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!
Sent wirelessly from my BlackBerry device on the Bell network.
Envoyé sans fil par mon terminal mobile BlackBerry sur le réseau de Bell.

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

Children's Yoga....Doctor Recommended!

Wow! I just got off the phone with a dear friend of mine who has two school aged children. Her little boy has been having pains in his body....growing pains. Do you know what their family doctor recommended??? YOGA! That's right, the ball is rolling, and even more people than ever are starting to see the benefits of yoga for children (and adults). I am over joyed that a medical doctor would take the time to recommend yoga to a family for an issue that can be overcome with yoga posture movenent and relaxation techniques!

Gotta run...time for my yoga!

Namaste
~A

Family Appreciation Day for St. Laurent Little Lotus participant

I sit here looking out onto the sunny deck with lovely fall foliage, a delightful cup of green tea and am enjoying watching the squirrels as they collect food. The weather has been fantastic in Ottawa the last three days, but being November and all its bound to get colder soon.

I wanted to share with all of our Little Lotus participants at the St. Laurent complex that we will be having a Little Lotus appreciation day on Friday December 5th from 6-6:55p.m. Each participant is invited to bring a friend to share in the fun of our class together. Family members, including mom, dad, brothers, sisters, grandparents, etc. are invited to come and join as well! This class is a time for participants to share with their friends and families what they have accomplished and what they are learning as they move forward along their yogic path.

Winter registration is open for our Little Lotus programs offered at the St. Laurent Complex and Rockcliffe Park Recreation centre.

Looking for something fun to do with the fam this weekend? Check out the Rockcliffe Park School book sale this weekend (November 7, 8, 9th) for a fantastic (but overwhelming for book lovers like me!) selection of gently used books. All funds raised go to the Help Lesotho fundraiser.

Namaste
~a

Cleansing our Internal and External Environments

The leaves are changing colour and are filling the atmosphere with brilliant shades of reds and yellows and all of our Little Lotus Fall programs are in full swing. It has once again been a while since my last post, as I begin to get settled in my own home (my first home purchase) with my lovely beau! We are finally organized and it is nice to have all my things out of the boxes. However, with the move also came a much needed cleanse. An inner cleanse and an outer. Not only did I set aside time to begin seeing a naturopath (something I have wanted to do for a long time in being more proactive and holistic with my health) but also an external cleanse which included alot of purging of household items that I had just grown attached to for no apparent rhyme or reason.

As I take time to reflect on my cleanses and the positive effect they have had on my life, both internal and external, it brings forth memories of each time we do our No/Yes meditation in our children's yoga classes. Watching the children relieve and invite anger, discouragement and other negative feelings to leave their mind, body and soul as they get out all their NO's, followed by inviting YES''s to enter their mind, body and soul and the relaxation and joy it brings to their faces and movement. So if you have a little yogi who you sometimes hear screaming NO, NO, NO repetitively, followed by YES, YES, YES its because they are taking the time to acknowledge and relieve theirselves of any negative thoughts and invite positive one's to enter their body.

Interested in learning more about Children's Yoga or becoming a children''s yoga teacher? Check out the Radiant Child program being offered at Rama Lotus at www.ottawayoga.com There will be a course offered the last weekend in November.

Namaste

Amanda