Mindful Conversations with KAY

Reminisce with us!

Kelly and Kristi look back at the first year of the Mindful Conversations with KAY podcast, reflecting on their favorite episodes and guests, and why they love sharing their passion for mindfulness with children and families.

We invite you to listen to the excerpts included in this episode and then go back and explore the full episodes, connected links, and Facebook group discussions. And stay tuned! Another season of Mindful Conversations with Kay is coming up!

Past favorite episodes mentioned:

Big Emotions: https://spotifyanchor-web.app.link/e/rRk08cggOwb

Art and Mindfulness: https://spotifyanchor-web.app.link/e/sueYflcgOwb

Laura Petix, OT Butterfly: https://spotifyanchor-web.app.link/e/J7fiJhigOwb

Mark Brown, Zen Pig: https://spotifyanchor-

It's the most wonderful time of the year... or at least it can be, with a sprinkle of mindfulness and a dash of self-care. Listen in as Kelly and Kristi share stories and tips for getting the most of this magical season in this episode of the Mindful Conversations with KAY podcast!

*How holiday traditions are special opportunities to practice mindfulness

*Letting go of how circumstances "should" be, and celebrate the moments as they are

*Cooking as a full-sensory mindfulness experience

*The magic of presence (more than presents)

*Self-care is vital for a peaceful holiday season

*Comparison is enemy of mindfulness

Blog posts:

Have a Very Mindful Holiday Season: kiddingaroundyoga.com/kids-yoga-mindfulness-holiday/

Bring MIndfulness to Holiday Dinners: kiddingaroundyoga.com/mindufulness-eating-holidays-yoga-family/

Finding Balance During the Holidays: kiddingaroundyoga.com/stress-holiday-self-care/

During this episode, Kristi and Kelly discuss mindfulness.  What does mindfulness mean and what does it look like? We talk about what exactly mindfulness is and give simple ways that you can incorporate some mindfulness practices into your life and the lives of your children, either at home or in your classrooms.  Mindfulness can encompass many different strategies.  We go through several different strategies for both children and adults and give you tips on how to get started with a new mindfulness practice or expand the one you have.  

https://kiddingaroundyoga.com/

For more tips on mindfulness check out these blog posts:

https://kiddingaroundyoga.com/blog/kids-yoga-mindfulness-family/

https://kiddingaroundyoga.com/blog/mindfulness-parenting-behavior-kids-yoga/ 

https://kiddingaroundyoga.com/blog/mindful-meditation-children-family/

https://kiddingaroundyoga.com/blog/mindfulness-exercises-classroom/

Laura Petix, a pediatric occupational therapist, known on social media as "The OT Butterfly" is the special guest on this episode of the Mindful Conversations with KAY podcast. Kelly and Kristi's interview with Laura is filled with practical techniques and deep knowledge about children's behavior as it relates to regulation. Listen as they discuss:

*working with a child's brain (rather than trying to "fix" it)

*why it is important for children to be in touch with their physical body, building their brain-body connection

*how to decode behaviors (hint: behavior is communication)

*Laura's favorite body-based self-regulation tools

*tips for classroom teachers to incorporate pro-active regulating activities

Blog:

Yoga and Occupational Therapy: https://kiddingaroundyoga.com/yoga-and-occupational-therapy-2/

Links:

Laura Petix's website: https://theotbutterfly.com

@Theotbutterfly on social media

The Sensory W.I.S.E. Solutions Podcast: https://theotbutterfly.com/the-sensory-w-i-s-e-solutions-podcast-for-parents/

Mindful Conversations with KAY podcast: https://anchor.fm/kidding-around-yoga/episodes/Yoga-In-Schools-Part-3-How-Yoga-Can-Be-a-Powerful-Tool-in-Special-Education-e1jt21i

Sensory is Behavior mini-course: theotbutterfly.com/behavior

It's true! A kids yoga class doesn't look or sound like an adult yoga class (and it shouldn't)! Straight from a question on our Mindful Conversations with KAY Facebook page, Kelly and Kristi explain why kids yoga classes may seem loud and unfocused. But there's a method to the madness and as Kelly says, "Sometimes we gotta get loud before we can get quiet". Listen in as the conversation covers:

*The importance of proper pacing in a kids class

*Finding stillness amidst the busy-ness and chaos around us

*Mimicking a stress-response to practice self-regulation

*Naming sensations and experiencing your body and mind during active moments and during quiet moments

*Building mind-body awareness through physical movements, sensory experiencees, and playful experimentation

*Being inclusive and making your classes accessible to all children

*Flexibility with lesson plans depending the children's moods and needs

Virtual Mini Workshop:

Dissecting a Kids Yoga Class: The Good, The Bad, the Now What?https://learn.kiddingaroundyoga.com/p/dissecting-a-kids-yoga-class/?_ga=2.1259825.1273071424.1651587327-118241787.1649444179

Kids Yoga Class Management: https://learn.kiddingaroundyoga.com/p/kids-yoga-class-management/?_ga=2.27369020.1273071424.1651587327-118241787.1649444179

Blog:

Practicing Self-Regulation with Children: https://kiddingaroundyoga.com/blog/self-regulation-yoga-children/

Why Should Children Practice Yoga: https://kiddingaroundyoga.com/blog/kids-yoga-children-benefits/

Kelly and Kristi are wrapping up their 5 part series exploring the CASEL framework with this weeks discussion about relationship skills. The ability to build and maintain  healthy relationships is the ultimate goal in attainting a fulfilling, meaningful life. And believe it or not, kid-friendly mindfulness and yoga practices can build and strengthen these skills. Listen to the episode for:

*How mindfulness improves communication skills, active listening, cooperation and collaboration, and problem solving

*The importance of strong leadership skills while also learning to work with other leaders' styles

*Teaching children to tune into their body's signals and trust these messages

BLOGS

The Intimacy of Family Relationships: https://kiddingaroundyoga.com/yoga-intimacy-family-relationships/

Building Relationships Through Yoga Stories: https://kiddingaroundyoga.com/yoga-stories-relationships-creativity/

Building Friendships through Yoga: https://kiddingaroundyoga.com/yoga-friends-community-health-kids/

As we enter November we are reminded of giving thanks.  In this episode of Mindful Conversations with KAY, Kristi and Kelly share the gratitude practices they use in their homes and classrooms to help children recognize all they have to be grateful for daily.

As yoga teachers, classroom teachers, and moms, Kelly and Kristi feel particularly responsible for raising grateful children. Aparigraha is a Sanskrit term meaning “greedless-ness” or “gratitude”, and it is one of the basic teachings of yoga. This does not just mean simply saying “Thank you,” (although manners are very important). The real goal is to encourage and inspire genuine gratitude to the people and situations that allow us to be who we are and enjoy what we have.

The conversation includes:

*What is gratitude, really?

*How gratitude practices are actually stress-management tools

*The role of the Reticular Activating System in attention and focus

*Modeling gratitude

*Examples of weaving simple gratitude practices into your daily routine

*Avoiding the pitfall of toxic positivity

Links:

https://kiddingaroundyoga.com/blog/kids-yoga-gratitude-thanks-aparigraha/

https://kiddingaroundyoga.com/blog/kids-yoga-ayurveda-gratitude-thanks/

https://kiddingaroundyoga.com/blog/kids-yoga-gratitude-thanks-aparigraha/

https://kiddingaroundyoga.com/blog/practice-daily-gratitude-with-the-family/

https://kiddingaroundyoga.com/blog/kids-yoga-smile-joy-gratitude/

Merch:

https://store.kiddingaroundyoga.com/collections/music/products/orange-you-grateful

Social Awareness is the 4th pillar of the CASEL framework and the topic of this episode of Mindful Conversations With KAY. Now that we've built some SEL skills in personal awareness and exploration, we are ready to grow our circle of awareness beyond ourselves through compassion and empathy. Listen in as Kelly and Kristi discuss:

*How to move from self-awareness to social-awareness

*The importance of modeling and sharing your internal dialog

*Starting with simple ways to demonstrate and practice social awareness in everyday situations

*Poses, games, and meditation practices to promote empathy and compassion

*Suggestions for children's literature and yogic philosophy discussions around social-awareness

Blogs for further exploration:

A Sense of Belonging: https://kiddingaroundyoga.com/kids-yoga-belonging-community/

Sangha: A Community of Yoga Kids: https://kiddingaroundyoga.com/kids-yoga-belonging-community/

Tratak - Light Up Your Family's Meditation Practice: https://kiddingaroundyoga.com/tratak-meditation-family/

Teaching Ahimsa: https://kiddingaroundyoga.com/kids-yoga-philosophy-ahimsa/

Four Yoga Practices to Teach Gratitude: https://kiddingaroundyoga.com/kids-yoga-philosophy-ahimsa/

Build a Community This Holiday Season: https://kiddingaroundyoga.com/kids-yoga-sangha-holiday-community/

Virtual Workshop:

Adding Greater Meaning to Your Kids Yoga Classes: https://learn.kiddingaroundyoga.com/p/adding-greater-purpose-to-your-kids-yoga-class

Today's episode continues the CASEL conversation with an exploration of responsible decision making. Kelly and Kristi discuss the hugely important ability to make caring and constructive choices about personal behavior and social interactions across diverse situations. Their insights include:

*Encouraging curiosity and open-mindedness through yoga postures, music and meditation.

*The interaction between regulation and decision making

*Yoga-based games to practice analysis and decision making skills

*The role of mindfulness in responsible decision making

*Exploring the consequences of your choices in healthy, safe ways

*How gratitude and empathy build responible decision making skills

*The benefits and challenges of risk-taking

Pertinent blogs:

Get to Know Your Brain: https://kiddingaroundyoga.com/blog/get-to-know-your-brain/

Risk-Taking in Children's Yoga Classes: https://kiddingaroundyoga.com/blog/risk-taking-in-childrens-yoga-classes/

Social Emotional Learning: https://kiddingaroundyoga.com/blog/kids-yoga-social-emotional-learning-sel/

Upstairs and Downstairs Neighbors in Your Brain: https://kiddingaroundyoga.com/blog/brain-yoga-children-stress-health/

Practice What You Teach: https://kiddingaroundyoga.com/blog/practice-what-you-teach-2/

Loving Kindness Meditation: https://kiddingaroundyoga.com/blog/loving-kindness-for-all/

Spending time in nature, whether it's on your trampoline in the backyard or along a rocky shoreline, may be the ultimate mindfulness practice. The slower pace, the open space, the feeling of connection all encourage creative and simple opportunities to practice mindfulness with the whole family. In this week's episode, Kelly and Kristi explore nature's effects on our physical and mental health:

*Environmental awareness and activism as a mindfulness practice

*Nature's restoration power in the digital age

*How open vistas connect to open minds and healthy vision

*Using our senses on nature walks

*Exploring how experiences in nature effect your mood

*Creating a nature mandala

Link of pertinent blogs:

https://kiddingaroundyoga.com/blog/meditation-walking-mindful-nature-yoga-children/

https://kiddingaroundyoga.com/blog/yoga-nature-tubshevat/

https://kiddingaroundyoga.com/blog/tree-pose-vrksasana-kids-yoga-activities/

https://kiddingaroundyoga.com/blog/kids-yoga-impermanence-philosophy-clouds/