106. Full of Joy Yoga with Lani Rosen-Gallagher

Recognizing that children need balance and focus in their lives, Lani first incorporated yoga into her daily schedule while teaching first grade in Coney Island, Brooklyn, back in the late '90s. Wanting to deepen her own yoga practice, she received her 200-hour certification from the Nosara Yoga Institute in Nosara, Costa Rica. Then, building on her extensive experience with young children, she went on to be certified by Next Generation Yoga in NYC and in Kenya, the Radiant Child Yoga Program, Street Yoga, Circus Yoga, Baby Om, Mindful Schools Teacher Trainings, and United We Om, which focuses on training for under-resourced and trauma-impacted communities. In 2003, Lani headed cross-country to San Francisco, and a year later  founded and created Full of Joy Yoga. Over the next four years, she taught yoga to children in preschools, yoga studios, homes, homeless shelters, and after-school programs all over the Bay Area. In 2007, she relocated to Connecticut, bringing her expertise to the East Coast. She discovered after having her own child, Zephyr (who is now 10), that family yoga was one of her favorite classes to teach.  Training others to teach yoga to kids is one of Lani's passions, as she realizes she can reach many more children by sharing her skills and talents with other instructors.  These last two years of the pandemic, Lani has been teaching outdoor yoga in preschools in all kinds of weather (think snow-ga!) and remotely in New Haven’s public schools – all of which feels like a gift during the uncertainty of these times. Most recently, Lani published a book called Yoga Games for Kids and will soon have videos to accompany the book’s games on her YouTube channel. Lani is always striving to improve the lives and futures of children, and to help them laugh, love, and grow.  In this episode, Lani shares powerful insights from her over 20 years in the kids yoga industry. She shares what's kept her in this work over the years, her current passions, and some of her favorite stories. A wonderful and rich conversation, Lani has so much knowledge that we can all benefit and learn from- Listen in NOW!