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I've been thinking a lot about how balance boards are important and incorporated into yoga.  I teach a few yoga classes a week, and in all of my classes, I include balance boards.  I don't have enough for all of the children, but I always bring a few to share.  The kids love them and always race to the boards when they see them.  Sometimes they jump on and pretend to be surfing on the boards. Their imaginations go wild.  Other times, they take off their shoes, lie down on the board, and get comfy.  Overall, they love to move and rock from side to side on the board, like people do on a rocking chair.  It's soothing. It's therapeutic.  "It's fun!" they say.

I've noticed that all the yoga poses that we do can be done on the board. I thought at first that the kids wouldn't want to "jump like a frog" or wouldn't like sitting down on the board, as it's hard...but they do.  They love it.  And when I ask them if they prefer a yoga mat or balance board, they inevitably excitedly say: "balance board!"  At first I thought it was just because it was a novelty item and that the novelty would wear away.  But it hasn't, and if anything, the children are thrilled to show me a new pose that they can do on the board, or a pose that they couldn't do before and now they can.  They have the biggest grins on their faces and feel so proud of their accomplishments.  "Look at me and what I can do now!"

Balance boards help in a number of ways. For one, it's a great workout for the body.  Even when the children are rocking side to side, they are working out their core muscles. Secondly, it helps increase their balance and focus.  It's more challenging to do the yoga poses on the balance boards, because of the instability of the board.  Without realizing it, the children have to concentrate more on balancing.  It's a mind and body workout.  Lastly, and most importantly...the boards are entertaining and have a "cool" factor.  Isn't that what all kids want?

Kids need to be outside.  Not only because of the Vitamin D from the sun and the fresh air, but nature does something wonderful to the body, mind, and soul.  When I was growing up, it seemed like spending time outdoors was not an option-we were practically kicked out of the house until dinner time. I'm not sure if we were really kicked out or not or if it was just that the outdoors offered way more things to do. All I know is that my brother, sister, and I were outside a lot.

Now that I'm adult, I think back about those days and have figured out some tips on how to relive them again and instill a love for nature in the kids that I work with (along with my own child). 

#1: First and foremost, be the best role-model that you can be.  If you are enthusiastic about playing outside, your kids will too.  Nature is awesome! Go on a bug hunt (you may not even have to go very far).  Set up an obstacle course with various household items.  My grandpa hid a treasure for my brother outside when he was little.  My brother had to find the treasure using a map.  My sister caught butterflies.  Now a days we try to teach our children to preserve nature, but they can still go out and collect snails to observe.  Or how about them rolly-pollies? 

#2: Refrain from buying video games and computer games.  Don't worry that your kids will be behind in technology because they aren't on it as kids.  They will catch up just fine. If you hear that video games help with good hand-eye coordination, think about all the things that you can do that have the same benefit plus more!

#3: Make it a point and habit to go outside.  Go outside every day for at least 10 minutes.  Ride bikes, play ball, sit outside and have a cup of tea, or pack a picnic.  If you have yard work to do, kids love to help out.  Or if you don't have a yard, go on a stroll.  When we were living in Taiwan, we lived in an apartment nestled in the city.  We didn't have a garden, but there was a playground down the street, which we rode our bikes to.  Just jumping on the bike felt great every time.

#4: Set a timer for television and computer games.  Remember, you are the parent.  No matter what, you are in charge.  Growing up, my parents would allow us to watch one show a day.  We also had to watch it as a family.  In other words, the whole family only got to watch one show a day all at the same time.  For the longest time we chose The Cosby Show, and then finally realized that The Cosby Show was only 30 minutes long.   We quickly found something that was an hour. 

#5: Create an outdoor space.  Throw a blanket and a few pillows down for your children to rest on.  Bring books outdoors, and make spa water (water with cucumber, lemon, and mint) for your children to sip on while they are relaxing or playing outside.  Make the outdoors special. 

#6: Read books about nature.  Kids love to learn about animals and plants, especially if you compare and contrast them to us.  You wouldn't believe how many kids don't know that we are animals, too!  My daughter is interested in what animals eat right now.  We talk a lot about the animals in the ocean, since we live by the beach.  She's always asking me what sharks eat.  Then, we end up getting into a great discussion about how sharks and humans both love to eat fish. 

There are a bunch of other ways to get your kids outdoors.  These are just a few tricks that I've tried with the children in my life.  My mom used to pay the neighbor's kids to find snails in her yard.  She paid them a nickel for each snail.  The kids were happy and my mom was happy.  The neighbors were happy too.  I don't know about the snails.

Enjoy the outdoors and nature.  It's very special.  We don't want to lose it.

Sun Salutation or Surya Namaskar is a series of 8 poses which are usually performed in the morning or evening to greet or say thank you to the sun.  Without the sun, there would be no life.  It's something that we can count on every day.  Even if you don't have time to do a whole yoga class every day, Sun Salutations are a great way to start the day....or end the day.  I like to do them at the beach while I watch the sunset.  Or, sometimes it's nice to wake up when it's still dark outside and greet the sun.  Kids love the flow, especially when there's a chant or song to go along with it.  My daughter likes to listen to her favorite music while she does Sun Salutation, and teens especially love this series of poses to do along with many popular songs that are being played right now.

Sun Salutations can be done in the classroom to get the blood circulating, which delivers blood and nutrients to the brain.  It helps kids focus and is a great little "workout" to teach them, which they can share with their family or friends.

Here's a quick rundown of how the flow goes. 

1)    Start with Mountain Pose. Find your center and take a deep breath in and exhale slowly.

 2)    Second, inhale and bring your arms up over your head to the sky, reaching your heart and arms to greet the sun.

3)    Then, exhale slowly and bend over into a forward bend, touching your hands to the ground.

4)    Inhale and lengthen your spine forward….you should feel the stretch in your legs and arms.

5)    Exhale and step your feet back behind you into Plank Pose (feet apart, wrists flat on the floor and shoulder width apart like a push up). Take a full breath, making sure that you are not dragging your hips.

6)    Then exhale and lower down onto the ground, so that your belly and body are still.

7)    Inhale and lift your chest like a snake. Pull your shoulders back and open up your heart.

8)    Exhale and roll over your toes into Downward Dog. Remain here for a few breaths. Feel your spine lengthen and your legs stretch. This is a great inverted pose to get blood to your head and heart.

9)    Bend your knees and look between your hands. Inhale and hop or step your feet between your hands.

10)  Slowly come up into Mountain pose and then past Mountain pose-reaching up to the sky again to say thank you to the sun.

 Repeat Sun Salutation 5 times, remembering to breath and move slowly through each pose.

There are some great websites and Youtube videos on how to do Sun Salutation.  I like to use the balance board for this sequence because it keeps my body in line and adds for an extra bit of challenge.