"Give a child space to move, air to breathe, and room to play — and watch what they become."
Imagine your child's summer: Golden Gate Bridge views, forest trails, open skies, and a yoga mat waiting in one of San Francisco's most magical places. This summer, It's Yoga Kids® is bringing our signature camp experience to the Presidio, and we could not be more excited to share it with your family.
Yoga + camp = the ultimate combo
Summer is one of the most important windows for children's development, and how kids spend it matters. Research consistently shows that unstructured play, physical movement, and time in nature during summer months builds confidence, reduces anxiety, and strengthens the social-emotional skills children carry into the school year ahead.
At It's Yoga Kids® camp, we bring all of that together, intentionally and joyfully. Every day is designed to help children move, play, grow, and shine through our fun, evidence-backed system for physical fitness and mental health.
What your child will experience
💪 Strength & flexibility: Kids build real physical fitness through yoga poses, games, and movement getting stronger every single day in one of the most beautiful outdoor settings in the city.
🌬️ Calm & focus: Through breathing and mindfulness, children learn to manage big emotions, sharpen concentration, and return to calm...skills that last far beyond the mat.
🤝 Connection & community: Camp creates friendships. Our joyful, supportive environment helps children feel seen, included, and genuinely part of something special.
🌿 Nature & wonder: Set against the Presidio's coastal bluffs, forest paths, and Golden Gate Bridge views, camp reminds children that the world is wide, beautiful, and worth exploring.
This summer, give your child something they'll carry forever
Not just a fun week, but the strength, calm, confidence, and joy to show up fully in everything they do. From cradle to college and beyond, what we build together on the mat stays with them for life.
Spots are limited, and summer fills up fast. We would love to have your child join us in the Presidio this summer for the most joyful, active, meaningful camp experience in San Francisco.
Stay Strong. Be Calm. Let's make this the best summer yet. ☀️ XO~Michelle
"When a parent is visibly upset but says 'I'm fine,' a child doesn't learn that nothing is wrong. They learn they cannot trust what they perceive."
— Dr. Aliza Pressman, developmental psychologist
May is Mental Health Month and this year, the conversation around mothers and teenagers feels more urgent than ever. Anxiety is rising among young people. Moms are stretched thin. And somewhere in the middle of all of it, families are trying to figure out how to talk to each other about what's real.
Here's what the research is telling us and what yoga has known all along.
Kids are not broken — but they are anxious
Despite headlines to the contrary, science writer Melinda Wenner Moyer's reporting in Scientific American reveals something hopeful: compared to previous generations, today's young people are more empathetic, less narcissistic, more open-minded, and more patient. Drug use is down. Youth violence has dropped. IQs have risen.
And yet, anxiety is genuinely on the rise. In a survey of nearly 1,000 Americans aged 18 to 26, 61% reported a diagnosed anxiety condition, and 43% said they experience a panic attack at least once a month. These are not fragile kids. They are capable, feeling humans navigating a world that moves faster and louder than any previous generation has faced. What they need is not less honesty. They need more of it offered with care.
The power of naming what you feel
Developmental psychologist Dr. Aliza Pressman makes a point that every parent should hear: children develop emotional literacy by hearing us practice aloud — "I'm frustrated." "I'm disappointed." "I'm excited and a little nervous." Granular, honest labeling is one of the most powerful inputs we can offer.
This is not oversharing. It is modeling. And it is exactly what yoga teaches — to notice what is happening in the body, name it without judgment, and breathe through it. When we say "I'm feeling anxious, so I'm going to take a few deep breaths," we give our children a script for their own hard moments.
Research on emotion regulation consistently shows that suppressing what you feel — masking it — is associated with poorer mental health outcomes than simply acknowledging it. Children who learn to name and express their emotions carry less distress in their bodies. That is not a small thing. That is everything.
What Gen Z is teaching us about coping
One of the most quietly brilliant mental health trends right now is the rise of the panic pouch — a small, portable kit that Gen Z is assembling to help manage anxiety on the go. These compact kits contain sensory-grounding tools like fidget toys, essential oils, breathing reminder cards, and calming affirmations — designed to interrupt spiraling thoughts and shift attention back to the present moment.
Mental health experts say these work because paced, slow diaphragmatic breathing has robust evidence for reducing sympathetic nervous system activation — in other words, it calms the fight-or-flight response. Sound familiar? That is the foundation of every yoga and mindfulness practice we teach at It's Yoga Kids®.
Young people are not waiting to be saved. They are building their own toolkits — and they are using the body to do it. We love to see it. 💚
Build your own family calm-down kit — yoga style
🌬️ A breath card — write out a simple 4-count inhale, 4-count hold, 4-count exhale ✍️ A feelings word list — help kids name what they feel beyond "fine" or "bad" 🪨 A grounding stone or fidget tool — something tactile to bring them back to the body 💌 A personal affirmation — written in their own handwriting: "I am strong. I am calm. I can do hard things."
A note for moms this Mental Health Month
Dr. Pressman's research is clear: to help our kids' mental health, we also need to prioritize and care for parent mental health. Your regulated nervous system is the greatest gift you can give your child. Not perfection — regulation. The ability to feel something, name it, and return to calm.
That is what yoga is for. That is what this month is for. One breath at a time, one honest feeling at a time — we model the mental health skills that will carry our children through a lifetime.
"May is not a sprint. It's a marathon — and every marathon runner knows you have to pace yourself to cross the finish line."
Can you feel it? May has arrived and the calendar is absolutely packed. Field trips, finals, spring performances, sports playoffs, graduations, end-of-year parties all layered on top of regular life, regular work, and regular everything. For kids and adults alike, May is one of the most physically and emotionally demanding months of the year.
At It's Yoga Kids®, we call it Marathon May and we take it seriously. Because when we rush through this season without pausing to breathe, stretch, and recover, bodies and minds pay the price. And for our young athletes especially, that price can be high.
Don't tear your ACL — or your spirit
Here's something that might surprise you: young female athletes are up to eight times more likely to suffer ACL tears than their male counterparts. Research from Mass General Brigham and Cedars-Sinai confirms that girls are disproportionately affected particularly in sports involving jumping, cutting, and quick pivots like soccer, basketball, and volleyball.
The good news? Many of these injuries stem from modifiable factors like strength imbalances, poor landing mechanics, and lack of neuromuscular control — which means they are largely preventable. The not-so-good news? Marathon May is exactly when these risks spike. Tired bodies make mistakes. Overloaded schedules skip the warm-up. And the relentless push to the finish line leaves no room for recovery.
Girls are absolutely physical — not fragile. They are showing up and competing with power and heart. It is our job as parents, educators, and leaders to make sure we protect that power by building the strength and body awareness they need to stay in the game.
The silence your brain is craving
It's not just bodies that need a break in May. Minds do too. Research shows that Americans now listen to nearly four hours of audio content daily and that constant stream of podcasts, music, and noise functions much like screen time, triggering dopamine and making true rest harder to reach.
When we finally let the noise stop, something remarkable happens. The brain's default mode network activates; the part that helps us process emotions, daydream, make meaning, and restore. Silence isn't empty. It's where recovery lives.
This is exactly what yoga does. It invites the body to move with intention and the mind to finally be still. In a month that never stops, that stillness is medicine.
5 ways to protect kids (and yourself) through Marathon May
🧘 Stretch and strengthen daily. Yoga builds the hip, glute, and hamstring strength that protects knees and prevents injury. Even 10 minutes a day makes a measurable difference for young athletes.
🌬️ Breathe before you begin. A two-minute breath practice before activity primes the nervous system, sharpens focus, and reduces the risk of the distracted, rushed mistakes that lead to injury.
🔇 Create pockets of silence. Turn off the noise on the drive home. Let dinner be screen-free. Give kids (and yourself) the gift of quiet so the brain can rest, reset, and process the day.
😴 Guard sleep fiercely. Fatigue is one of the biggest risk factors for sports injuries. When kids are tired, coordination and reaction time drop. Sleep is not a luxury in May — it's protection.
📅 Say no to one thing. Not every invitation in May needs a yes. Choosing rest is not dropping the ball, it's modeling the boundaries and self-awareness we want our children to learn.
The finish line is closer than you think
Marathon May will end. Summer is coming. But how you run these final weeks matters, for your body, your child's body, and everyone's peace of mind. Pace yourself. Breathe. Stretch. Rest. You don't have to sprint to the finish line to cross it strong. 💚
At It's Yoga Kids®, we believe physical fitness and mental health are not separate goals — they are the same goal. Stay strong. Be calm. And take care of yourself and your children all the way to the last day of school and beyond.
"Before every world-changer sat in a spotlight, they sat in a classroom — where a teacher believed in them first."
Teacher Appreciation Week — we take that celebration seriously. Teachers are not just educators. In a single day, they show up as counselors, cheerleaders, problem-solvers, and steady sources of calm for children who need it most. They arrive early, stay late, and often reach into their own pockets to make sure their students have what they need.
To every teacher in our It's Yoga Kids® community, and to every educator everywhere, thank you. You are the reason our mission is possible.
Why appreciation matters more than ever
Research from Honored, an organization dedicated to teacher recognition, shows that educators who feel genuinely seen and valued are more inspired in their work and more likely to stay in the profession. In a time when teacher retention is a real challenge, a heartfelt "thank you" isn't just kind. It's essential.
Appreciation doesn't have to be expensive or elaborate. Some of the most meaningful gestures cost nothing at all. What matters is that teachers feel seen for the extraordinary, quiet, daily impact they have on children's lives.
Six ways to celebrate your teachers this week
✉️ Write a handwritten note. A personal, heartfelt thank-you from a student or family is one of the most treasured gifts a teacher can receive. It doesn't need to be long — just true.
🏆 Nominate them for an award. Organizations like Honored offer national teaching awards a public nomination tells your teacher their impact has been witnessed and celebrated beyond the classroom.
🙌 Volunteer in the classroom. Time is the most generous gift. Offer to help with setup, materials, or activities; it lightens the load and strengthens the school community.
🎁 Gift a personalized basket. If you know their favorite things like a restaurant, a hobby, a team put together something that says "I actually pay attention to who you are." That's powerful.
💻 Fund their classroom. Platforms like DonorsChoose and AdoptAClassroom.org let you directly support a teacher's classroom needs and research shows it keeps teachers in the profession longer.
🧘 Give the gift of calm. Share a yoga break with your class this week. A few minutes of breath work and movement can reset the whole room for students and the teacher leading them.
What It's Yoga Kids® leaders know about teachers
Since 2005, we have trained thousands of leaders — and so many of them are teachers. They choose to learn kids yoga not because it's one more thing on their plate, but because they understand something profound: when children feel physically strong and mentally calm, they are ready to learn.
Teachers who bring yoga and mindfulness into their classrooms aren't just teaching poses. They are teaching children how to focus, how to handle big emotions, how to breathe through hard moments. They are building the mental health skills that will carry those children from cradle to college and beyond.
That is the definition of a leader. And that is exactly who we train.
A note to the teachers in our community
You show up every day with your whole heart. You teach children to be strong, flexible, focused, and kind. You model the very skills we believe in. This week — and every week — It's Yoga Kids® celebrates you. Stay Strong. Be Calm. And know that what you do matters more than you may ever fully see. 💚
Are you a teacher who wants to bring yoga and mindfulness into your classroom? We would love to have you join our mission to reach 10 million children. Learn more about our leader training at www.itsyogakids.com/training.
