Books + Yoga + Students

I love infusing books into my curriculum. I think books are so powerful and create wonderful connections to even reluctant learners. Even your quietest student can tell you how a character is feeling, and I it’s incredible to watch students learning empathy through their favorite picture books. I use books as hooks, partner with activity task cards and even tease students with book trailers.
 
I also really enjoy yoga. I have taught yoga for several years and I am a regular at my local studio. I truly believe that yoga can teach anyone self-awareness, stillness and mindfulness in a non-competitive setting.
 
This year I am excited to merge two of my passions – books and yoga. Here are some of my favorite yoga-inspired book titles and ideas on ways to use them.

“Puppy Mind” by Andrew Jordan Nance Puppies and mindfulness? Yes, please! The main character in this story relates to a puppy, in that is mind his always wandering. To solve this problem, he sets out to train his mind to be present. Counselor Chelsey also has a book companion activity guide.		“I Am Yoga” by Susan Verde The illustrations in this series are beautifully simple, as is the message. You will feel calmer just reading this story. You can also partner the book with this wonderful song from Emily Arrow.
“Zoo Zen” by Kristen Fischer Don’t animals make everything better? Teaching students to hop like a frog or balance like a bear adds an extra level of fun.		“Good Morning Yoga” by Mariam Gates Are your students extra sleepy in the morning? This book will help them wake and get ready to learn.

“What Does It Mean to Be Present?” by Rana DiOrio
Mindfulness is a tough concept to describe. Rana DiOrio does a fantastic job of explaining what it means to be in the present moment, which is perfect when introducing CBT techniques. The Responsive Counselor has great CBT resources and guess what? She’s our TSCA luncheon speaker at the TCA conference this fall!
 
How can you use your favorite books?

1. Read while students are lined up and waiting. Our kindergarten students sit and wait in the hallway before school starts. At my last school all students waited in the gym in the morning. So, I gave a copy to the supervising assistant and they read to them as they wait. If they are extra calm they can even practice some of the poses.
2. Read and model on the morning news. I have “Tranquil Tuesdays” and I read a few pages or share a pose. I encourage the kids to stop me in the hallway and show me they can do they pose…and guess what? They do!
3. Host a before school or after school yoga/book club. I run “Mindful Mondays” and “Flexible Fridays.” The first student to arrive gets to pick a book or yoga pose to practice. It encourages them to arrive on time (yay, attendance interventions) and it helps the students start their day out in a positive, calm way.

Do you have a favorite book or yoga resource? If so, send it to us on Instagram or share with us on Facebook or Twitter.
 
Contact Laura Filtness, TSCA president, at Lfiltness@gmail.com.