Yoga Teacher Training Forum

Just wanted to leave information to anyone who is seeking employment as a yoga teacher. Winter, spring, summer, or fall, present opportunities for teachers who are outgoing and willing to meet new people. Here is some information that may make you jump into teaching yoga for kids winter sports teams. Who knows, you might be teaching baseball players next!

Winter sports are widely popular, and skiing and snowboarding are just the beginning of these. These activities put a major strain on the muscles used, and yoga can be used to effectively prepare them for a long and cold winter of sporting. Before participating in winter sports, the muscles should be primed and the core should be strengthened. Specifically, the quadriceps, abdominal muscles, back muscles, and ankle muscles should be targeted directly for maximum benefit to the participant.

Just as with any physical activity, choosing not to warm up the muscles before exercising can be dangerous when it comes to winter sports. The cold temperature of the mountains that these sports occur on causes the muscles to tense, but practicing yoga prior to participating in winter sports can help relieve this tension before it sets in. Muscles that are tense cannot perform as well, and they are more prone to injury. Beginning with a simple series of full-body stretches can be an effective way of preparing the muscles for physical activity, and following this with poses that specifically target problem areas can be useful if there is an area that is weakened.

For children in winter sports, poses that are simple are best to begin with. The cat and cow poses can be good to start, followed by more extensive twists and bends. The poses do not have to be intensely complicated, however, to benefit the children. Simply participating in yoga will improve their circulation, which improves muscle health and the transport of oxygen. It will also help keep their body temperatures more stable when participating in cold sports. Yoga has prolonged effects on the body that do not stop when the exercise is halted.

Children who participate in winter sports need to be taught how to prepare their body for the cold and intense activity, but they must also learn how to work together as individuals that are part of a team. While most winter sports focus on the individual, such as races involving skiers and snowboarders, there is an underlying group mentality that should always be fed. Teaching the children to work together, but separate, is important. When children gather for yoga classes, this is what they are learning. Practicing yoga is an individual activity, but when it is performed in a group, the students move in unison and there is a sense of camaraderie that is formed.