How Grade 6 Students Turned Yoga Stories into Short Plays (Author Visit)
Teaching is more than just providing instruction on academic subjects. It’s about nurturing the whole child—their mind, body, and emotions!
In a world where stress and anxiety are increasingly common among children, integrating yoga, drama, and literature to create yoga plays can be a game changer.
Heather (“Mrs. C”), a drama teacher, school counselor, and yoga enthusiast from Canada, recently reached out to share how her Grade 6 Balanced Buddies Yoga Club planned to act out our yoga stories as short plays for the younger students in their school. Such a cool idea!
Heather says, “I wish that I had discovered all this years ago. I love what yoga can bring to a person, a child, a classroom, and/or a school.”
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How Grade 6 Students Converted Yoga Stories into Short Yoga Plays
During their planning stage, I was delighted to meet Heather’s group of tween yogi actors in a virtual author visit. The students all had their questions organized, including all things yoga, and asked about my inspiration for writing the yoga stories. What a treat!
Storytelling and Yoga – A Perfect Pair
During the author visit, the students talked about the unique fusion of yoga and storytelling that is in our Kids Yoga Stories children’s books. They pointed out that each yoga story not only features engaging storylines and characters but also incorporates yoga principles and yoga postures!
As a teacher-author, my goal is to create a holistic approach to learning, encouraging children to engage both their minds and bodies while immersing themselves in a journey of self-discovery and personal growth through these yoga stories.
It was absolutely amazing to hear that the students truly understood the purpose of our yoga stories—and how they could clearly see how learning yoga through stories was a great idea for young children!
Q., a Grade 6 student, said, “And I like how you’re doing yoga, but you’re also telling a story.”
C. said, “I like learning new poses.”
Bringing the Yoga Stories to Life – Short Yoga Plays
With her experience as a drama teacher and school counselor, Mrs. C suggested to her students to bring these yoga stories to life through drama performances.
Her Grade 6 students jumped on the idea of performing yoga stories to the younger students and got to work translating the yoga stories into short play scripts!
The students expressed their love for drama and yoga integration. This unique blend of yoga, drama, and storytelling incorporates physical movement and teaches valuable life lessons with the stories inspired by the ancient yoga principles.
A., a Grade 6 student, said, “I like how we’re acting while doing yoga.”
J. said, “I like all the yoga poses and the stories and how we get to perform it to younger kids.”
Cultivating Calm, Creativity, and Cooperation through Interactive Yoga Stories
During the author visit, the students shared their experiences with yoga and mindfulness, highlighting how creativity and collaboration can lead to engaging learning experiences.
Mrs. C emphasized the importance of cooperation and empowerment among students. She explained that yoga is not just about the individual experience but also about fostering a supportive and inclusive environment.
T. said, “I really like our cooperation. And I love the idea that we’re combining drama and yoga.”
G. said, “I like that we get to calm ourselves down while doing yoga, but also telling a story.”
Reflecting Diversity and Empathy through Yoga Stories
The students then asked about what inspired me to write these three yoga books:
With my passion for integrating yoga and education, I shared how these three books were inspired by three of the yoga principles described in the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali (translated by Alistair Shearer) written thousands of years ago.
Our yoga books were created as interactive learning tools for teachers and parents to spark conversations about empathy, diversity, emotional intelligence, and overcoming challenges.
My goal is to nurture essential life skills and values within young readers. This creates a safe space for students to explore and appreciate the diverse perspectives in their classroom and the world beyond.
On the Zoom interview, we talked about they could show that Anna (from Anna and the Rainbow-Colored Yoga Mats) was hard-of-hearing during their performance.
We talked about the value of teaching young children about diversity through a drama performance put on by older children whom they look up to and admire.
What an incredible and inspiring story of how Mrs. C and her Grade 6 yoga club students are effectively bringing together yoga, drama, and storytelling as a teaching tool for younger children. By engaging creativity, cooperating as a group, embracing multi-age learning experiences, and acting out yoga plays, educators can cultivate an environment that fosters self-awareness, empathy, and holistic learning!
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