Fireflies Yoga

About Kira

Kira Willey grew up in New England playing classical violin and singing with her musical family. While living in New York City, she taught music to young children and realized that her students had the most fun when they were up and moving—wiggling, stretching, dancing. Having practiced yoga for years, she had the idea to combine music and yoga as a way to fully engage kids, giving them the mind/body benefits of yoga plus the joy of hearing many styles of music. She founded Fireflies Musical Yoga for Kids in 2006.

When she began teaching kids’ yoga (after getting certified through Next Generation Yoga and Baby Om, both in New York City), she brought along her guitar and a few tunes she had written. Instant hit: the kids loved it when Kira sang and played, and they always asked for more music. They learned the songs very quickly, sang along, and easily remembered the poses that went with them.

Kira began writing more and more songs to use in class, which eventually inspired her to record Dance for the Sun: Yoga Songs for Kids, released in early 2007. Thanks to positive word-of-mouth, some great reviews, a handful of awards, and (last but not least) an out-of-the-blue request from Dell Computer to use her song “Colors” in a worldwide ad campaign in 2008, Kira’s music has found a large, diverse and devoted following. Eighteen-year-olds on Facebook, parents of developmentally disabled kids, and at least one monk in Dublin… they, and many others, have been inspired and moved by her songs.

Check out some of Kira’s testimonials.