Burma, 2007 (We are doing the chill mudra!)
"It continues to be an honor to serve these people of youth in more expansive ways as I grow in my practice and artistic expression." - Rana Lee
Since 1997 Rana Lee has been working with youth internationally. Since 2000, she has been teaching, facilitating and creating various types of youth programs using yoga to educate and preserve the already inherent "guru" that is already within each person of youth. In all kinds of settings: post 911 public schools in NYC to affluent neighborhoods in San Francisco to teaching on gravel outside a subway station with a youth group in Brooklyn, to quaint preschool cooperatives, she has used yoga, circus arts, acrobatics, environmental art, journaling (writing and drawing), field trips, meditating, chanting, and performance to bring out the joy and radiance that lies within each one of our future leaders.
Please click to see Art Examples from the Global Community Planet Art Treasure Book!
For two semesters, I led children from various schools in San Francisco on nature walks and art journaling. Other countries participated in this as well, from Afghanistan, Africa, Thailand, Nepal, etc. Based on what was going on in these various countries, reflections on nature went from seeing less bombs, to watching people drown in Tsunamis, to planting more trees in the tenderloin.
We had an art exhibition called "The Natural World Through Children's Eyes" at Zeum in Downtown San Francisco where children and adults could witness these expressions and learn about what was going on in the minds of children througout the world as well as right here in the Bay Area.
At the first conference, I displayed art created by my students that reflected states of meditation, mudras and yoga created in their Green Circus Superhero Training Programs (see below)
At the second Green Yoga Conference in May 2007 at Mount Madonna, I was a plenary speaker as well as led children's workshops.
Richmond District Neighborhood Center, San Francisco, CA (January 2004-June 2005)
Artist –In- Residency, Green Circus Superhero Training Program
Green Circus Superhero Training Program is a program under the Green Circus of which I co-founded with a team of NYC artists. It is a 501c(3) organization, which educates people of all ages sustainable ways of living though multimedia arts, programs, performance and workshops. At the training program, I taught children grades 1-5 yoga, meditation, and circus arts (juggling, poi, hula hoops, acrobatics, yoga, partner yoga) with ecologically based themes. The end of the session culminated in a press conference with the superheroes on how they would save nature through their unique powers of meditation, circus arts and yoga. I also produced an end of the year circus show.
We collectively have led workshops all over the tri-state area as well as performances at the NY United Nations
Latest Press on Green Circus
Prescott Clown Troupe, Oakland, CA (February- June ’04)
Presscott Circus
Circus Arts, freelance partner acrobatics teacher
3rd, 4th, 5th grade
Green Sphere Inc., Post 911 Yoga in the Public Schools Program (Co-Creator and Teacher)
Green Sphere
51st Academy, Queens Children’s Yoga 3rd and 4th grade (Winter ‘03)
P.S.87, Queens Children’s Yoga 4th and 5th Grade (Spring-Winter ’03)
I.S. 5, Queens Children’s Yoga 6th - 8th grade (Spring ’03)
P.S.87, Queens Children’s Yoga 1st through 5th Grade (Winter, Spring ’03)
51st Academy, Queens Children’s Yoga 3rd and 4th grade (Spring ’03)
P.S. 7, Queens Children’s Yoga 2nd-4th grade (Spring ’03)
Circus Minimus- Circus Yoga
Circus Yoga
Brooklyn Friends School Summer Camp 2002 Circus Yoga Pre-K, K, 1st and 2nd Grade
P.S. 11, Manhattan Circus Yoga K through 4th Grade (Fall ’02- Winter ‘03)
Fieldston Lower School, NY Circus Yoga K through 3rd Grade (Sp ’02, Fall ’02-Spring ’03)
Brooklyn Friends Circus Yoga K through 3rd Grade (Summer/Sp ’02 -Spring ’03)
Sonic Yoga, NY
Kids Yoga Birthday Parties:
Vipassana Meditation for Children
January 2003 Counselor for 3rd –6th graders learning meditation in an all day course in Philadelphia Public Schools.
Substitute Teaching:
Packer School 1st and 2nd Grade Circus Yoga After School Program
Brooklyn Friends K – 4th Grade Dance
Plymouth Church School – Dance 2, 3, and 4 year olds.