Yoga & Mindfulness at Children’s NY Summer Camp—Say What?!

You’ve probably heard that yoga classes help kids learn how to ease stress and manage their emotions in an interactive and mindful way. Now, imagine your child learning yoga and mindfulness practices while also engaged in outdoor activities at an amazing summer camp located in the Catskill Mountains of New York. What an incredible experience that would be for your child!

 Yoga classes at Camp Tuku integrate the sights and sounds of the great outdoors… giving your child a healthy dose of “Vitamin N” – Nature!  Our mindfulness-based curriculum is designed to help children become more aware of their inner world and how feelings and thoughts interact, resulting in different ways of communicating. We help children learn how to pause and observe their emotional states, thought processes, and physical sensations in a calm and nonjudgmental manner before interacting and making choices. All of this takes place in a traditional camp setting where kids have access to aquatics, challenge courses, arts and crafts, STEAM/innovations, hiking, rock climbing and so much more!

Benefits of Yoga & Mindfulness for Kids

The research on the benefits of yoga and mindfulness for kids shows:

  • Enhanced awareness of their body, how it moves, and how it experiences emotions
  • Greater ease connecting to other people and to their surroundings
  • Enhanced emotional intelligence and resilience.
  • Better ability to focus and to self-regulate behavior and emotions
  • Improved confidence with physical skills such as balance, coordination, agility
  • The ability to experience relaxation and learn how to enter this state of being in other settings such as at school, at home, and in peer groups. 

Yoga & Mindfulness at Camp Tuku in New York

At Camp Tuku, our yoga teachers bring exceptional yoga training and mindfulness meditation experience to our program. All of the practices we teach are developmentally appropriate for children of all ages.

We encourage kids to practice mindfulness in a variety of different situations and during different camp experiences: Whether they are feeling happy or stressed, whether they’re enjoying quiet time in nature or are engaged in a competitive game with other campers, and at various times throughout the camper’s day. 

Our yoga instructors and camp counselors lead by example: They are mindfully present for, and accepting of every child just as they are. They appreciate individual differences and help children see that every child’s body does yoga differently because  each person is wonderfully unique! This approach empowers every child to gradually achieve appreciation for what their body can do and helps them develop thoughts and emotions that  support, rather than hinder, their yoga-bilities. What a child learns about themselves, and others carries -over from the yoga mat to other areas of their life. 

Camp Tuku’s research-backed yoga and mindfulness program, along with the Social, Emotional, and Ethical (SEE learning) techniques we integrate into our program, gives kids powerful tools they can use any time to effectively manage their emotions and interactions. 

By attending Camp Tuku and learning mindfulness practices from a young age, your child will be equipped to navigate challenges with insight, wisdom, clarity, and compassion. 

 

Resources

Rainbow Yoga Teacher Training Manual. (2017) © Rainbow Yoga.