What is kids’ yoga?
Answer: The word Yoga means to yoke, or unite. Specifically, yoga helps practitioners unite mind, body, and spirit. Adults aren’t the only ones that need help with this! Children are at a greater risk of obesity, anxiety, and depression now than ever before. A regular yoga practice tailored to the specific needs of children can enhance child development by teaching healthy exercising habits, stress relieving techniques, and positive thinking. Yoga also improves body awareness, builds self esteem and self respect, and helps children to develop increased focus and concentration.
What is Yoga Squirrel?
Answer: We offer kids’ yoga services for schools and children’s organizations. Our yoga sessions are designed by our founders who are speech-language pathologists. We specialize in educationally-based group yoga sessions for kids. We teach fun and creative yoga classes that include techniques for stress relief, positive thinking, and healthy exercising habits.
What experience do you have teaching kids’ yoga?
Answer: Our instructors are trained to teach kids’ yoga and have taught yoga to kids in a variety of settings, including preschools, yoga studios, libraries, summer camps, and public schools. Our instructors also have background experience working in schools with kids of all ages and developmental levels.
Are you certified to teach kids’ yoga?
Answer: Yes. All of our instructors are certified in kids’ yoga and/or are 200 hour registered yoga teachers.
Can you come to our facility so that we can meet you?
Answer: Yes. We have limited availability during the school day and additional availability to meet with you during after-school hours.
Why should we choose you over someone else that is cheaper/different/etc?
Answer: Our co-founders, Christine and Alex, are not only yoga teachers, but also speech-language pathologists with master’s degrees. They have extensive background both working with children directly in the school setting and also have a vast knowledge of child development and educational curriculum. We incorporate educational activities into our classes that are aligned with classroom goals and content standards such as language and literacy activities, social skills activities, following directions, etc. We are well versed in educational curriculum due to our extensive work in schools and our background as speech language pathologists. In addition, we are collaborative with teachers and can adapt our classes to meet any specific classroom goals that the teachers are working on. We also have extensive experience working with special needs children. Our yoga classes involve a combination of learning, relaxation, physical fitness, and fun. Our instructors all have experience working in preschools or public schools as educators and are highly trained in Yoga Squirrel’s philosophy, professional conduct, and lesson plan development. Our backgrounds make us an obvious choice over other kids’ yoga companies who do not have the same type of background and knowledge of education field.
How will you align your services with our educational curriculum to meet our classroom needs?
Answer: We incorporate educational activities into our classes that are aligned with classroom goals and standards such as language and literacy activities, social skills activities, following directions, etc. Our instructors are well versed in educational curriculum and content standards due to our extensive work in schools. In addition, we are collaborative with teachers and can adapt our classes to meet any specific classroom goals that the teachers are working on. Our yoga classes involve a combination of learning, relaxation, physical fitness, and fun.
Why did you begin teaching kids’ yoga?
Answer: Our yoga business came about when our co-founders were working as speech pathologists. They noticed the high anxiety levels that their students were experiencing. They began incorporating simple yoga activities and movement into their speech sessions and noticed overwhelming benefits. Alex and Christine’s passion for yoga and child development brought about Yoga Squirrel in order to better serve kids in schools.
When can I schedule your kids’ yoga sessions/What day/time of the week will you come?
Answer: We will do the best that we can to accommodate your schedule. Give us some possible time frames and days of week that you have available and we will work together to fit something into our schedule.
I don’t want to book you for an extended period of time because I want to just try it out first and then reassess if I want to keep going. How can I do that?
Answer: We offer a variety of packages. You can book us for a one time class or any number of classes that fit your needs. It is always an option to reassess as time goes on and then book us for more sessions later, as long as we have room in our schedule at that point in time.
If I book you for next school year and/or this summer, when would you start?
Answer: We can start as early as you would like us to. If you offer any other type of fitness or extracurricular programs, you are welcome to stay consistent with that if that makes the most sense for your school. Otherwise, we are available to start as soon as the first week of school or anytime after.
How long are your classes?
Answer: Typically our classes are 45 minutes long. Our services are customizable if our typical services don’t fit your school’s needs.
45 minutes seems like a long time for our kids. Are you sure this would work?
Answer: We have experience teaching kids’ yoga to kids 3 and older, as well as special needs children. Our classes involve a variety of movement, activities, and rest periods that allows a 45 minute class to work well. However, we do offer customizable packages if our typical services don’t fit your needs.
What does a typical class look like?
Answer: All of our classes involve a combination of yoga poses, breathing practices, music, interactive activities, and an extended period of rest to encourage deep relaxation. We also incorporate educational activities that are aligned with classroom goals and standards such as books and literacy activities, social skills, following directions, etc.
Can you teach a class with more than 25 kids?
Answer: Our regular prices are for up to 25 kids. Prices may increase for additional children being present. If you give us more details, we can send you a customized quote.
When/How do we pay you for your services?
Answer: We will send you a quote for the services that you are requesting. We accept payments via check to Yoga Squirrel, LLC. Payments are due by the day of the first session, prior to teaching the session.
How much do you charge?
Answer: Our pricing depends on the needs of your organization. Pricing varies based on the number of classes booked, the length of the class, and the number of children present. Our regular pricing is based on sessions up to 45 minutes in length for up to 25 children. We require that an adult staff member of your organization also be present during the class. We offer discounted pricing for booking multiple sessions. Contact us for pricing information specific to your organization.
What discounts do you offer?
Answer: We offer discounted pricing for booking multiple sessions. We also offer various promotions throughout the year. Contact us for details about pricing and available discounts.
Does our organization pay you or do the parents pay you?
Answer: That is up to you. The pricing for the services provided can be funded through the organization’s budget or through the families of children participating in the class.
Will we need to provide anything such as yoga mats?
Answer: We require that each child either have a yoga mat or a towel. Your organization can provide mats or you can require the kids to bring a mat or a towel on yoga days. We also offer yoga mats either for rent or for purchase through Yoga Squirrel.
How much do your mats cost?
Answer: We charge $1 per mat per class to rent our mats. We charge $10 per mat to purchase and keep them.
Do you teach religion as part of your yoga classes?
Answer: Our classes do not involve religion in any way. Our classes focus on teaching techniques for positive thinking, stress management, and healthy exercising habits through yoga. We don’t teach religion and the only sanskrit name we use is “namaste” which is a yoga greeting that emphasizes seeing the good in all people.