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February is full of hearts; heart candy, heart arts & crafts, heart decorations and hearts all over greeting cards. They say Valentine’s Day is a Hallmark created holiday. Meh…I say who cares and celebrate the heart-ones in your life. While you are at it, open...
EP. 42 | Karma Yoga: teaching children about selfless service and taking action Show Notes In a yoga-based context, Karma means selfless service and taking action. Every action we take in our daily lives and how we do those actions without expectations of recognition...
The other day, all of my students in yoga class were plopped, sprawled, and splayed upon the floor. They had managed to get themselves into the studio, take off their shoes, unroll their mats, and collapse. It was like dominos. One of them on the floor gave the rest...
In your mind, picture an empty plot of land being prepared to plant a garden. The garden plot lies warm in the sun. The soil has been turned and is well-nourished with rich, organic compost. Earthworms, ladybugs, butterflies, and bees are plentiful to keep the garden...
When I go into my kid’s yoga class, I tell them that meditating is the most important thing they will ever learn in their whole life. Yoga makes our bodies strong and also our minds. We work on the muscles through the poses and I ask them to show me their muscles....
Kindness is an important part of practicing yoga. In your physical yoga practice, you want to be kind to your body. And, out in the world, you want to be kind to others. In my children's yoga classes, we practice Karma Yoga – performing acts of kindness with no...
“For real change to take place, the body needs to learn that the danger has passed and to live in the reality of the present.” -Bessel Van Der Kolk, M.D. from The Body Keeps the Score The basic elements of a yoga practice (movement, breath work, and meditation) help...
Here in the northern hemisphere, we are stepping deeper into the autumn season. The temperature changes, the colors change and the daylight changes all affect our children in obvious and subtle ways. Let's help them embrace the inevitability of change and the beauty...
"Mindfulness- A state of active, open, intentional attention on the present." Psychology Today "Mindfulness" seems to be a popular buzzword going around lately, but really it’s something that ancient civilizations knew and practiced. Our “monkey mind” (as Buddhists...
A few years ago, I participated in a course called “The Happiness Program.” One of the activities we did was to go to every member of the group, look them in the eyes and say, “I belong to you.” The whole situation brought out awkwardness, shy smiles, and some...
One thing we say quite frequently in our home is “What team are you on?” This question gets asked during times of bickering, but also general discontent. The correct answer is “I am on team Ruggieri.” We have teams in all areas of our life: family, friends, sports,...
It’s no secret that everyone needs a tribe. A sangha. As humans, we thrive when we have support, help, and friendship. We tend to gravitate towards those people more like ourselves and grow our community from there. And that’s okay! However, it’s a good thing to build...
Near the end of each yoga class I teach, whether to children or adults, we all bow to each other. I was taught that the bow has three parts, each of which aligns our hearts and minds with our bodies, and my favorite bow instruction is this: "Sit Like a Mountain...
Saucha, or purity, is one of the key ideas Patanjali wrote about in the Yoga Sutras. It is vital in clearing the mind and creating a strong, healthy body. Most kids are probably not concerned with purity, especially when making messes is so much more fun! Of course,...
Many in the northern hemisphere look forward to the month of March. This is when the spring or vernal equinox occurs, usually around March 19-21. The spring equinox signals the transition from a long, dark winter to a light-filled spring. Of course, in the southern...
Watch at your leisure!
Watch at your leisure!
