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Kids and adults both get anxious.  It's helpful to have some tools in our pockets to help with anxiety and soothe a stimulating mind.  This breath is relaxing and fun to do, and is sure to wash away some of your worries.  Pranayama, as it's caled (or breathwork) can help a lot in anxiety and calming of the mind.  It's something that you can do at any time of the day and is never too late to learn and apply. 

HOW TO:  While sitting in a calm and comfortable position, imagine that you are a bumblebee.  Bumblebees are yellow and black, and ever so furry.  They fly around making a beautiful, yet calm and quiet humming sound.  Pretend that you are this tiny humming bumblebee flying around peacefully.  Inhale deeply and then exhale making a humming sound.  Inhale deeply again, and exhale a humming sound, feeling the vibrations of the hum throughout your body.  You are the happiest bumblebee in the world.  

Now, pretend that you come across some beautiful flowers and you land on one of the flowers to smell it and drink it's nectar.  Take a deep breath in and smell the wonderful smell of this beautiful flower.  Exhale, making a humming sound again.  You are so happy and content.  Inhale again, because this flower smells sooooo good.  Exhale, making a humming sound again...almost singing.  If you want, you can cup the flower in the palms of your hand and smell it one more time.  Ahhhh.....it smells so good and makes you feel happy and alive.

Next, you are going to take some of the pollen and nectar back to your hive. You want to share the flower with everyone, and the flower wants you to share it with all your family and friends.  Take a sip of the nectar as you inhale (pretend to suck up some nectar) and then rub your hands together to collect some pollen.  As you exhale, remember to hum or buzz and say thank you to the flower. 

Life is good and you feel relaxed and happy.  If you want, you can spread your arms out like wings and fly back to your bee hive to share the goodness that you just discovered.  Everyone will thank you.

Variations: Instead of a bumblebee, you could also pretend to make whale sounds and/or songs.  If you have actual whale sounds/songs to play as background music, that could also be calming. 

Namaste

Do you ever wake up with shoulder pain?  Or perhaps after playing a sport, your shoulder is killing you?  Instead of heading to the medicine cabinet, try some yoga moves.  If anything, these yoga poses will help strengthen your shoulders, which can help in the prevention of further shoulder and or neck pain. These yoga poses will also build your muscle endurance for special sports such as rowing, archery, horseback riding, and gymnastics. 

To start with, try Sun Salutations 3-4 times to get the body going.  This will be your warm up.  Remember to move slowly through the poses, so that you really get a good stretch and warm up your muscles. 

Warrior I, II, and III

When working through the warrior poses, focus your energy on keeping your head up high and arms straight.  Open up your chest like a strong warrior, protecting the Earth.  Inhale and exhale a few times with each move, so that you get the most out of this series.

Crab/Table Pose and Lounge Chair Pose

Crab/Table pose is great for opening up your chest and strengthening your arms.  We like to kick our feet up a few times while in this pose and then after we're pretty tired, we rest in lounge chair pose, which opens up our back and shoulders.  This pose also helps your wrists relax after being in crab/table pose. 

Criss-cross Pose

While lying down on your belly, criss-cross your arms in front of you.  Your arms should be out to your sides at a 90 degree angle from your body, so that your back is open and prone.  Take some deep belly breaths, counting to 5 for each exhale.

Bow Pose

Lie down on your belly. Reach your arms and hands behind you and grab your ankles. Gently pull your feet towards your head.  Lift your chest and legs off the floor and breath deeply.  Remember to do a counter stretch such as mouse/child pose afterwards.

Remember to always listen to your body and instincts. If your shoulder pain persists and you feel like you may have a serious injury, talk to your doctor.

Namaste

Yesterday, while teaching a yoga class out in the boonies, the kids gave me a brilliant idea of how to teach animal or plant life cycles through yoga.  It was a lot of fun and we had some great discussions while doing the poses, such as "what is the difference between a cocoon and a chrysalis?" Anyway, rather than just doing butterfly pose, we decided to make up a pose for each part of the life cycle of a butterfly.  We did the same thing for frog pose.  Here's what we came up with for the two, and of course, if you have any other ideas, please add them.

Butterfly Life Cyle:  We started out in mouse pose (egg) and then hatched into a caterpillar, which we decided should be like a snake pose.  The caterpillar ate leaves and wiggled around.  Then, it turned into a pupa or chrysalis.  This pose could be lightning bolt pose or a headstand.  Finally, the pupa opened up and a butterfly appeared...butterfly pose.

Frog Life Cycle:  Again, we started with mouse pose (egg).  When the egg hatched, the little tadpoles swam in the water.  Superman/Supergirl pose could be used for the tadpoles or a variation of snake pose.  The legs of the froglet start to grow and before you know it, there are a bunch of froggies jumping around.  The kids loved this so much!

Some other ideas could be to have a tree grow from a seed or an island grow from an active volcano at the bottom of the sea.  Yoga is a great way to explain science and history in a fun fashion! Enjoy.

I often times take breathing for granted.  Do you?  Even though we do it every day at every moment, we hardly ever think about it or give any special emphasis on it.  It's our life force....without it, we would die.  So, how can you make your breathing better and your life better?  Well, it's very simple.  Pay attention to it and focus on it a little bit more.  Give it a little TLC with these mindful exercises.  

Mindful Breathing

First, sit in a comfortable position, sitting up straight.  You may also do this standing, with feet firmly on the earth.  Inhale and allow your breath to go all the way down into your belly (versus your chest).  Then, exhale completely, as if emptying out all the air of a balloon.  Inhale again, slowly, listening to and feeling your breath flow through your body. Do this a few times, enjoying the moment.  This is a form of meditation, and great when practiced at least once a day.  

Counting Breathing

While sitting or standing in a comfortable position, inhale and count to 1, then exhale.  Inhale again, counting this time to 2, then exhale.  Inhale counting to 3, and exhale.  Do this up to the count of 6.  Remember that your exhale should be longer than your inhale and if needed, count with your fingers, instead of in your head. This breathing exercise is great for relieving stress.  

Sunshine Breathing

While sitting or standing in a comfortable position, rest your hands and arms by your sides.  Then, slowly lift your hands up while you inhale.  When your hands reach the top of your head, you can clap them together or just touch them together.  Then, exhale slowly, bringing your arms back down to your sides.  Repeat 3 more times. This is a great stretch and wonderful way to start off the day. Smile. It will energize you.  

Ocean Breathing 

When you breath, think of the ocean waves rolling in and out.  Listen to your breath and hear the waves bring peace into your heart.  Let all of your worries be washed out to the sea.  When you breath, it's good to make a sound like ocean waves.  It relaxes your mind and body, and brings harmony into your life.  

Om Breathing

Whether the lights are dim or whether it's the heat of the day and the sun is shining down on you, this breathing/meditation exercise gets all that "goo" out of your body and energizes the spirit.  Om or Aum is a mantra or mystical sound often used in meditation.  It's a humming sound that you make when you exhale.  Practice inhaling, and then exhaling the word/sound "aum."  Let it last and then fade away.  For example, inhale the count of 5, and then exhale the count of 6 saying: "au.............mmmmm"  You could say another word, such as "peace" instead of "om," however, om is a bit easier on the mouth and throat.  It's also a very universal sound, whereas other words and sounds are much harder to pronounce while meditating.

Remember that breathing is the life force that keeps us alive.  It is more powerful than we think, and it can be used to help relieve stress, give us energy, and much much more. 

Have a backache?  Let yoga do it's magic.

This morning I woke up with a backache.  I immediately got on the floor and started to do the following series of yoga moves and no doubt within 5 minutes I was fine and dandy sugar candy.  I'm not a yoga guru, but I can tell you that yoga helps with all sorts of aches and pains.  And personally, I'd rather bend over backwards than take medication any day for a backache.  Naturally, doing yoga on a daily basis will help prevent most aches and pains, but for those of us who skip a day or two (or just don't have a yoga routine going), will strongly benefit from these poses.

 Remember, when doing any yoga pose, for best results take deep breaths and hold each pose for a breath or two.  

Cat/Cow Pose:  To start with, get down on  your hands and knees.Your hands and knees should be spread apart a bit.  Then, arch your back like a cat on Halloween, making it round at the top.  Make sure to put your head down and exhale. With your head down, you should be looking under your belly.   Now, slowly arch your belly, so that your back drops down and forms a "U".  Lift your head and shake your "tail" like a cow would when swatting flies.  Inhale cow, exhale cat.  Do these poses a few times for best results.  

Snake/Mouse Pose: This is another counter stretch to help your back and belly.  From cat/cow pose, move slowly into snake pose.  Lie on your stomach, stretching your legs out behind you.  Make sure that your legs and feet are together, like a strong snake tail.  Your hands should be next to your shoulders.  Get ready to push your chest up with your hands, keeping your legs and seat firm to the ground.  You should feel like a cobra rising up, just until it's comfortable.  Lift your head up out of your shoulders and breath.  Do you feel the stretch in your shoulders, back, belly, and legs?  Now lower your chest down to the ground and curl up into a ball or mouse pose, where your seat is resting on your feet and your legs/knees should be under your belly.  Rest your head on your hands or the floor.  Take some nice deep breaths and feel your belly rising and falling on your legs. Try to do the snake/mouse pose a few times for a good stretch. 

Boat Pose: While seated, lift your legs up in front of you.  They should be together and either bent or straight, and your body should be forming a "V" shape.   When you are ready, lift your hands up off the floor and hold your knees or keep them straight out in front of you on each side of your leg.  You can also pretend to row your boat backwards and forwards. 

Superman/Superwoman Pose: Lie on your belly with your arms and hands straight out in front of you and your legs straight behind you, as if you are superman flying through the air.  Lift your arms and legs off of the floor and "fly."  Then, bring your arms and legs down and rest.  Now try alternating and lifting your left arm and right leg simultaneously.  Then rest and lift the other sides (right arm and left leg).  

Remember that the back is connected to the abs.  When we have back problems, it is sometimes due to a weak belly.  This is why it's important to stretch and strengthen our whole core or all the muscles surrounding and including your back and abs.  My mom has back problems from a car accident that she was in, as well as all the strain that she's done in the past on your back.  She's now a swimmer, which helps keep her strong and healthy and she also includes the above poses in her morning workout routine.  

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