Here are our kid friendly names for asana's (postures) you may be familiar with...

Want to know what the yoga posture is when your little yogi talks about a flying airplane, or a mommy dog? Below is a list of some of the movements we play with throughout our preschool classes. I have listed the english name that adult yoga enthusiasts may be familiar with along with the name your child may be familiar with. You will find pictures of all these postures throughout the internet and the yoga posture pictures at yogajournal.com are fantastic! Have fun doing yoga with your little one!

Childs pose = sleeping bunny

Warrior 3 = airplane flying high

Locust = airplane flying low

Downward Dog = Mommy / Daddy Dog

Upward Dog = Puppy Dog

Bow = Rocking Boat (sing Row, Row, Row Your Boat)

Tree (what kind of tree are you, colour of leaves, etc)

Warrior 2 (I am brave, I am strong, My own spirit I can hold)

Cobra (and hiss like a snake)

Bound Angle = butterfly

Table (ask what type of food do you like to eat at your table, great way to reinforce food groups, healthy food choices, various colours of food, etc)

Seated Wide Spread = Pizza (pretend to make your own pizza, what would you like on it, etc)

Seated Forward Fold = Sandwich (smooth out your bread, what would you like on sandwich, then place other piece of bread which is your upper body on top of the bread that is your legs!)

Rock / Hero Pose = Lion (lets hear you ROAR!)

Legs Up the Wall = birthday candle (sing Happy Birthday, then with lots of wind blow out your candle!)

Mountain (stand tall and proud like a mountain, remember mountains are strong and sturdy and do not blow and move in the wind!)

Now its your turn! Share some of your favourite yoga postures and the friendly names you and your child(ren) have adopted for them!

Namaste,

~A

Little Lotus Mom & Baby Yoga

We are excited to offer our Little Lotus Mom & Baby Yoga class starting in September at The Glebe Neighborhood Activity Group (www.gnag.ca) on Tuesday mornings from 10:30-11:30. Regain strength, flexibility and stamina as you bond with your baby in a supportive and welcoming environment. Tone and length your muscles, strengthen your posture, relax and rejuvenate, relieve tension in the upper body, and safely rebuild core strength. Enjoy special time with your baby, either holding your baby in your arms, leaning against your leg, on your front, sitting in your lap or resting on a blanket. You are asked to please bring a blanket for your baby /toddler to sit on and a few favourite toys. Special time will be made for the little ones to enjoy their own yoga and bond with mom through touch, movement and massage.

This class has been advertised as 6 months to walking (up to 23 months), but newborns are welcome as well! Our goal is to create a welcoming environment for new and veteran mothers and their little ones. This is an informal atmosphere where babes are welcome to lay on their own mat or crawl and walk around. Its about creating a community of support and fun for mothers and young children while sharing the wonderful practice of yoga.

Questions? don't hesitate to send an email or connect on Twitter @AmandaDeGrace

Namaste
A

Yummy Clothing

As a busy mom you spend most of your day caring for your children, preparing meals, doing laundry, organizing playdates and activities, along with a hundred other small details which must be carried through to ensure your day is as smooth as possible.

But do you feel comfortable, chic and yummy in the clothes you are wearing throughout the day?

As a busy caregiver to two young, vibrant and busy children and a yoga and wellness instructor I know the importance of purchasing clothes that can be worn from the fitness room to the coffee shop, groceries, playdates, swim lessons and poopy diapers and spit up along the way. Needless to say not only do these clothes need to be appropriate for your day but easily washable and look good at all times!

I am sharing with you my top must have clothing items for travelling, day to day wear and to the fitness or yoga studio.

1. Lululemon's Jesus pant. These come in spectacular colours, with Fall colours coming out very soon! Dress these pants up for a night on the town, to playgroup and to class!

2. TranquiliT wrap dress. Wrap it over your workout clothes and you are ready for the day! Wonderful fun dress that can be worn with heels for at night, or flip flops at the playground!

3. Lululemon Parachute Bag. Okay, have to admit weekends and night time this bag is all about me. Inside are my car keys, make up bag, change of clothes after fitness class and ipod. Plus there is still room for all my books, planner and other items! Daytime this spacious bag turns fills up with pull ups, wipes, juice, water bottles, snacks upon snacks (at the end of everyday there are always goldfish crackers in the bottom somewhere) and other paraphernalia for swim lessons, gymnastics camp, and days at the wading pool. This bag can hold EVERYTHING and MORE!

4. TranquiliT cardi shawl is an all in one master piece! Wear it soooo many fun and chic ways for various looks. Dress it up for evening, throw it on when you are chilled at your kids soccer game or snuggle in it with your little one. Fab colours available!

5. Okay, I am sure most people have this next article of clothing covered as I have seen them everywhere. If you don't have a Lululemon hoodie sweater you are missing out on one of the warmest, most comfortable and snuggly sweater out there. With a variety of colours it can be hard to choose just one!

So there it is, my top 5 items that I cannot live without in my closet! Have any I have missed and you would like to share? Please leave a comment!

You can visit TranquiliT at www.tranquilit.com and Lululemon at www.Lululemon.com or at any of their store locations.

Join our facebook group Little Lotus Yoga or follow along on twitter at Amanda DeGrace

Namaste,
Amanda

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It "Otay", Just Relax, I start again next week

This is what child #2 said to me this week as we have been working on toilet training and he has continued to have "accident" after "accident" of bowel movements. He is trying so hard and is only 2 and seems to be well on his way. He is eager to do it but gets too busy playing and then says its too late. After cleaning poopy pants for the 5th time I was trying to stay calm but children can read our body language. He always knows when I am happy, sad, angry, etc. and he is not afraid to ask me. As I took his pants and underwear off to clean him up he looked up at me with his big innocent eyes and said "it otay manda, just relax, I start again next week". All I could do was break out in a huge smile and give him a big and cuddly hug. Then the guilt hit of why don't I just relax. This is not a big deal at all. Kids know what to say to make the world continue to spin around and make the days go by easier.

This got me thinking. How often as parents, caregivers, teachers, family members do we really take time to take a deep breathe and say its okay. I can relax. I can try that again. Kids have the greatest wisdom, its so down to earth and natural for them.

So, the next time you find yourself frazzled and need to let go or relax. Remember the famous words of a 2 year old "it otay, just relax, you can start again!"

Namaste
A

Yoga Inc by John Philp

Just finished reading the book Yoga Inc by John Philp. It caught my attention on a walk with the kids the other day and I actually managed to remember the name of the book to order from Amazon later that night. As a book fanatic and enthusiastic yogi I enjoy reading anything I can get my hands on that is movement, meditation and yoga related!

If you are looking for the low down on some of the behind the scenes happenings over the years with some of America's best known guru's and yogis pick it up for a read. Ever wonder what really went down with Bikram and how he managed to copyright and create such a strict franchise? Never heard the juicy details behind a well known Guru who slept with his students while preaching Bramacharya (celibacy)? If you think yoga may not be for you because it is for those who seek perfection and believe in putting all their faith and energy into a guru who is supposed to "change your life" "show you a new way of living that will improve your life drastically", etc then this book may be a good one for you. Philp details the "Americanization" of yoga and what has happened over the years since yoga studios have popped up on every street corner, yoga pants are worn in some workplaces, dinners out and can be found at anytime you are out people watching and living a yogic lifestyle has become the "cool thing" to do.

Take a read, let me know what you thought of it!

Namaste
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Create your summer intention

Summer is in full swing and its official......school is out. I have been hearing mixed blessings regarding having no school for the next 2 months. Yes, that means no structured time to rush out the door in the morning with children in tow.

Where to start with the planning can be a little overwhelming for some. Lessen the anxiety by creating an intention with your kids for each day. See what they are interested in, what makes them tick and say 'WOW!' Get down to their level and let your inner child shine along with your kids!

I have created the intention of making this my best summer yet with the kids. Since I hope to start my own family soon this may be my last summer spending everyday with T&S and its important to me that it makes a lasting impression of allowing them to be free and nurture their inner spirits. I want nothing but the best for them and having a fun filled summer full of giggles, friends, parks, special outings and cuddles is on our horizon ahead.

T & I had a brainstorm session with what she may like to do to ensure she was able to provide input and guide her summer in the direction that allows her heart to shine. The verdict? Playdates, Storyland, papanack zoo, Saunders farm, wading pools, little rays reptiles and splash pads watch out......here we come with fun intentions, sunscreen and giggles!

Now its your turn, what is your families summer intention?
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Family Yoga at Rockcliffe Park

Join in on the fun this summer as a family! Family yoga is open to anybody over the age of 2! This class is special for the months of July and August and will be held Saturday mornings from 9 to 10 am at the Rockcliffe Park Communty Center. Registration is now open and you can register online at www.ottawa.ca or by calling your local community center.

Little Lotus family classes will engage and captivate the interest of the whole family while incorporating asana (yoga posture), pranayama (breath work), and meditation, through songs, games and activity.

No experience is required and is open to all ages and abilities. There will be something for everyone as we move our bodies, free the mind and allow the spirit to soar.

Hope to see you and your family on the first Saturday of July!


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I was moved to watery eyes today in class when one of the young girls shared that she had been growing her hair out to cut it for kids with cancer. This then started a conversation on everything from what is cancer, to how we can give and share with others, to how it feels for a child to lose their hair when already faced with a scary illness. Sharing circle hit very close to home today for me as my younger sister battled cancer from the age of 14 to 18. She is now healthy at the age of 23 and is registered nurse and giving back to others fantastic treatment that she received as a patient.
It was amazing to be surrounded by such caring 6 to 12 year olds in a safe and nurturing environment where everyone felt comfortable to share their thoughts on cancer and for some how it had affected the life of someone they know.

We are all learning to listen to the wise wisdom of Gandhi and be the change in the world that we want to see.

Namaste and keep on being the change!
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Music has the ability to empower individuals in various manners. Today in class we shared some very powerful music by MC Yogi, with his song "Be the Change" and with a class full of 6-12 year olds we had a wonderful discussion about Gandhi.  The input and thoughts that the students put forward were enough to bring tears to my eyes and want to lead by example even more. A few of the students were extremely familiar with Gandhi and were open to sharing their thoughts with the others, and its always nice to see everyone share their thoughts while the others actively listen attentively.  As we did our sun salutations to this powerful music the energy in the room instantly felt lifeted, more positive and radiating.  A huge thank you and loving kindness to all those who shared in todays magical class! 

 

If you are interested in hearing this powerful song, or others by MC Yogi, they are available on iTunes to download.  I look forward to sharing another powerful and enjoyable tune next week!

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Physical Activity Improves Grades

Was catching up on some research articles, clips and magazine that have been piling up for me to read up on and came across something I wanted to share. Its not something new for most of us, but my question is why are the education boards and the government not catching onto the fact that our children ARE NOT getting enough physical activity. I find it disheartening that the government would declare that children require at least 30 minutes of physical activity a day, but most students and parents I have talked to said that their children are not getting this. As a full time nanny I also see this time and time again. Gym class is cut short becuase another class needed it, a school event, somebody misbehaved so their time was cut short for the whole class, etc. To top it off most schools do not even have specialized teachers for physical activity classes. Would you let your general medical doctor also be your dentist? I don't think so. Okay, maybe thats a bit of an extreme but a yoga teacher is a yoga teacher and not necessarily a therapist so why wouldn't we expect our children to have a specialized PE teacher and somebody else to teach the children throughout the day. Not only do our children require somebody to lead them through a PE class who is experienced and knowledgeable about the body we should not put more stress on our school teachers to also teach PE when some are not overly familiar and comfortable with this subject in the first place.

So here is a small clip from my Fitness Business Canada magazine:

"In one of the latest studies in this field, James Pivarnik, president-elect of the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) and a professor of kinesiology at Michigan State University in East Lansing, and colleages found that middle-school students who performed best on fitness tests-which gauged aerobic capacity, strength, endurance, flexibility and body composition-performed better academically as well. Results from the study, which included 317 students in grades six through eight, showed that the fitness group of students scored almost 30 percent higher on standardized tests than the least fit group. And the least fit students had grades in four core classes that were 13 percent to 20 percent lower than all kids, according to findings presented at a recent ACSM meeting."

So, I know the research is American, but as Canadians we are not much healthier as a society. Its time to take charge, develop healthier children who enjoy moving their bodies, freeing their minds and letting their spirit soar. If we all work together we can acheive more.....let's do it!

Favourite Books

I wanted to take an opportunity to share with some of my favourite childrens books that I enjoy using in my children's yoga classes. They all share wonderful stories and encourage and motivate children to be themselves and develops healthy self esteem and self image. Enjoy!

Unstoppable Me! by Wayne Dyer
Incredible Me! by Wayne Dyer
Fun is a Feeling by: Chara Curtis
My Daddy is a Pretzel by: Baron Baptiste
The Happiest Tree by: Uma Krishnaswami
My Five Senses by: Aliki
Can You Say Peace? by Karen Katz
Today I feel Silly by: Jamie Lee Curtis
Babar's Yoga for Elephants