Retired Queensbury teacher , Clare Rainwater ( Ms Clare to her yogis) , has started a yoga business that caters specifically to children. Clare is a mom of five grown children and has thirty four years of experience in elementary education. Along with the traditional physical exercises or asanas (poses) , her class centers around the whole child. The whole child approach supports and nurtures all areas of development.
Raising five kids of her own and spending her days with so many students over the years, Ms Clare saw the stress that kids dealt with each day.
She wholeheartedly believes that children today need emotional intelligence as much as they need math and english. The ability to recognize , understand and manage emotions is key to success in life. Self -regulation allows kids to manage their emotions when faced with a tough situation on and off the mat. Emotions can quickly take control if we do not have the tools to manage them. Ms Clare’s yoga offers many strategies for kids to develop mind -body awareness.
Yoga Goodness Sprinkled with Love
Classes start with a book/story that centers around a particular theme. Since Clare has many years of experience working with struggling readers she knows the importance of storytime. Storytime improves kids ability to summarize and deconstruct a story.
In her yoga class- books come to life through yoga and the theme is used to explore different subject areas. From All About Me to Fairy Tales , from Space Exploration to Geography - so much more than meets the eye.
Another powerful force that makes its way into Ms Clare’s yoga class is empathy. Empathy is one more avenue to academic success because it helps students understand, trust and work cooperatively with others, it is at the heart of being a human. Throughout Ms Clare’s yoga sessions the young yogis will be involved in activities that practice empathy.
While yoga builds strength, balance and flexibility, Ms Clare considers self worth to be the most essential gift received from practicing yoga. When kids feel secure within themselves they are more likely to succeed in school. As they get older they will also find it easier to maneuver around the obstacles in life.
Welcome
Clare created a non-profit literacy organization called “Literacy for Little Ones” .At the end of each Yoga class , Clare promotes literacy by encouraging the yogis to take a free book from her library.
Clare offers kids’ classes at her studio in Hudson Falls (above The Strand Theatre) through Queensbury Parks & Rec, GROW (children’s boutique) and local preschools/schools.