National Honesty Day

As I was roaming the online world this afternoon,
I came across that today is National Honesty Day.
If you look it up you'll discover that it was created in
1991 by a press secretary that wrote a book.  I am not
going into any political realm or link for this one.

Well...my brain went straight to yoga honesty.

What does it mean to be honest on the mat?
Off the mat?
Is truthfulness, satya, the same as honesty? 

What are we honest about to others, but what are we honest to ourselves about?
Or more, what aren't we honest about?

Am I honest about my fears, desire, hopes or do I trudge through trying to be honest and not allowing the time to listen?

What are my desires?  I know every morning I desire to wake up in a happy mood, but understand that I don't wake up chipper.  I wake up slowly to drink a cup of coffee I desire and then desire to sit on my living room mat.  Delving into breathing, managing to work into childs pose and slowly move through spine work to down dog.  Eventually my happiness begins to bubble and I do my best to choose happiness.  But desires are huge and random.  I desire a clean house.  I desire love.  I desire companionship.  I desire stability.  I desire the time to craft.  I desire time to live calmly with my girls.  I desire to teach more yoga and make yoga my "day" job. I desire clean sheets and happy dreams.

But I'm realistic that my desires are not always reality.  My house is rarely clean and I don't have the time I desire, but so many of my other desires are attainable.  And they are intuitive to my life.  That offers hope.  Creates less fear in my waking life.

I will continue to look into my desires this week, moving to hopes and fears...and be honest where I am today in those thoughts.

Om.

Partner Yoga

Just watched this great video on Partner Yoga with school age kids.  So much gratitude for sharing!

Partner Yoga

Namaste.

Storytime Yoga

One of my favorite groups of yogi's: Storytime kids!

On Thursday my co-worker and I are attending a Children's Librarian Workshop.  We are to bring our favorite storytime/ craft activity.  I am taking one of my Storytime Yoga favorites.  I originally started doing storytime yoga before I "offically" began teaching and was introduced to the book Storytime Yoga by Sydney Solis.  She is a wonderful storyteller and I appreciate all the tips she gives in the book.  My storytime classes are loosely based on her style, using some of the same warm ups.  This is only one small portion.  It is a book I would recommend if you are considering using it in your library. Librarians and teachers could use this book in their classroom/building with ease.  Though I give poses to go with certain animals, please feel free to incorporate your own.  If you work with kids, then you know as much as you lead--you follow.  Have fun.  Enjoy.

Storytime yoga: Drum theme

Introduction:
We are going to be doing yoga with stories. Yoga is a way to stretch your body and your minds.

Sitting up straight/happy vs. slouched/sad.:
example: do i look happy? shoulders slumped? no...sit up straight, now do i look happy? Yes.

favorite instrument? ice cream? food?

Om:
If you took all the sounds in the universe and played them at the same time. Bring our hands to our heart, anjali mudra and ocean of OM’s for 1 minute approximately.

Centering:
close eyes; think of garden--where you are happy

Warm up:
Light house; Sitting criss cross applesauce , ask if anyone knows what a lighthouse is. Imagine your eyes are like the light looking over the water and your body is the lighthouse that will change shapes. Look over right, left, down and up. As you look up you see a bird, begin flapping arms like a bird flying. Become the bird. Look down and see yourself landing on the beach. You crash into the shore like a boat. Be a boat. Sing “Row, Row, Row your boat” and roll back and forth on back. The boat stops and you touch your toes and become a crab. Do the crabwalk in your area. You don’t want the crab to get your toes so lift one leg, then the other--then stand up with arms overhead and become a mountain.

Sun Salutations:
The sun the sun i salute the sun i open my heart to everyone, the sun rise the sun sets in the whole world my heart rests, again i rise ready to live happy to be ready to give, the sun the sun i salute the sun i open my heart to everyone

Story: How the Drum Came to the People (salish) first without movement;
then with movement.


Partner Poses if possible, Favorite part of story,

Affirmations with fingertip breathing; closing hands into loose fists on exhale, opening on inhale--like flowers.

Shavasana:
Lay on back with eyes closed, one hand on belly other on heart, sun/cloud/drum/ visual. Tell them we are resting with our eyes closed for a few seconds. We are going to see who can be most quiet. It will feel long to them, but usually can lay still for about 1 minute.

Namaste song,:
Namaste is what you say to the good in me and the good in you, sing namaste everyday and the world will live in harmony.

Om ending:
sitting happy ocean of oms

Craft:
Make drums. Cut brown paper to fit a large red/blue cup/oatmeal container/coffeecan.
Have kids decorate paper with their own shapes. Have Native American Indian symbols available as examples. Cut off the top of a balloon and stretch over the top of the container.
Possibly play drum music.

How the Drum Came to the People
Long ago, the Sun *large arm circles* looked down upon his people. He saw that they were quiet and their hearts were heavy, so he sent for wise Coyote.
*Down Dog*

“Why are my people so sad? Sun asked Coyote. “I have given them warmth and light. They have plants and animals. But still they are silent.

“Sun father that is true. You have given people many things, food, warmth, shelter but they have no way to let out whats in their hearts..
The winds *twirl*, rain *wiggle fingers*, birds *bird arms or eagle* and trees *tree* all know how to sing, but humans *warrior* do not.
“I want humans to be happy as the others, go back to earth and find some ways for the humans to call out the sounds in their hearts.

Coyote *down dog* went back to earth and began to walk when he met Beaver.*childs pose*
He told Beaver I am looking for some way to help humans call forth the song in their hearts.

Beaver said we need a skin that has not been tanned. We will steal the young hunters tanned skins so he will need to go hunting. Coyote nodded and said that is a good plan, Bluejay, Elk, Wind and Fire will help.

That night Coyote sang a soft song to put the hunter to sleep so they could steal all his tanned skins.
When he woke up the next morning he was very angry. *Warrior 1 into Warrior 2*
He asked Blue jay *bird*what happened. Blue jay told him two wise ones took it. He must hunt an elk to be warm for the winter.
So the young hunter shot an elk. *Dhanurasana/Bow and arrow/Ask what an elk looks like* Elks spirit met Coyote and Beaver, the plan was working.
The young man *warrior 1*took the hide. It was wind and fire;s turn to help.
Wind dried and fire burned off all the hairs.
The young hunter was angry again. He threw the hide over a hollow stump. *Act like you’re throwing a blanket down*
The sun shining hot and bright in the sky dried it to the stump.

His village was ready to move and when he went to get the hide, it was stuck on the stump making the hunter angrier...he was so angry he took a stick and began beating the hide. *drum beat on the floor*
To his surprise it made the sound like a thunderbird. This touched his heart and made him happy.Far down the mountain the people heard the sound asking where did you get the power to made such a sound.

It is heart *place hands over heart*, the voices are in this stump. He beat on the dry skin, the voices spoke and the people listened. The peoples hearts grew light and they began to dance in a circle while he struck the drum again and again.
Up in the sky the sun *sun large arms* listened and smiled. His people were no longer sad...they brought happiness to their hearts.

Space between

What I am noticing
is the space
between
in
ex
hale
a
i
l
   teaching to breathe

between
   the
     spaces

and now
as she sat to explain the same
and the words i read reinvented the idea

i will take time to notice my own
the teaching within the teaching

the space between
in
ex
before
after
being
doing
remembering
being
between
life
non-life

om

What was I thinking?

Thursday night is beginners class.  It's been the most pleasant surprise...one month I was ready to throw in the towel and 3 months later, it's thriving.  I don't think it has much to do with me, but timing and love.   I love teaching it, but I love seeing these beginning students 'doing' which is 'being' yoga for an hour.  For some it's a natural flow of who they are, for others--it's physically challenging...which is why I feel guilty.

What was I thinking?  Really...I struggle to keep the class at a beginners level, with some challenge thrown in to help others, but tonight I did this flow that I've done with the intermediate classes this week.  It was a struggle for them--so needless to say it was for the beginners too.

Some where very happy to be challenged, others were looking at me like I had lost my mind...but at the end of class they seemed very happy to have tried something new.  So, I guess it's ok--but next week I will be more realistic.  I don't know if ego got in the way or it was calling me to have them explore space..but I'm feeling kinda guilty.  It's all good...but next week, I'll listen better.