YOGA KIDZ INC
MIAMI, FLORIDA

“Helping children experience and celebrate their true power is a gift that brings peace, kindness, ease and joy to our global family.” YogaKids International, Inc. based in New Buffalo, MI is a pioneer and leading provider of yoga to children around the world. The organization’s mission is to promote peace, healthy life-style, self-empowerment and a fun, effective way of learning to children. Unlike yoga for adults, the YogaKids program specifically supports the capacities of children of all ages. The idea of yoga, breathing and mindfulness as powerful tools for change in the classroom began in 1986 by Marsha Wenig while teaching poetry to children in a Los Angeles elementary school. After years of research, the study of numerous educators such as John Dewey, Maria Montessori, Rudolf Steiner, Magda Gerber and Howard Gardner, along with lessons gleaned from hundreds of children, the company was founded in 1991 with one simple idea; help kids make a better world through yoga. The YogaKids training program has influenced the lives of thousands of graduates, certified teachers and has revolutionized the way yoga is taught to children. Recognized three times by the Parents’ Choice Awards, our videos and other products have introduced more than a million children, their families and through them their communities, to the peace that yoga brings. Kim began her yoga practice in 1996 after the birth of her youngest daughter and was surprised to find that yoga helped, not only her physical body, but all aspects of her life. She joined YogaKids in 2001 looking for a career that merged her love of yoga with an interest in child development and education. Vanessa fell in love with yoga during her first class in 2006. In that first Savasana, she felt an intense feeling of gratitude. Yoga has been such a guiding force in her life, helping her manage her Type A mindset by learning to live each day in the present. She feels blessed to live by the 8 limbs of yoga, as they allow her to live in a better way. Helen Young, RYT and RCYT, lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico where she teaches yoga to kids 5-14 years of age in a public school — 300 + kids a week and two adult classes a week to her colleagues. She loves sharing yoga with kids to help them connect with their body in a fun way. Laura has been teaching children in many different capacities for the past twenty years. As a preschool classroom teacher, she was looking for a better way to help children learn to manage their bodies and emotions. That is when she found YogaKids and fell in love with the idea of teaching to the whole child. She quickly learned that practicing yoga not only took away the aches and pains of motherhood but it helped cultivate internal peace and mindfulness. Ashley Simpson started her yoga journey after the birth of her third child. Needing time for herself, she found peace on her yoga mat. As she watched her children grow and struggle in this world, she wanted to help them. Yoga had changed her life, and she wanted to share it with children everywhere, not just her own. She started with a 200hr yoga program at Connecticut Yoga Center, to grow more herself, then she went right to YogaKids. The knowledge she gained inspired her to teach child of all abilities, anywhere they let her. Ashley built a kids yoga room in a local parkour gym called The Elephant Room, a fun family yoga place for peace, fun, and mindfulness. Email her at: theotherashleysimpson (at) gmail (dot) com. Chandra is a Certified Kids Yoga Teacher and holds degrees in both History and Education, as well as numerous outdoor education certifications. Chandra has been guiding kids in their exploration of nature and self since 2001. She taught horseback riding, canoeing, backcountry hiking, art, drama and yoga. Through her adventures with kids in the Rocky Mountains Chandra discovered her love of yoga, fine arts and nature were a harmonious fit in her life. Chandra grew up with arthritis, and it was this challenge that originally brought yoga as well as fine arts into her life. Through yoga and the arts Chandra has learnt ways to manage arthritis and to empower herself to go further and reach higher than anyone dreamed possible. She uses her own experiences to help youth manage their own arthritis and reach for their own stars. Chandra can often be found exploring and having fun in the Bow Valley and Calgary areas with her two children, husband and beagle. Chandra has found a great sense of love, peace and happiness that she is excited to share with those around her. Email her at: czissos (at) gmail (dot) com. Chelsea is a passionate teacher, yogi, and child at heart! She has a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology, and a Bachelor of Education which she obtained from the University of Calgary. Specializing in Early Childhood Education, Chelsea found herself working as hard as she could to provide the best and most fun educational experiences in all of the teaching and learning environments she could gain access to. She became inspired when she discovered the powerful learning that can arise from using yoga as a tool for learning in the classroom, and from there, she knew that obtaining her YogaKids teacher training was the right path for me! She now dedicates most of her time incorporating yoga into my classroom as an elementary school teacher, but through the creation of Kid-Credible Yoga, she also finds time for teaching yoga to kids during after school and summer programs! (The fun we have is truly INCREDIBLE!) Email her at: chelsea.keller93 (at) gmail (dot) com. Helen Young, RYT and RCYT, lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico where she teaches yoga to kids 5-14 years of age in a public school — 300 + kids a week and two adult classes a week to her colleagues. She loves sharing yoga with kids to help them connect with their bodies in a fun way. She also loves giving them the tools to calm themselves — tools they can take with them throughout their entire lives. Kids and adults need yoga now, at this time, on our planet more than ever. When there is chaos outside, we need to be the peace in the world. It works from the inside out. “This is my dharma, my path.” Email her at: HelenY_724 (at) msn (dot) com.