Yoga Wonderland is a non-profit organization. The organization's mission is to bring yoga to children of ALL backgrounds and abilities so they can feel empowered and shine their lights brightly. By exposing our children to this ancient and spiritual practice, we are promoting balance and equanimity in our kids and encouraging them to follow their heart's desire or life path, without the need to compete or measure their self worth against others accomplishments. They will come to know that there is room for all of us to succeed and be prosperous in this world. This leads to adults who are tolerant and compassionate and contribute to strong communities and eventually world peace.
I AM AVAILABLE TO TEACH GROUP OR PRIVATE CHILDREN'S YOGA CLASSES ALL OVER NEW YORK CITY.
Hi. My name is Martha. I am a licensed physical therapist/massage therapist and certified yoga teacher.
I have diverse experience in teaching yoga to children of ALL abilities and an immense passion for sharing yoga with children. The classes I teach are based on traditional yoga guidelines, including practical techniques to teach breathing, asanas (yoga postures), meditation and relaxation. The sessions are imaginative, fun, and include exciting warm-up exercises and yoga sequences choreographed to music. Your child will leave each class feeling refreshed, relaxed, positive and happy, with new knowledge and skills to face the challenges of life.
Currently, I am working as a pediatric physical therapist in a New York City public school, with children who have multiple handicaps, in the South Bronx. Many of the children I work with have cerebral palsy, impairments secondary to stroke, Down's Syndrome, spina bifida, mental retardation, autism, and other neurological diseases. The children range in age from 9-21. We have approximately 600 children in our school, with about 300 children who are wheelchair dependent. Our physical therapy department consists of approximately 25 occupational and physical therapists. In addition to providing physical therapy for the children, I implemented a yoga program more than four years ago. The yoga program I began is a great success and I lead several large group classes each week with as many as 40 children with physical, mental and emotional handicaps in attendance. I have trained several therapists at my school to teach their own yoga classes. Today, the majority of the therapists at the school are involved in some way with the yoga program and the teachers and Principal have been very supportive. The popularity of the program has grown immensely. The program started with five girls with mild to moderate cerebral palsy doing yoga and has grown to this. The children really adore the classes and can't get enough of yoga. I have found my life purpose and I can't get enough of sharing yoga with them.
In addition, to teaching yoga classes to children (with and without physical disabilities), I provide trainings to therapists, teachers, parents, and other like-minded individuals on how to teach children of all abilities yoga. In fact, I played a major part in creating a workshop entitled Yoga for All: Finding the Ability in Disability. This workshop was presented to approximately 200 physical and occupational therapists within the Department of Education two years ago. As a result of this workshop, several yoga programs started in District 75 schools (special education schools) throughout the five boroughs. Because of the overwhelming positive feedback, I decided to make it available to interested individuals outside of the schools. I am so excited about this because as a yoga practitioner, as well as NYU graduate with a Doctorate in physical therapy and a Kripalu Certified Yoga Teacher who has taken several certification courses to teach children yoga, I know the benefits of yoga. I have witnessed the amazing physical, mental and emotional changes in myself, as well as in the children I have worked with over the past four years, since I have implemented the yoga program. What’s more is that they can't wait to do yoga and many say it is the highlight of their week. One beautiful 14-year-old boy I work with named David is challenged with spastic quadriplegia cerebral palsy. He is very bright and sensitive. He has a beautiful aura about him and a smile that can brighten anyone's day, but often he falls into a depression because he is all too aware of his limitations. He constantly tells his mother, "its not fair that I can't walk and my brother can." Well his mother told me that David talks about yoga class all of the time and how much he loves it. She said that David said to her, "yoga class is the only thing that takes my mind off of not walking." Talk about bringing tears to my eyes and touching my heart. No amount of money could inspire me to work harder at what I am doing than that one statement.
My intention is to open up an after school yoga program called Yoga Wonderland, specifically for inner city kids of all abilities. Eventually, I would like to see this program spread to several inner city neighborhoods. I have been blessed to work with so many amazing children from the inner cities, ranging in ages from a few months old to 21. I recognize that given the proper guidance and a safe place to come to participate in a positive practice such as yoga, these kids will have a better chance to "shine their lights" and resist the negative force that the streets and their life circumstances can have on them. My vision is to make Yoga Wonderland a community for children of all abilities to get in touch with their divineness.
I, along with my colleague, teach a one day workshop entitled: Yoga Wonderland: Creating a Fun and Therapeutic Yoga Class for Children of ALL Abilities. We teach this workshop using space donated by Columbia University. We also teach this workshop to the Doctor of Physical Therapy students at Columbia each year (for the past three years) as part of the pediatric curriculum. We look forward to teaching this in additional physical therapy programs. In addition, we do on-site workshops at pediatric facilities, schools, day care centers, recreation centers, etc.
In addition, I teach several yoga classes each week to groups of various children, including Girl Scouts, in after school programs, etc.
I am also available for private sessions or if you would like to organize a children's yoga class in your home or community.
Please contact me directly at Martha@yogawonderland.com for more information. I look forward to hearing from you and sharing the gift of yoga with your children.
Namaste
This is Brandon's, my 11-year-old's nephew's interpretation of Yoga Wonderland - a place where kids of all backgrounds and abilities come together to do yoga.
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name :Martha Gold
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