08/30/2026
It's been a busy past few days, and I'm finally getting a chance to slow down and reflect on what it means to have reached the 2 year mark in starting my own kids yoga business.
COLORS may have just turned two, but the story behind it began 11 years ago, when I was far less confident than I am today. I thought I'd share how it all started.
The first time I ever taught yoga to kids, it wasn't a part of my plan. I was 21 and newly certified to teach adults. When a friend asked me to teach a free class at a school to gain some teaching hours, I seriously considered saying no. I had never taught children and still barely felt ready to teach anyone. I was terrified at the thought.
But I agreed, and this photo is from the day I showed up anyway.
Showing up doesn't automatically grant you some undeniable confidence though. I still showed up scared. In fact, I was so timid that a teacher handed me a microphone because I was too quiet for the children to hear me.
I was trying to demonstrate yoga poses while holding a microphone and essentially teaching an adult yoga class to children. It felt like awkwardly trying to give a dog catnip. The yoga had value, but not in the way I was offering it to the kids in front of me.
When it was over, I didn’t feel like I had added anything meaningful to their day. I had taught yoga, but I didn’t feel like I had actually reached them.
I definitely didn’t leave thinking I had found my calling. Six years would pass before I taught yoga to children again.
During those years, I became a full-time nanny and fell in love with working with kids. I also began seeing something that felt painfully familiar. Even children who were deeply loved and supported could be incredibly hard on themselves. I watched small mistakes become overwhelm, frustration, and tears. Sometimes feelings came out as anger because they didn’t yet have the words to explain what was happening inside them.
I saw myself in them. Yoga had taught me to notice and name what I was feeling before it built to a 10. I wanted to give children those same tools, but I knew I had to teach them in a way that would actually reach kids and feel like their own.
I spent the next few years diving into books and trainings, practicing with the children closest to me, and holding onto the dream of one day offering this to the public. I wanted more children to have access to these tools, but I wasn’t yet comfortable taking the leap.
Having the idea was one thing. Believing I was capable of building it was another.
Along the way, I found people who treated my idea like it was worth taking seriously and saw something in me that I couldn’t see yet. Their belief helped me find the courage to come back to children’s yoga, this time on purpose.
Now I confidently lead kids yoga classes, meeting children where they are and teaching in a way that makes sense in their world.
With COLORS turning two, I keep looking at this photo and thinking about the distance between that version of me and the teacher I am now.
The 21-year-old holding that microphone had no idea what was inside of her, and I am eternally grateful for the people who helped me find out.
Their belief gave me the courage to become Miss Emma. Now, my hope is that COLORS can give children the space and tools to understand themselves, trust themselves, and discover what is already inside of them, too.
Thank you all for being a part of this amazing journey! I wouldn't be here without you.💛
-Miss Emma
