A colourful card deck featuring 48 simple yoga and mindfulness practices to help kids work through big emotions on and off the mat.
CRYSTAL MCCREARYis a yoga, mindfulness, and health educator, actor, speaker, and writer. She consults for CUNY Hunter's public health department research studies on the impact of mindfulness on health outcomes for youth. She serves on the Yoga Alliance Diversity, Inclusion, and Accessibility Advisory Committee and is currently involved with organizations that aim to support youth with embodied contemplative practice includingMindful Schools and Bent on Learning.Crystal's programs and continued collaboration with schools in New York City, organizations, and corporationsemphasize self-care as the gateway to social justice and community healing. Crystal graduated from Stanford University with a BA in African and African American studies and completed The American Conservatory Theater's Master of Fine Arts program in Acting and works as a health educator at a K-12 independent school in New York City.
“I love, love, love the Little Yogi Deck. It is designed to support
children in becoming mindful of their emotional states and teaches
ways of expressing those emotions through movement practices.
Becoming emotionally articulate is an invaluable life skill.
Learning to identify and manage emotions keeps children from
becoming overwhelmed and acting out in ways that can be harmful to
themselves and others. The deck teaches self-regulation and
self-soothing strategies that are fun, engage imagination, and
support creativity. Every child should have access to this deck of
cards. Every household and school system should make them
available. Even though the deck was intended for children, adults
can benefit too. I, for one, plan to get a deck for myself.” —Gail
Parker, PhD, C-IAYT, E-RYT 500, psychologist, yoga therapist,
author of Restorative Yoga for Ethnic and Race-Based Stress and
Trauma
“Little Yogi Deck will be every parent’s best friend. A much-needed
resource to help children cultivate emotional intelligence, it is
filled with accessible and fun tools that will create the
foundation for radiant health, well-being, and empowerment.”
—Tracee Stanley, author of Radiant Rest and Empowered Life
Self-Inquiry Oracle
“As a mother to a four-year-old, former school teacher, yoga and
meditation teacher, and author, I appreciate Crystal McCreary’s
Little Yogi Deck on so many levels. This deck is thoughtful,
culturally relevant, informed by depth practice and study of yoga,
and contains practices that are accessible to little people. The
names of the practices and poses are intentional, age appropriate,
and still honor the traditional names and origin. The directions
are easy to follow and clear. The accompanying images reflect the
diversity that our children come in. My son saw the deck and said,
‘Mama I can see myself being a yoga person like that kid. That
looks fun!’ while pointing to one of the images. This deck is a
must for little people, parents, educators, and yoga teachers
everywhere.” —Octavia Raheem, author of Gather
“What a great resource for youth and the adults who are caring for
them! The Little Yogi Deck is an accessible tool that will help
young people build embodied awareness and intelligence, which is a
vital life skill to cultivate.” —Hala Khouri, MA, SEP, E-RYT,
author of Peace from Anxiety: Get Grounded, Build Resilience, and
Stay Connected amidst the Chaos
“This beautifully illustrated yoga deck of cards and booklet for
children of all colors is a treasure. We see all children enjoying
the yoga experience replete with exercises for improved breathing,
attentional focus, and emotional release. This is a must-have for
children and family fun, especially during these challenging times.
It can be used as a guide by caregivers of children or as a
practical healthy living tool in educational and therapeutic
settings. This is a fun and easy way to use stress reduction tool
for children’s healing through yoga. I highly recommend Little Yogi
Deck to the diverse children and families I serve as well as to the
pediatric health community.” —Linda Anderson, PhD, clinical
psychologist, author of Silent Agreements: How to Free Your
Relationships of Unspoken Expectations
“Crystal McCreary has created yet another resource to support
children in moving through big emotions by engaging movement and
mindfulness practices. Given all the uncertainty in the world right
now and the ways in which children’s lives have been turned upside
down because of a pandemic and system oppression, I cannot think of
a better time for this resource to come forth. So many children are
encouraged not to express their feelings, and I believe the Little
Yogi Deck will support children in developing a healthy coping
skill set to respond to all they are moving through right now. I am
excited to share this deck with children in my life!” —Michelle
Cassandra Johnson, author of Skill in Action: Radicalizing Your
Yoga Practice to Create a Just World
“The Little Yogi Deck is an imaginative way to teach children of
all ages how to calm emotions, balance their bodies, and focus
their minds with mindfulness and yoga.” —Tara Brach, author of
Radical Compassion
“The Little Yogi Deck is a powerful resource for children and
adults alike. Normalizing that we all experience a range of
emotions, from shame to joy and everything in between, this deck
provides easy-to-use exercises to support youth, to connect their
minds and bodies, and to stay with their experiences. Through yoga
poses and helpful guidance, youth are supported to develop their
emotional intelligence and resilience by learning how to identify
their emotions and work with them. The use of colors associated
with each emotion supports youth to understand their feelings, and
the illustrations on each card are fun and inclusive of children
from diverse backgrounds. As a career educator and parent, I can
easily see how this deck can be used in classrooms and homes
alike—by children independently or in small groups, by parents with
their children, and by teachers with their whole class. I highly
recommend this valuable resource and look forward to using these
cards myself!” —Megan Sweet-Mellone, EdD, author of An Educator’s
Guide for Using Your 3 Eyes
“Our children, families, and teachers of color need these Little
Yogi materials now more than ever before. There are no easy
solutions to understanding and managing stress and anxiety. Ms.
McCreary offers expert guidance on how children can access their
breath and their bodies to help regulate and reduce stress and
anxiety. The earlier that children master these skills and connect
to their breathing and their bodies, the more emotionally regulated
and balanced they will become. In this three-part series, McCreary
offers children, families, and teachers an accessible collection of
images and information that will teach and strengthen your child’s
emotional health and well-being.” —Josie Díaz, PhD, LCSW, clinical
psychologist, social worker
“Little ones have lots of feelings—but they don’t always have the
words to express them. This deck offers yoga and mindfulness tools
to help children process their emotions through movement, breath
and mindful practices. Bright illustrations are fun and engaging
for kids; parents will appreciate the focus on difficult emotions
like anger, worry, excitement, sadness, joy, jealousy, shame, and
peace. Using the 48 cards can help everyone feel calmer and
more in control.”—Yoga Journal
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