Dear Mom & Dad,

Thank you SOOO much for FORCING me to go to camp every summer. I’m sure I complained a lot and I’m sorry!  I was homesick and I didn’t like the food and they made me get up early.

But now that I’m all grown up I totally understand why you sent me away. I learned how to become independent. I made tons of friends and thanks to FB they are ALL back!  =)

I became skilled in lots of things that I otherwise might not have ever learned how to do. I mean it’s not like you were going to teach me how to short sheet a bed, or make lanyard necklaces.  Oh yeah, and I even learned how to make a hospital corner. I was so busy at camp I didn’t miss my favorite television shows. And now I can play catch up on Netflix anyways.

I met kids from other states with different accents and different backgrounds and we all learned how to live together.

Mom and Dad….camp was so much fun that I grew up and became a Camp Director so I could share that fun with many children.  After 11 years of running a camp in Virginia I am now going to have my very own camp in Florida. And unlike the rustic camp I attended in Maine, Camp Kidding Around Yoga will have carpeted bunks with air conditioning. I consider this a bare necessity in Fla.   Oh yeah…I have a great staff. And of course a few of your grandchildren will be helping me to make this fabulous week become a reality for the kids. Evan your favorite son in law is employed as the music director and with Cassie, Rudra and Swami Vidyananda by my side all week, we are prepared to keep the kids on their Yoga toes.

Thanks to all the moms and dads out there who understand the benefits of sleep over camp for kids. And of course we hope to see you in July!

POSES: DOLPHIN/CAT/TABLE/BOAT/PLOW/
MOUNTAIN/CHAIR/WARRIOR/BUTTERFLY
BEE/FLYING/TV

Keisha the Dolphin and Olivia CAT were sitting at the park at a TABLE doing their homework.

Keisha the DOLPHIN said she was studying about Black history month. Olivia the CAT was doing her math and asked her to tell her about what she was writing.

She started out by saying that African people came to America on BOATS to become slaves. They were treated very poorly even though they farmed the land and PLOWED the fields to make America beautiful.

Olivia the CAT asked her to share some of the stories of the people she was writing about.

Keisha the DOLPHIN told her about the first woman astronaut named Dr. Jemison. She FLEW into orbit around the world. She told her about Martin Luther King who said we should let freedom ring from one MOUNTAIN TOP to another all over America. She told her about Rosa Parks who refused to sit in a CHAIR in the back of the bus. She told her about a famous boxer who would not become a WARRIOR in the army but was the greatest boxer ever and he said: I float like a BUTTERFLY and sting like a BEE and my name is Muhamed Ali.

And of course our first African American president who used to live in Hawaii but FLEW on an AIRPLANE to come here and lead our great country

Olivia had learned about some of these people on TV…but was very excited to learn more. She offered to teach Keisha about the exciting fractions she was studying but they both agreed it had been a long day so they both decided to lay down and take a nap at the park…Deep Relaxation!

 
Gratefulness

It’s no surprise that the word gratefulness is located just below my vacation home. The ever fabulous YURTANANDA in YOGAVILLE. I am so grateful to have this refuge from my fast paced life. I come here sometimes to knit, practice hatha, meditate, hike, nap, etc. This visit is clearly a typing trip. Ok I slept until 11:00 yesterday!! I love my yurt! My barking doggies are in St. Pete, there is no doorbell, my cell doesn’t work here, and I have 26 acres of land on the James River to enjoy.

The last time I was in my yurt I received an email from a lovely lady in Costa Rica, asking if she could come to my training in the States. If you know me than you know my three favorite things on the planet are: Yoga, Traveling and having fun. So of course I said to her: “Oh don’t schlep your poor little body all the way to the states….I’ll come to you!”  I am so grateful to Mariela and Pia of FITYOGIS.ORG in San Jose, Costa Rica for enabling me to make my first international voyage with KAY. We had fun. We bonded. The kids were great. I’m going back in March to do a full teachers training and to spread some more KAY love around.

I am grateful for my partner Cassie Dixon. She is an incredible kids yoga teacher and I am proud to be able to work with her.

I am also so grateful for all the teachers who have really embraced the teachings we share. They are out there and making the magic happen. I have given up a lot of teaching time to FB, TWEET, write, invent, sing, record, package, market, organize and do all the things you need to have done to have a successful business. It has been emotionally challenging to give up all that hands on time with the kids…..but knowing how many more kids are being reached now is comforting!

I am so grateful to so many folks who have helped KAY over the last few years. Rdesign, Kelli, Lona, Mark, Prem, Magela, Swami Vidyananda. Yes KAY has their very own Swami. Huge amounts of gratefulness right there! She keeps me on track in terms of keeping things real. I like to think as whacky as our style of Yoga can sometimes be it all comes from the teachings of Swami Satchidananda. Kids learn through play. And boy do we play hard. But we don’t veer away from the traditional teachings.  Yes I am grateful for Integral Yoga and my Guru.

And of course my hubby Evan. Shnukums…I promise you will be able to sleep once again. This creative stage can’t possibly go on forever!

So It’s almost time for the holidays. The vibe changes for a few weeks, life gets hectic, sometimes having too much family around is stressful. If you’re reading this you know what to do! Practice your pranayama, breathe! Meditate! Do a few salutations to the sun. And now….put your computer down for a few moments and think: What are YOU grateful for?

Poses: Camel/Cobra/Lion/ChooChoo/Boat/Happy Baby/Table/Chair

(iIn a KAY class CHOO CHOO walking…..on your “tush”…..staff position….move your right leg and your left arm…..then move your left leg and your right arm….and so on and so on….chooo chooo!)

Jane’s favorite time of year is here!!! Each Christmas, her grandmother told Jane a story while she went to her SECRET GARDEN before bed.  It helped Jane to relax and remember the true meaning of Christmas.

Jane’s grandmother began, “Once upon a time, a long time ago, a LION and his wife had to take a very long journey.  The passed many CAMELS and COBRAS while walking through the desert.  But, the LION and his wife were not distracted and kept walking. When the LION and his wife made it to their destination, they found there was no room for them at the den.  They walked from den to den and each den leader replied, ‘No room, not even a BOAT!’  Finally the last den leader showed the LION to a hidden patch of grass behind the den.  The LION was not happy but knew his wife needed a place to lie her head.  The HAPPY BABY would arrive soon.”

Jane always felt so sad at this point in the story.  The LION’S wife was pregnant and couldn’t travel much farther as she was so very tired.  Jane thought about her mom and how her growing belly meant they’d hear a HAPPY BABY laugh very soon.  Every time Jane’s mom asked her to do more chores, it was like the LION’S wife looking for a place to rest.  From then on, Jane remembered to wipe the TABLE clean and push in her CHAIR.  She even put away her CHOO CHOO train before dad stepped on it.

Poses:   Bow/Arrow/Lion/Star/Warrior/Tree/Lotus/Boat/Child

David sat under a TREE by the lake at school after his detention. He had to stay late because was being punished for being such a bully. For years he had thought he was cool for being fierce like a LION. He roared at all the little kids on the playground. Sometimes he even pretended he was a WARRIOR in the hallways. He would walk around holding his toy BOW and ARROW. His friends all thought he was really funny, until one day when they saw Sarah, a young CHILD from the first grade draw a picture in her journal. She was sitting under a STAR and making a wish that David would stop bullying her. In her picture she had tears in her eyes. They all felt so badly for Sarah that they came to talk to David and sat under the TREE with him. David agreed that he wanted to learn how to become a kinder person. He saw Sarah playing with her little BOAT in the lake and he went over to her and apologized. She said it was ok as long as he didn’t do it to anybody ever again. There were LOTUS FLOWERS on the lake and they both sat and meditated for a few minutes together. David felt calm and peaceful and thanked Sarah for forgiving him and teaching him how to MEDITATE. 

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I am so honored to have so many trainees out there teaching so many classes. Spreading that KAY love all over the world. Things are busy and I’ve got an ear to ear grin on me at all times.   I was feeling a bit guilty about not teaching so much and missing my little kids….but these days I feel honored and blessed to know that my “trainees” are running around doing all that work for me while I record, and post and blog and advertise and do whatever I have to do to create more fantastic teachers around the world. Hey why don’t YOU join us!?    =)

KIDS: We have a new kid in our class named Sammy.
HARIS: Why don’t you invite him in to Yoga?
KIDS: The other boys told him it’s for girls.
HARIS: Well you know what I always do when a boy says that? I teach him the crow. Why don’t you go get Sammy.
SAMMY ENTERS THE ROOM
HARIS: Hi Sammy. I heard you were very athletic and I know you don’t want to do Yoga but I thought maybe I’d teach you to do the crow. It’s really hard to do, but I know how strong you are…wanna try?
SAMMY: OK
HARIS TEACHES SAMMY THE CROW….HE NAILS IT THE FIRST TIME…PLUS HE CAN SIT IN LOTUS AND HE’S VERY FLEXIBLE AND TOTALLY CUTE SO I KNOW I HAVE TO HAVE HIM IN MY CLASS!
HARIS: That’s awesome Sammy …I know you don’t want to do Yoga so you can go back to your class now. Thanks for comin.
SAMMY: No I want to stay! Can I stay in class?

NEED I SAY ANYMORE….IT WORKS LIKE A CHARM EVERY TIME!

But really…..WHO WOULDA THUNK IT?