Caroline Garland

I came to my mat in 2001, as a primary school teacher I needed to find some inner peace in my body and mind. I soon discovered so much happiness on my mat and became addicted to the feeling yoga gave me not only to my mind but also to my body. I wanted to share this feeling to the children I was teaching as I noticed how they too needed to find self regulation in their lives.

So after a busy PE lesson, I grabbed my Dido cd from my bag and played a soft song and asked the children to lie down on their PE mats and guided them through a relaxation. The difference I found from the transition from the hall to the class was amazing so I made this part of our Pe lesson twice a week. After the birth of my son and while I was on maternity leave, I trained with Yogabugs children’s teacher training in Hertfordshire. I started to teach children’s yoga classes immediately in schools and nurseries locally. I now teach over 300 children a week in schools and nurseries as part of their curriculum.

In 2018 I created Yogamoves4kids 3 day teacher training that was certified by the IYN (International Yoga Network), a course that trains you to teach children from 3 years -11 years old. I am delighted to have two amazing women by my side in this course. Emma Kaye is an excellent SEND trainer, she brings her knowledge of Autism, SPD, ADHD and other neurodiverse conditions to the course and how this applies in yoga classes. She is also a play therapist working with children aged 5-12 years old. Amanda Graham is a wonderful yoga teacher fully certified to teach adults and children. Amanda specialises in chair yoga and pre/postnatal yoga and baby massage. Amanda advises how chair yoga can be applied for all and introduces simple poses and sequences that can be used in yoga classes. Making children’s yoga accessible to all. Trainings are kept small so there is plenty of time to ask questions and create a good pace for learning. This course is suitable for anyone who has an interest in yoga and children.