Lisa Flynn

About

Lisa Flynn is the founder and director of ChildLight Yoga® and Yoga Classrooms® organizations providing evidence-informed yoga and mindfulness education to children as well as training and support for thousands of educators kids yoga teachers and professionals worldwide During a dark period of depression and disordered eating in her college years Lisa discovered yoga as a life-saving practice Following her recovery she often wondered if having these tools earlier in life may have made a difference Could yoga provide powerful healthy coping skills particularly for children and youth affected by trauma or adverse life circumstances? At the time she didnt know the hows and whys but she knew from her own experience that yoga could be transformative The seeds were planted Years later as a new mother Lisa she noticed that when her toddlers would join her morning yoga practice it was not only fun and natural for them but seemed to improve their focus and mood while promoting parent child bonding She went on to search her local area for childrens yoga classes and came up empty-handed She attended the first of many related trainings in and quickly was teaching up to classes per week ChildLight Yoga was officially founded in Lisa developed the ChildLight Yoga Teacher Trainings and Yoga Classrooms Professional Development Workshops and IMPLEMENT Leader Trainings which she and her team now share nationally She serves as a curriculum consultant and speaks regularly at yoga mindfulness education and school counseling conferences as well as schools and yoga centers around the country She is also a respected leader and collaborator in the school yoga and mindfulness movement and greater kids yoga community internationally Lisa has authored several program manuals related to yoga for children and published the Yoga Classrooms Card Deck in ; and Yoga for Children: + Yoga Poses Breathing Exercises and Meditation for Healthier Happier More Resilient Children Adams Media   She contributed to Best Practices on Yoga in Schools Yoga Service Best Practices GuideVolume and co-created and sponsored the development of the Research Repository on Yoga and Meditation for Children Adolescents and in Schools She is also the co-creator of I Grow With Yoga a popular CD of yoga songs for children Lisa has written numerous articles on the topic of yoga for children and yoga in schools for print publications as well as through online outlets such as Elephant Journalcom Her work has been featured by several TV news programs including Fox News and WMUR-TVs Chronicle NH as well as in Kiwi Magazine Parenting Yoga Journal and Yoga Teacher Magazine among others see Press page Recently honored as Dover NH regions “Small Business of the Year” her ChildLight Yoga Studio & Training Center serves as headquarters for operations of its internationally recognized trainings and products while providing award-winning programming for expecting parents babies toddlers children teens families and adults to the Seacoast community Lisa contributed to the first research study to use subjective and objective data to examine the acute and longitudinal effects of a school based yoga intervention in young children The manuscript was recently published in the Journal of Evidence-Based Complementary & Alternative Med In addition to hours of adult yoga training received through the YogaLife Institute of NH Lisa has earned an additional + hours of yoga for children and related training through organizations such as Color Me Yoga Yoga Ed Every Kids Yoga Circus Yoga Itsy Bitsy Yoga Musical Yoga Adventures Yoga Mindeds Yoga for Teens Radiant Child and Adventure Play among others and continues her education at trainings workshops and related conferences each year Lisa is an active member of several professional organizations including Yoga Alliance IAYT Yoga Service Council Mindfulness in Education Network Association for Mindfulness in Education and the Seacoast Association of Yoga Teachers in Action SATYA which houses The Teen Yoga Network which she founded in Lisa is also actively involved in several other groups and organizations which are focused on supporting and growing the field of contemplative education With a degree in Communication Lisa spent over years working as a Senior Advertising Executive and subsequently as a Marketing Director in Atlanta and Chicago After moving back East to start a family she spent five years as a Business Manager for a commercial property developer in Portsmouth NH She is extremely grateful to have been able to combine the knowledge gained from her professional background with her passion for yoga and children Most importantly Lisa is a Mom Admittedly work her childrens activities and running a household can prove stressful at times She uses yoga meditation gratitude and positive thinking to maintain balance in her life Her intention is to inspire her young students to do the same providing them with tools they can use for a lifetime of health and wellness Read the National Kids Yoga Conference Presenter Spotlight interview with Lisa Flynn.