I just came across this interesting article from the New York Times on tips for getting children to eat a well balanced diet. This nutritionist suggests similar ideas to the HAPPY way of eating I proposed in an article published in Yoga Chicago in September ‘06.

Some simple ideas:

-involve children in food preparation.

-Stay neutral when offering food (by not forcing or coercing or negotiating) and offer a food over and over again so even if the child continues to reject it, it becomes more familiar - the key to trying a new food.

-Do not forbid food. Restricting food can lead to binging.

- Be a good role model for eating well.

- Make foods yummy! (The Y in eating HAPPY)

Read the New York Times article:

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/15/health/healthspecial2/15eat.html?pagewanted=1

and the Yoga Chicago article:

http://www.yogachicago.com/sep06/eathappy.shtml

Yesterday was our monthly Family Yoga class at Bloom Yoga Studio. The makeup of the class is different each month. In this one, it was all moms who took Yoga classes regularly and all kids who were now attending their first Yoga class. One girl, six years old, had learned many of the names of poses, likely from practicing at home with her mom.

During Sun Salutations, when we got to “snake”, she said, “This is Cobra.” She was able to name several other poses and then, after our “Magic Carpet” ride at the end of class, she rolled up and asked, “Was that Savasana?”

“Yes”, I told her, “it was.”

I remember when I started teaching Yoga to children, very few had tried it before, now a six-year-old student in her first Yoga class knows how to say Savasana and knows what it is.

So sweet to hear a little girl say, “sa va sa na”, and even sweeter that she has had the chance to experience it.

Last week, I went over to a friend’s house to help her clear out an excess of accumulated toys. Buzz Lightning action figures, Lincoln logs, magic sets, race cars, Barbie dolls - with the most amazing outfits. I was very disciplined and only came home with a travel size Etch A Sketch and a pack of “Go Diego Go!” Memory Match cards.

Today for my Yoga class of 4 - 6 year olds, I brought in the deck of Diego matching cards. I picked out the cards that had “good Yoga poses” on them (turtle, monkey, bear, and such) and then we played the memory game. It was so simple and fun. Each child took a turn flipping two cards to find a match. When a match was made, we all did the Yoga pose of the animal on the card. The attention these little ones gave to the game was impressive.

Thank you Diego - the kids loved it.

As for the Etch A Sketch, I’m off on a seven hour road trip tomorrow. I wonder if I’ll see a bumper sticker that says, “Don’t Etch A Sketch and Drive!”

I’m flipping through an old note book, looking for a reference for an article I am writing. These notes are from a training I attended in April of ‘06 with A.G. Mohan.  He was a student of Sri Tirumala Krishnamacharya (1888–1989) for more than 30 years.

Each line of his words I had written feel like a year’s worth of study.  Here are a few selections (in no particular order):

“Emotional wellness is not about replacing negative emotions with positive ones. It is about replacing both with peace. When pursuing positive emotions, the negative ones come along too. It is not possible to be constantly enjoying.”

“Contentment is the greatest wealth in the world.”

“This is not an intellectual inquiry. Much confusion comes from reading and thinking rather than meditation.”

“The more freedom you give to your instinctive urges, the more the mind enslaves you.”

“Nothing will trouble us very much if we practice the yamas and niyamas.”

“Compassion is a lack of personal agenda.”

“The mental attitude one has when in an asana is what will steady the mind - not at all what it looks like.”

“Children need examples to follow, they don’t need advice.”

“A baby’s smile is causeless.”

Yesterday was one of those days when I feel deeply blessed to be doing what I do. I walked in to teach my class of 4 to 6 year-olds and had several parents approach me. One mom said her children just love the class and me as a teacher. I know inside that it is the experience of Yoga that feels so good and I am merely the facilitator. Another mom, whose son has been attending classes for nearly a year (a long time for a five year-old!), wanted to know when a summer camp would be offered this summer. A couple other moms had the same query. They wanted to be sure that week was open so their children could attend. It was good timing as we had just discussed dates for a week long afternoon camp. Details to be posted soon.

In class, the children were delightful. We had three new students join us and everyone was cooperative and welcoming. It was the perfect blend of elation and focus. Nothing feels more enriching to my heart than a room full of young smiles and easy giggles. To know they enjoy it too warms my grateful heart.

Yes, it is that simple. Long, even, slow breathing increases focus and attention. It soothes and calms the nervous system, where Prana, mind and body meet.

Let the breath swirl deep down into the lower abdominal area on inhale and slowly release it - through the nose - on exhale.

Ahhh……

It was my pleasure and good fortune to meet Sonia Sumar after following her work for more than 10 years. She gave her course on Yoga for the Special Child the week after our training, so those interested could take both. She arrived a few days before I left so we had the chance to chat over meals and I got to know an amazingly open and beautiful woman. I had heard of her true bhakti (devotional) nature from mutual students and discovered for myself it is true.

A leader and innovator in the field of Yoga for Children, Sonia Sumar drew her teachings out of direct experience. Her daughter, Roberta, was born in 1972 with Down Syndrome and Sonia used yoga therapy to help her develop her fullest potential. Roberta lived a short 13 years and in that time shared through her experience of living an insight into Yoga that has served tens of thousands through her mother’s teaching.

http://www.specialyoga.com/

As our plane made its descent through the clouds and the city of Chicago came into view, I felt slightly disappointed as I looked down -  No snow. It is winter in the Midwest after all, and with the inevitable cold, I like a fluffy white blanket tossed over an otherwise gray city. I wished for snow and now sit typing amidst an official snow storm. White, bright and quiet. Thank you.

Time in The Bahamas went by fast as each day was full of sadhana (spiritual practice), teaching and learning. We gave our week long Teaching Yoga to Children training during a month long Sivananda Teacher Training Course (TTC) and had the chance to teach children’s Yoga to the whole group -about 65 students from all over the world. The sounds, movement and games involved in children’s Yoga gave them a chance to loosen up and get silly - some appreciated the respite from the intense study and rigorous schedule. Others were excited and inspired to share what they were learning with children in their lives.

During the TTC, many fascinating guest speakers were brought in. I had the chance to listen to Dr. Joyce Hawkes talk about cellular biology and our ability to influence our own and other’s health with intention and awareness at the cellular level. Dr. Desjardins, a French-Canadian osteopath could have just as easily have been a stand up comedian. He told us all about our psoas and diaphragm and passionately convinced us how important it is to release tension in both. With arms waving and voice raised, he implored us to DRINK MORE WATER. His brilliant teaching style had us all rolling with laughter and made the potentially dry subject of anatomy come to life. I’m certain I retained more through the process of laughing. Dr. Richard Panico gave us another perspective on health and healing through Yoga therapy. He defined entropy, “a measure of the unavailability of a system’s energy to do work” (this being our cells in a state of decay) and negentropy, which has to do with freeing up this energy for growth - in this case conscious growth. It comes out of thermo dynamics and I scarcely understand it but it has intrigued me none the less.

In addition to giving several evening talks, Dr. Marc Halpern gave a daily workshop on Ayurveda and nutrition. Dr. Marc is the founder and director of the California College of Ayurveda and he also happened to be attending the Teacher Training Course. Ayurveda has been an interest of mine since I discovered Yoga and now more than 15 years later, I am just starting to fully incorporate its deep wisdom. Insightful talks with Dr. Marc, both formal and informal, helped integrate my understanding. Since I have been home, I’ve been pouring through my Ayurveda books and recipes and cleaning out all the cupboards. There is a snowstorm going on outside after all….

Tomorrow we are off again, this time to The Bahamas. We have been invited by the Sivananda Yoga Retreat to offer a week long training on teaching yoga to children. We were there last year and are excited to be returning.

http://www.sivananda.org/nassau/

It has been a rich and delightful year already in just the first month. We have a new group of teachers who joined us for our Planting Seeds -teaching yoga to ages 5-7 last weekend. Many have signed up for our full 200-hour teacher training, others will be popping in to attend specific weekends of their interest. We feel continually blessed by the people who join us to study.

We are also on the eve of publishing our Home Study Guide. We have been nurturing this baby into existence for the last couple of years, making sure to get it just right. Now we are proud parents and thrilled to be able to offer the opportunity to learn more about teaching yoga to children and families for those who are unable to join us in person for our trainings.

And as the year rolls out, we are thinking about Hawaii. Our family yoga vacation retreat on the Big Island is April 16-21. Perfect for singles, couples and families. The big volcano, Kilauea, is on of the most active in the world. It is continually altering the landscape and I’m looking forward to seeing what’s flowing where when we visit. Last time there, we were able to get fairly close to the flow. It was so dramatic at night hissing and spraying into the ocean. We swam with sea turtles, saw lots of rainbows and ate fresh tropical fruit! ahhhh.

One of our GFY teachers offered Yoga classes every day for a week and invited the parents to join in on the last class.

The mother of one child said that her 9-year old son who was doing a football camp that week said that he wished he had done the yoga camp with his sister. She had been coming home each day with stories this teacher told her during guided visualization, and she said she even got a massage during “relaxation”!

Another boy, who had been energetic to the point of distraction in previous classes, was doing Warrior II partner pose with his mother, when he looked back at her and said, “I love you, Mom”. It made everyone in the room feel like there was something magical in the air.