Yoga in the Classroom

I've had wonderful results with the yoga exercise I put together in my classroom. Here's proof - one of my 3 year-olds smiling with glee in Tree Pose.Here's what you need for it to be independent work in the Montessori home or classroom:

1.) A mat. The mat you see in the photo is not ideal, but it's what we have here in the mountains of Mexico. I would buy a cheap mat and cut it down to size. 1.5 meters in length should do the trick for the 3-6 year-olds.
2.) Two baskets for the cards.
3.) Laminated cards of children doing simple poses, with the name of the pose written below the photo.

**I wish I could offer you my files, but they were lost along with the school's old computer. But, if you can hang on a few more weeks, I promise to make an awesome yoga posture photo card set for you, with a few of my expert students as models. In July, we're traveling to California for a little vacation at my childhood home. Waiting at the doorstep should be a Canon EOS 30D digital SLR camera! Whoopee! I'm getting tired of having to push my camera in just the right spot in order to get it to focus - and getting over-exposed shots about 95% of the time, no matter what pretty incantations I offer up.

The presentation is simple:
1.) Place one basket with all the cards facing up just above the top of the mat. Place the empty basket just to the right of the full basket.
2.) Sit on the top of the mat and remove your shoes. Place them to the right of the empty basket.
3.) Remove one card and contemplate the posture. Place it face up in the empty basket, and slowly move into the pose. Take three to five deep breaths (you decide based on the child) and return to sit at the front of the mat. Continue with a few more posture cards.
4.) Replace the cards in the basket to the left. Invite the child.

Namaste,
Meg