Papaya Salad Recipe

March 23, 20201 Comment

It’s as good a time as any to get your little’s active in the kitchen. Papaya Salad is an easy, healthy and versatile option for little hands and fingers. Practice cutting different textures and preparing raw food the whole family will enjoy!

Ingredients:

Salad:

1 unripe green papaya
1 large carrot
2 long strings of green beans cut into 1 in. pieces
2-4 medium sized tomatoes
3-4 cloves garlic
Handful of unsalted roasted peanuts (opt.)

Sauce:

3-5 limes
2 tbs. palm or coconut sugar
1 tbs. fish sauce (leave out for vegans / vegetarians and the faint of heart)
Salt to taste

Process:

1.) Remove skin from the carrot and papaya, then use a serrated peeler to cut them into long strips. Quarter tomatoes, cut green beans and set aside.

2.) Mash garlic in a wooden mortar (referred to in Thai as the Pok-Pok) until it is broken into small pieces. Add green beans and mash until slightly broken open. (Alternatively, if you do not have a mortar and pistil, chop garlic and mix with green beans).

3.) Add papaya and carrots, mash gently. Add tomatoes and toss together.

4.) Squeeze limes and combine juice with palm sugar, fish sauce and salt. Taste to ensure the balance of sweet, salty, sour and fishy is to your liking. Take time with this step and don’t be afraid to play with your proportions, every traditional Som Tam maker will have their own distinct blend of flavors.

5.) Add sauce to salad so that it is slightly dressed and well combined. Sprinkle in peanuts and serve with your favorite kind of rice.

** This dish is traditionally made with chili and is so spicy that it is eaten with rice to cool the palette. For adults who like spicy food add 2-4 Thai red or green chilies with the garlic in step 2.

** There are many variations of this dish so if you don’t have all the ingredients, experiment with what you have. Thai eggplant, corn and fried sardines all make tasty compliments to this famous dish.

Papaya Salad or Som Tam is traditionally paired with sticky rice, a plate of green herbs and veggies, and a protein like a bbq grilled chicken, pork or fish. We also love it with fried chicken or a plain omelette.

Visiting Chiang Mai

November 14, 2019November 14, 20191 Comment

Each year we are visited by new students from around the world and this last year was no exception as kids from Korea, Spain, Hong Kong, Vietnam, Singapore, Germany, the United States, Mexico, Canada, the UK, France and more came to join our programs.

Chiang Mai is a magical intersection of intersections and in recent years the offerings for children and families have risen substantially. Full day trips, new play-friendly cafes and an abundance of special course offerings help offer families creative options for education and childcare while travelling.

If your planning a trip to Chiang Mai we highly recommend these guides by local writers and long-time residents:

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Of course you are also welcome to come by and see us and we’ll have plenty of recommendations as well!

Family time for connection

June 25, 2019Leave a comment

We know that you are busy, between work, home life, school and after school activities. There’s a whole lot happening week to week to keep track of and with all the bustle, we often lose track of the connection that makes it all worth while. Family yoga is a great time to connect and share with your own family and build healthy traditions that can anchor your week. Check out this article in the Charlotte Observer for more benefits of practicing yoga as a family.

Our Family Yoga Circle is each Thursday afternoon 3:45 – 5 pm is the perfect chance come as you are for a laid-back playful circle created especially for families of 1-3 year olds. This is a no pressure environment for families of littles who are looking for a way to joyfully bond with their child and make connections with other families.

Mom n' MeCircle

For families of older kiddos, we welcome you to our family yoga class Sunday evenings 5-6 pm. This class is suited best for families of 4-10 year olds and will teach yoga basics intertwined with themes and stories.

Family Yoga Sundays

For families of younger and upper teens, we recommend booking private or group sessions on weekday or weekend evenings.

“Yoga emphasizes the power of connection; connecting movement with breath, connecting in with the self, and connecting with others.”

-Margot Brinley-

A class for the teachers

September 4, 2018September 4, 20181 Comment

It’s happening. Kids Yoga Garden is about to host a course that I’ve been dreaming up for years now. A course that demystifies the world of “kids yoga,” a course that taps into the inner child joy in all of us, a course that is accessible to people from all sorts of backgrounds due to translators, compassionate facilitation, and affordability.

Join us for an Introduction to Teaching Kids Yoga: An Intensive Workshop September 29-30 2018 for all this, and much more. As a co-founder of Kids Yoga Garden I’ve gathered the essential building blocks for understanding this world and relating it to different audiences to create new spaces for community and interaction. I cannot wait to share it with you.

The course will cover :

1. What is Yoga for children?

Participants will learn the benefits of kids yoga and how to articulate those benefits to adults. We will learn ways to explain yoga to children and get tips on age appropriate development focuses.

2. How to a create safe and engaging learning environment:

Learn techniques for classroom management, how to set the space and foster growth despite the busy atmosphere of a kindergarten / primary level classroom. How do we set expectations that create safety for all participants with freedom to be as one needs to be? This section of the course will deal directly with these questions.

3. Identify age appropriate yoga asanas (poses):

Dive into the structure of poses and examine the language used to bring them to life for our students. We will discuss the kind of adjustment and modeling that is appropriate for these ages and start to think about the energetic and physical results of said movements.

4. Guiding mindfulness and meditation techniques:

Learn to guide child-focused meditations and games which can help foster inner quiet and peace. Explore props and music that can be used to signal quiet times and reflection.

5. Creating Storytelling Yoga Lessons:

One of the most effective way to immerse children into a yoga class is by bringing them through a storyline or adventure. This section of the course will enable the discovery of the energetic arch of a class and begin to place asanas into an order that starts and begins with mindful moments for meaningful exploration. We will discuss themes, books and music that bring the imagination into the yoga class.

Course Times:

Saturday and Sunday September 29-30, 9 am – 5 pm

Investment:

Regular: 5,000 THB

Early bird (before September 7): 4,000 THB

Upon completion of this course, attendees will be awarded certificates for the 16 hour course. Further opportunities like class shadowing lead teachers and additional workshops will follow.

Yoga for Mamas-to-be

June 7, 2018June 7, 2018Leave a comment

This June we have lots of special offerings in the garden, one that we are just bursting about is our new Prenatal course offering. For 3 consecutive weeks we will host workshop styled classes specially designed for Moms-to-be! offering. For 3 consecutive weeks we will host workshop styled classes specially designed for Moms-to-be!

Each class will last 2 hours and will include elements of hypno birthing, pranayama (breathwork), dynamic yet gentle yoga sequences, restorative yoga poses and deep relaxation. Spaces are limited to 10 participants to ensure a safe and spacious environment and drop-ins will not be available.

During pregnancy your body goes through many changes creating stress mentally and physically. Prenatal yoga helps to maintain a healthy mind and body with many benefits including

+ Improved sleep
+ Reduces stress
+ Increased strength, flexibility and endurance
+ Decreased lower back pain
+ Calm nausea
+ Reduce the incident of headaches

Yoga on the Road!

March 2, 2018March 2, 2018Leave a comment

We are bringing our imaginative kids yoga practice to the hills of Samoeng this weekend for a unique event hosted by some of Chaing Mai’s finest.

“East Meets West is all about bringing the diverse, artistic Chiang Mai community together with a day in nature, appreciating each other’s talents and cultures!” – East Meets West #4

This will be a family friendly event featuring musicians from around the world, delicious food, handicrafts and some workshops.

Our workshop begins at 3 pm and is open to all ages, cost included in admission ticket (100 thb camping spot included).

East meets west

Jai Thep

February 12, 2018February 11, 20181 Comment

Chiang Mai is a melting pot for creativity that has earned itself the reputation of the cultural and arts center of Thailand. So, it seems fitting that Chiang Mai now also boasts a 3 day music and arts festival in the green mountainous jungle of Samoeng (about 45 min from the Old City). Along with international music acts and art installations there was also a stacked lineup of wellness workshops hosted by some of Chiang Mai’s prominent healing artists. There were acro yoga workshops, dance mandala, reiki, healing sound bowls, hip hop wellness and of course a little dash of kid’s yoga.

We loved leading our yoga classes under a fabulous bamboo circus big top and sharing partner poses, meditation and laughter.

Thanks for having us Jai Thep, we can’t wait to be a part of your next grand celebration of imaginative living.

Photos by: Ori Latter

Children’s Day in Thailand

January 12, 2018Leave a comment

“Children are the future of the nation, if the children are intelligent, the country will be prosperous.”

-Thai saying

If you live in Thailand, you probably already know that this is a wonderful place to be a kid. Ample sun for expanding energy and growth, abundant agriculture of tropical fruits and veggies, not to mention the world renowned nature of the “Land of Smiles.”

But even further, Thailand nurtures children and acknowledges their importance as the future of their country. In 1955 the country established National Children’s Day to celebrate the significant role of their children. From Northern Thailand to the Southern Peninsula, the second Saturday of the month is saved for activities that fill their youth with joy.

At Kids Yoga Garden, we are committed to expanding the physical, mental and emotional intelligence of children through awareness and sensory-based creative activities. We love serving the mind, body and souls of our community by creating a nurturing environment to grow.

This year we will join the festivities with a FREE Children’s Day BBQ Potluck in our garden this Saturday, January 13th from 11 am – 2 pm. We will be joined by some of our favorite teachers, facilitators and families to welcome you to our space and some super special activities.

Workshops will include:

+ Arts and Crafts

+ Yoga Games

+ Tepee construction

+ Chess and Robotics

+ Circus skills

All Day enjoy:

+ BBQ (w/ veggie and vegetarian options)

+ s’more roasting

+ face painting

+ community