Elementary school teachers face a special challenge in the work place: children. W.C. Fields is credited as saying “Never work with animals or children”, perhaps alluding to the unpredictability of both. No one knows this better than the teacher that, year after year, balances the needs of a classroom like a circus act spinning plates. Children are unpredictable, funny, loud, precious and demanding, and not necessarily in that order. To teach them requires energy, patience, creativity and understanding... and possibly thousands of other characteristics not mentioned here.
My goal when offering yoga to my elementary school colleagues was two-fold: get instructing experience and share what I was learning (and had learned) about balance in my life. Two words became my mantra, sthira and sukha, and I longed to bring steadiness and ease to the lives of others for whom I worked with and about whom I cared deeply. This project brought to my dearest colleagues just that, sthira and sukha, and I am forever grateful for the experience.
The following collection lists my offerings by month/quarter of the school year. Poses, meditations, ayurvedic supports, mantras, and quotes that formed my hour-long classes every Tuesday afternoon, are gathered here. May they be used in the future to overcome the challenges of teaching by creating balance in the classroom and in life.