes, and parrots.
All the kids, except for one, were so enaged in the yoga play. They partipated by picking the animals, by picking out how we were going to get to the rainforest (some kids said bike, train...i slowly eased them to a plane although one kid took a helicopter instead when everyone was in plane. It was fun to encourage the creativity). Even little Zack who most of the time gives me the hardest time who disrupts the class every single time, was so good that i ended up making him line leader. The only kid that had an issue was Michael. He's not a bad kid. I recently found out that he's on meds -- which i won't comment about because it would led to a huge rant on the drugging of our society. * He was a little more unruly than he usually is.
I go back to this preschool in September three times. Right now i am in the process of getting a few more tater tot yoga classes going on. I've signed up on a special program offered in a housing project. It's a one time thing, and it will include the parents. A nice bonding experience. It does have a posibilities of being more and getting PR from it.
This morning i may have also snagged a deal to teach maybe once a month at the Norwalk Y's Little Wonder preschool . It has been an idea floating in my head for a while. Today while talking with the director of physical education and the issues with yoga the Y i've been having (good issues! our classes are swelling and busting out of the seams). I really want to make the Y a good affordable place to go for yoga with quality classes. Norwalk is abundant in yoga studios, but most are expensive to many people who would love to take classes. The Y has a great fitness pass that you buy, 10 classes for $60 for non members. And to extend the yoga love to the little ones is a great idea. The director of the preschool already knew me, and has heard awesome things about my classes from other members AND those who work at the Y who have taken my class. She thinks it's a great idea, it just has to fit into her budget.
Budgets are something that i can understand. I understand and know i need to make a living out of this. Business always says ask for what you think you are worth. Well i know i'm worth a lot. My time is worth a lot. BUT in an area where they are struggling with even getting the basics, if it's something you are passionate about sharing with a particular population....sometimes you can't charge what you think you are worth. Maybe that is my business faux pas. I tend to work more on sliding scale for certain people and pray that the universe will repay me in someother job or way. (which is a completely new post topic). The Norwalk Y is one of those places, and i am willing to work with price if i can do it on a day when i am already down there to not waste gas.
I get such joy from teaching kids yoga and personally i wish i had yoga earlier in my life.
When the workshop did begin, we were joined by 5 other people who took Full of Joy's previous workshop. That workshop was only five hours and did not include information like games, behavior issues that may come up, etc. Personally, i didn't like that new people came into the workshop. Although this isn't a training that requires bonding or anything, but when you have a small group of five, and you add another five who were previously together, the dynamics do change slightly. No real introductions were made outside of a name this second day with the new people. So we didn't know their stories and they didn't know ours. Not that it really matters because you are there for the training only really. Maybe i'm old fashion.
The workshop itself was well worth it. The second day we learned all about yoga games, partner yoga, themes that one can put into their yoga classes for the kids. We went over different props that are used and how you can incorporate books and music. We did get into groups and had to teach a class to the others. My group did a class about going on a trip to the zoo. We incorporated beanie babies as props for the animals that we saw. We had about 10 to 15 minutes for our mini class, so we picked out the animals that we saw. I did get nice feedback from Lani in how i ended our particular class. Instead of everyone being on their mats, we ended it in a big group together.
I was a little disappointed with the business aspect of the workshop. Seriously she could have just elimitated it from the agenda. She barely went over how to go about getting classes. Now i wasn't expecting a step by step lay out, but a bit more than she did would have been nice. I can understand that she is new to the area and is building up her business in teaching kids yoga in the area. She was excited to have this teacher training because she was looking for teachers to work for her like she did in San Francisco. When pressed how she priced things, she gave a vague answer. Never going into details. Just that she does charge $60 to $100 but it also depends on the number of groups taught during the sessions. Nor going into how to get into these places. Like i said in some ways i can understand the tightlip because of business competition especially since she is in a new area. But i was expecting a little more in a workshop that does state it would go over business stuff.
Overall i would do the workshop again. It was a valuable experience. In fact , i had already scheduled a tater tot session with the pre school i've been with since november. The workshop really let me get out of this certain way of thinking, and opened up the creative dam. I emailed the preschool to find out what the kids were learning that week. The topic was recycling and the rainforest. Taking the theme of the rainforest, the kids and i took an imaginary trip to the rainforest. Before we did, we played a little yogi says which helps with the kids listening skills. At first the kids would follow what i did. When i put my hands on my belly, but said "put your hands on your toes," most of the kids put their hands on their belly like i did. I had to remind them that i said toes not belly. After a few tries they got the hang of it. Then we went on our trip to imitate the animals they learned in the rainforest - monkeys, sloths, snakes, and parrots.
All the kids, except for one, were so enaged in the yoga play. They partipated by picking the animals, by picking out how we were going to get to the rainforest (some kids said bike, train...i slowly eased them to a plane although one kid took a helicopter instead when everyone was in plane. It was fun to encourage the creativity). Even little Zack who most of the time gives me the hardest time who disrupts the class every single time, was so good that i ended up making him line leader. The only kid that had an issue was Michael. He's not a bad kid. I recently found out that he's on meds -- which i won't comment about because it would led to a huge rant on the drugging of our society. * He was a little more unruly than he usually is.
I go back to this preschool in September three times. Right now i am in the process of getting a few more tater tot yoga classes going on. I've signed up on a special program offered in a housing project. It's a one time thing, and it will include the parents. A nice bonding experience. It does have a posibilities of being more and getting PR from it.
This morning i may have also snagged a deal to teach maybe once a month at the Norwalk Y's Little Wonder preschool . It has been an idea floating in my head for a while. Today while talking with the director of physical education and the issues with yoga the Y i've been having (good issues! our classes are swelling and busting out of the seams). I really want to make the Y a good affordable place to go for yoga with quality classes. Norwalk is abundant in yoga studios, but most are expensive to many people who would love to take classes. The Y has a great fitness pass that you buy, 10 classes for $60 for non members. And to extend the yoga love to the little ones is a great idea. The director of the preschool already knew me, and has heard awesome things about my classes from other members AND those who work at the Y who have taken my class. She thinks it's a great idea, it just has to fit into her budget.
Budgets are something that i can understand. I understand and know i need to make a living out of this. Business always says ask for what you think you are worth. Well i know i'm worth a lot. My time is worth a lot. BUT in an area where they are struggling with even getting the basics, if it's something you are passionate about sharing with a particular population....sometimes you can't charge what you think you are worth. Maybe that is my business faux pas. I tend to work more on sliding scale for certain people and pray that the universe will repay me in someother job or way. (which is a completely new post topic). The Norwalk Y is one of those places, and i am willing to work with price if i can do it on a day when i am already down there to not waste gas.
I get such joy from teaching kids yoga and personally i wish i had yoga earlier in my life.