Monday, January 04, 2016

Willey Mindful of Yoga for Kids

Yoga and kids music. What could go wrong? You're asking someone who isn't part of the equation.

I know people who do yoga. I know people who swear by yoga. My own son did yoga for several years (he stopped due to school time constraints and an instructor who subsequently relocated without letting ex-pupils know).

 There seems to be a mini-explosion of children's recording artists who double as yoga instructors. We are more commonly acquainted with Bari Koral (who hosts a "Yogapalooza" event), but there's also Bethlehem, PA's own Kira Willey. Selected PBS affiliates run Kira's yoga-for-kids interstitials. And at the urging of SiriusXM Kids Place host Mindy Thomas, she produced a series of "Backseat Yoga" exercises that run on the station.

Kira is releasing a collection of yoga "shorts" for short-attention-span children, MINDFUL MOMENTS FOR KIDS. For our older son, who leads a fairly stressed life (early wake-up for school, long bus rides, homework, and after-school activities, not to mention a hyper little brother who attaches himself to big bro), these exercises are just the ticket for a quick breather.

The 30 moments are broken into sections such as "Calm," "Focus," and "Energize." You get the basic concept from titles like "Count to Five," "Be a Bumblebee," "Imagine You're a Tree," and "Do Nothing Moment." The arrangements contain simple instrumentation and plain, spoken directions in a sweet, encouraging tone. Kira has the confidence from years of experience and tried-and-true technique and is delighted to share these meditations, whether families choose to use them in the home or on the road.

MINDFUL MOMENTS FOR KIDS closes with two songs, "Dance for the Sun" and "Just Be," which is close to an anthem for meditation, if such a thing is possible. And she's on the road, singing and leading yoga to receptive audiences in the PA/NJ area – just click through to Kira's site for upcoming events.

MINDFUL MOMENTS FOR KIDS is available on January 15 from Kira's website, Amazon, iTunes, and CDBABY.

Here is the video for Kira's PBS kid's yoga series, "Fireflies Musical Yoga":

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