Pride Month= Rainbow Yoga Joes

June is Pride Month

So enter Rainbow Yoga Joes.

I found out about these when they were on a Kickstarter years ago. I thought they were the most brilliant thing possible. I had a little boy and I was a yoga teacher. What would be better for him to play with than Yoga Joes?

I got my first set with the Kickstarter and was in love. When I found out they had a rainbow set, I just knew it would be a great way to show support for Pride month.

What I love about this toy
1. These Rainbow Joes embody the peace and strength of yoga.
2. They are made of high-quality plastic, better than a lot of GI Joes I have been given.
3. They don't fall over! Again another problem with the GI Joes. Even with their bases they still fall over. The creator, Dan Abramson decided to put yoga mat's as stabilizers for all of the yoga poses that needed them. Brilliant!
4. These colors are beautiful, and there are other colors offered such as green, pink, and purple.
5. They created a second series so there are more poses to play with.

What I don't love
1. They are really expensive
2. While my kids can use them, I don't let them... because they were so expensive I don't want them to step on one and break the mat off of it. Maybe your kids are more gentle with your toys than mine.
3. As an Iyengar teacher, I am picky with how poses are shown, some of these are shown beautifully and others I want to correct... but I can not. The cobra is beautiful! I do keep trying to stop myself from correcting Warrior 1... it is a Yoga Joe, not regular Joe.

I asked my kids what they liked about these and they liked that these are multicolored and they do yoga.

There are not many toys in the market for kids that like yoga and fewer for boys. This is an amazing product that allows boys to feel included in the practice.

So down to brass tacks. Would I recommend Rainbow Yoga Joes to my yogi friends? Or put them in my studio (that is still a goal one day).

- YES. I will even let my children play with them, with the knowledge that this is a special toy and it gets put back up when they are done.

I love the concept of Rainbow Joes for Pride Month, and I hope everyone had an excellent month able to show your love for the people in your life.

Crab and Whale Book Review

I had so much fun reading this book. I brought my children in on it, which I’ll let you see what children say about these books and games.

In this simple story, we see the traditional plot of the damsel in distress turned on its head. What happens when your hero is a crab? Can they help in any other way? What if all you need to do is be patient and then you will be free? For whale and for me that is where I find myself most of the time.

Crab is the knight who can’t ‘save the day’. Which he acknowledges and turns to help in a different way. Crab knows how to stay calm, and being trapped is very scary, so Crab changes all of his plans to help Whale go through this ordeal.

Crab offers advice and talks soothingly to Whale. When the tide starts to come in and Whale starts to get excited it is Crab who makes sure that Whale does not get in more trouble, but gets free.

“You know what makes me feel better?” said ‘Crab

“Blowing out a deep breath” 

This is a great book for little kids. A great way to show children that you don’t have to be the biggest or best to solve the problem. You don’t even need all the answers. Sometimes answers come by themselves and we just have to wait for them, with a friend nearby teaching us how to breathe.

My children had different parts that they liked.
Oldest
- I liked the picture of the Whale
- I liked the way Crab helping Whale
- I saw that they were doing yoga.  (We do breathing in yoga)

My middle  child
- I liked the 1st picture because it is a beautiful sunny day and Crab is happy
- I liked Whale blowing Crab up and he felt ticklish
- I liked the stars because it is good to look at stars and you get stronger when you go to sleep.

5 ways to do Yoga with Kids

It is summer, we are all inside- thanks to COVID- and how long can our children dig that hole in the backyard?

Digging a hole in the backyard is not a horrible thing unless you are like my brother in law and decided to fill that hole with some type of explosive and then convince your mom to set it off. That was a house of all very smart, engineering thinking boys- but they all survived to get married and have their own very smart children.

Now how can we interact?

 Hopefully with fewer explosives.

1. We can read.
As I said I will be posting a new book review every 2 weeks that covers the topics of mindfulness and yoga. I am looking for new authors that just came into the market. Hopefully, these reviews will entice you to expand your little library that you are growing.

2. We can learn a new pose.
I am working with a fantastic Illustrator, who is creating pictures of yoga poses for me. Then once every 2 weeks I will release a new pose and yoga picture that comes from the Iyengar style and is in a child's language.

3. Play with your kids.
Just last week I posted the instructions for a yoga game, "Going on a Journey". There are other amazing yoga teachers who have created goal-oriented games with fantastic illustrations for children to play. I will be explaining other games that I know, and I will review games that are already in the market, as my children love them.

4. Create your own yoga sequence
Children love to create. I love listening to children when they make up stories. My daughter likes to make up a story and then read it back to me. Once a month I will write a "fill in" story/ sequence. Your children get to choose what yoga pose goes where to tell what goes on in the story. Then you read your story and do your yoga sequence.

I promise they will love when the "frog runs to the "eagle" and they break into the castle to save the "warrior prince".

5. Create a new pose
Creating stories is not the only thing that children are good at. Let them create their own pose and name it. I would love to see what ideas they come up with. My Emma does this often and is so proud of how she can make her bodywork and move. You can do a few traditional poses and then take turns making new poses, or a whole sequence of silly made-up poses with silly names to make it even more silly for the kids.



The goal is to put you in a spot where you feel in control around your kids.

Now please understand. This does not mean give them a remote and a video game. We are all there. They have been playing Minecraft since they woke up from naps. I am writing to all the mom's who think they can't do it. As my therapist told me today, "You are stronger than you think, make one goal- to play with your kids- and that is all you have to do."

So try it, and your kids will think you are the most 'amazing stupendous mother in the whole world' or teacher..... I heard that on Father's Day.

Going on a Journey

Summer road trips. We have to have them. Go to the beach, the mountains, cousins, grandma's or to that one very special ice cream place that you just have to go to each year.

Luckily, most of our cars have entertainment systems, or kids have video games, tablets, or books to entertain themselves. But what happens when those devices die? Or a child gets car sick (always have throw up bags in your car). In my old car we had an entertainment system so the kids could watch movies. My current car, we have nothing like that. 

So how do we get by in 2020?

We make it work. 

I bring books, ipad, video games and put them in the front of the car and hold out as long as i possibly can before giving them to the kids. 

Then we play as many car games that we can think of. 

- 20 questions

- I spy

- ABC

- State license plate

- I'm going on a journey

When we last played I'm going on a journey we made it through I think 3 rounds before I lost. If you haven't played it is a simple repetitive game that requires short term memory skills.

Don't worry you guys, I wrote you an example using yoga poses!

Come on children it's time to go

On a journey for us to grow

All circled up we’re together

Ready to act and mimic each other. 

One by one we will go around 

Taking turns till we have found

we finished them all, or our memory’s gone

Then we lay down and no longer go on. 

...

[ Vera]I’m going on a journey and I will take

My favorite triangle that I make

[Joe] I’m going on a journey and I will bring

A triangle, and a warrior to warn the king. 

[ Sam]I’m going on a journey and I will have to bear

A triangle, warrior 1, and a half moon in the air

[ teacher] I’m going on a journey and I will lend

A triangle, warrior 1, a half moon, and my best dog friend.

[ Vera]  I’m going on a journey and I’m going to provide

A triangle, warrior 1, half moon, downward dog, and a plank to ride. 

[ Joe] I’m going on a journey and I’m going to insist

A triangle, warrior 1, half moon, downward dog, plank and camel are not missed

[ Sam] I’m going on a journey and I can’t let

A triangle, warrior 1, half moon, downward dog, plank, camel, and bow are forget.

[teacher] I’m going on a journey and I will find

A triangle, warrior 1, half moon, downward dog, plank, camel, bow, and candlestick are all aligned. 

[ Vera] I’m going on a journey and I will see

A triangle, warrior, half moon, downward dog, plank, camel, bow, candlestick and a plow are done with glee. 

[ Joe] I’m going on a journey and I’m bringing the best

Triangle, warrior, half moon, downward dog, plank, camel, bow, candlestick, plow and finally a well deserved rest. 

Book Review: tree of light

"tree of light" is a sweet story of a seedling leaving it's mother to become its own tree. Through struggles she learns to look within and shine her light, preparing her to send her own children into the world.

"Remember to shine your light"
This advice is given to all who read this book. Not only is advice given, but this book is a guide on how to achieve shining that light in different circumstances.

In order to grow, Aaa'Lee, the tree, encounters struggles. to conquer each struggle Aaa'Lee looks within, and listens to what she knows to be true. Then after each struggle her light is able to shine brighter, and she can grow larger.

There are wonderful meditative hints around the book, such as "rest" "take long slow deep breathes" and "she relaxed and became very flexible". The wording and imagery creates a very peaceful book.

This is a great story utilizing a piece of nature we are familiar with to teach a topic that is new to so many children.

Children guiding the show

                                             
As I focus my energy more on my children and on writing I can see that is where I want this blog to go. I want to bring you.

I am excited to bring this content to my blog, I am working with some fantastic people at this time, and it is a wonderful time to grow. My children are my biggest inspiration. I feel it is only fitting that this blog serves the children of the world, and how we can better teach and serve them.

   I want to:

1. Bring you poems that I create for children
2. Create children's yoga sequences that can be used in classes
3. Have pictures and instructions for children to get in and out of poses
4. Review new and upcoming Picture Books to the market
5. Review studies that regard children's yoga studies.    

I get it- dedicated to George Floyd

This will be controversial for some. But I have to take a stand. 

I stand with the protesters. They are not the looters or the rioters, I stand with the protester and their cause. If you want to talk to me about why please call/ message/ email me. I would love to talk to you about this. 

But in thinking about what can I do for this cause... I realized I can write. 

After all this time I finally get it

I’m sorry it took so long to see

I thought I was helping 

I thought I was a friend

I thought I was on the right

But I found I was wrong. 

I’ll do what I can 

I’ll listen to your cries

I’ll help where I’m able

I’ll follow your lead. 

I’m sorry for all the pain you’ve have

I’ll be here now to be your ally at last. 

I get it