Music

Halloween Monster Yoga

With Halloween coming up next week, I planned a fun Monster Yoga lesson for the kids.

I found the cutest Sesame Street video on YouTube  called Belly Breathe by Common & Colbie Caillat

Sometimes the monster that’s inside you
Is a monster that is mad
It’s a monster who is angry
It’s a monster who feels bad.
When your monster wants to throw things
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There’s a way to calm your monster and chill your inner monster out.

Belly breathe gonna breathe right through it
Belly breathe this is how you do it.

The kids LOVED the video and were mesmerized watching Elmo while doing their BALLOON (Belly) Breathing.

Next we did a Skeleton Warmup, where I went around the circle and asked each child what part of their skeleton body they wanted to warm up.  There was some head shaking, toe wiggling, arm raising, foot stomping with lots of laughter and fun going on!

I read them an adorable book called Where’s My Mummy? by Carolyn Crimi, which is about a little mummy who plays “Hide & Shriek” with his Mama Mummy and then he can’t find her.

wheres-my-mummy-book-cover

The Baby Mummy sets out to find his MUMMY and meets lots of friendly monsters along the way, like BONES, GLOB and DRAC the VAMPIRE, but he is not scared, her keeps looking for his MUMMY.  The book has lots of fun actions that the children can pretend to do along with the mummy and the other monsters, like TROMPING, BRUSHING your teeth, WIGGLING your head and FLAPPING your wings.  Of course, there are lots of other animals and yoga poses in the book, like FROG, TREE, BAT, and MOUSE too, so we got lots of yoga in too!  The book was perfect for the Halloween season and the children enjoyed the sound effects and illustrations in the book, as they waited for me to turn the page to see what happened next!

Stay tuned for another fun Halloween lesson plan next week…

By: Category: Books, Children, Creativity, Fun, Inspiration, Kids Yoga, Music, Teaching, Theme Classes, Yoga

Yoga Dance

After a month of Meditation and Mindfulness lessons, I wanted to treat my little yogis to a month of Imagination and Play!

Music and Dance are both good for the soul and music is always a big hit in my yoga classes~ so I decided to do a lesson where this kids could express themselves to music while doing yoga too!  Thanks to Angela’s wonderful review on OMazing Kids, I came across an awesome Kids Yoga CD called OMWORK by Kidding Around Yoga.

om_work_cd_cover

There are some really fun yoga dance and movement songs/games on the CD like Hip Hop Yoga Bop, which is a lot like a YOGA FREEZE DANCE.  The children free dance to a funky upbeat song and when the music stops, I call out a yoga pose and we all FREEZE in that pose!  The song even has a little rap with some positive messages about doing yoga:

If you wanna feel good and you wanna be strong, then do your yoga all day long…Breathe, Stretch and Meditate…Be peaceful and be really kind…You’re focused, kind and loving, it’s amazing what yoga brings to you…you see everything in a whole new light…remember to practice every day…

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The last song I used was If Your’e Happy and You Know It because it is a popular kids song that all kids love and it includes a sequence of posers that lead right into Savasana.  I began by singing the original chorus of the song with the children,  We sang and clapped our hands and then I told them we were going to hear a new song and learn some new yoga poses too! The children loved learning some new poses, like Rag Doll and Forward Bend. Then the song leads perfectly into quiet time:

If your’e happy and you know it, take a rest…

The OM WORK CD also has two soothing relaxation songs, one called Garden Dreams is instrumental and has flute and nature sounds, so I played this in the background as I guided them through a visualization of being in their own beautiful garden and engaged all their sense by asking what they see see and hear and feel there.

When they came out of their meditation, we sang a closing song and then I asked the children to share about what they saw in their “garden“.  I got some beautiful responses, like they were planting in their garden, flowers, bunnies and fairies. Some children were more descriptive and it was amazing to hear that they had a positive experience during Savasana.

By: Category: Children, Creativity, Fun, Kids Yoga, Music, Theme Classes, Yoga

Teaching Children about Meditation

peace child

This month’s theme in my yoga classes is Mindfulness and Meditation.

Since I work mostly with preschoolers, ages 2 to 5, the idea of calming the mind can be a lofty and challenging concept to teach.  Young children may not really understand how  the mind is always going, but they DO understand that sometimes it can be hard to LISTEN or to FOCUS on learning  or SIT STILL in school.

Last week, I taught the children about the many ways to QUIET their BUSY MINDS by having the experience in their bodies of moving and dancing and then standing STILL…using their BREATH, LISTENING and VISUALIZATION to help their minds become CALM.  The Busy Minds Song I used helped show the contrast between the constant movement and “busyness” of the mind and the peace and quiet that we can learn to cultivate through these simple techniques of BREATHING, MEDITATION and YOGA.

This week, I explored MINDFULNESS and what it means to be mindful in our THOUGHTS, WORDS and ACTIONS.

mindfulmovements

I used the book Mindful Movements by Thich Nhat Hanh to explain how yoga is about the connection of our BREATH with MOVEMENT. There are 10 mindful movements in the book and many of them are similar to some of the yoga poses that the children are familiar with, so we practiced taking deep breaths in and out as we did each mindful movement 3 times.

I cued them before each breath…
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Take a deep breath in and lift your arms up, breath out as you bring your arms back to your side.      

BREATHE IN….BREATHE OUT.

I explained that the movements were slow, which helps us bring our attention to our breath and our body, so we can be CALM inside.

The children really enjoyed breathing and following me, as we did the movements together.  I also added in some of their favorite yoga songs during class to mix it up a bit.

We ended class with a quiet guided visualization and the children were able to rest in Savasana, using their breath to send a calm, feeling from the top of their heads all the way down to their tip toes.

I just started an amazing CHILD MEDITATION FACILITATORS TRAINING and CERTIFICATION PROGRAM led by Sarah Wood Vallely to teach meditation to children and look forward to learning some new, creative ways to integrate meditation techniques into my classes!

By: Category: Books, Children, Creativity, Fun, Inspiration, Kids Yoga, Meditation, Music, Peace, Spirituality, Teaching, Theme Classes, Transformation, Yoga

Taming the Monkey Mind

crazy monkey

Ever feel like this? How do we calm our MONKEY MIND?

Back to school…my favorite time of year!  New Students and new lessons to explore together!

I wanted to begin the school year with a lesson about the many ways we can quiet our “monkey minds”.

After chanting OMs at the beginning of class,  I brought out one of my favorite stuffed animals CURIOUS GEORGE and explained to the children that our minds can be all over the place.  We call this a monkey mind because like monkeys are always playing and jumping and swinging around, sometimes we have so many busy, busy thoughts and ideas going around in our minds.

“Today, we are going to learn some ways to help us calm and quiet our busy minds…are you ready?”

As a warmup, I used Sara Marlowe’s wonderful mindfulness song called “Busy Minds”, which are available for download on her site.  The children did a “busy mind dance” when she was singing and when the music stopped, they had to freeze and listen, as they practiced some ways of keeping our busy minds still.   From all the laughter and smiling faces, it was easy to see that the children absolutely LOVED this activity and song!

After we discussed some of the ways (mentioned in the song) that we can calm our busy minds…breathing, listening, visualization…I told them that of course yoga is one of the best ways to do this too!

i-love-monkey-book

Next I read the book I LOVE MONKEY by Suzanne Kaufmann.  The book is about a monkey who wants to be special and tries to be all kinds of animals and objects, which were great prompts for yoga poses and movement: BUNNY (Rabbit Pose), ELEPHANT (Elephant BREATH) SQUIRREL, CHICKEN, ROBOT, BEE (Bumble Bee BREATH) and many other silly things, like Monster, Corn, Cucumber, Sushi, etc.!

While there are not many traditional yoga poses in the book, they children really enjoyed the book and making up movements for the animals, creatures and objects in the story.

Monkey Bumble Bee

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At the end of the book, the monkey decides that there is ONE thing that he is really good at being and that is… HIMSELF!  The children had fun pretending to be a MONKEY, jumping and making monkey sounds!!

I really LOVE the message in this book, that everyone is special and you can just BE WHO YOU ARE because that is what makes YOU special! Then I passed Curious George around the room and asked them to share one thing that makes them special, something they like to do or are good at…they shared so many great responses, from baseball to swimming to playing the drums to gardening to yoga even!

 For RELAXATION, I told them “Now we are going to put our busy monkey minds to sleep and enjoy some quiet time.  

In a soothing voice, I read them the last few lyrics from a song called Playing Monkey’s Lullaby by Caroline Cotter

Monkeys playing have more fun

They’re fancy free and tra la la

but even playing monkeys see

the light that shines inside of me

so close your eyes and clear your mind

and find the peace you have inside

and let those monkeys go to sleep

By: Category: Books, Children, Creativity, Fun, Inspiration, Kids Yoga, Meditation, Music, Props, Spirituality, Teaching, Theme Classes, Yoga

The Light Inside-Teaching Kids About Spirituality

Grow Inside Out Feather

As a yoga teacher, part of my job is guiding my students to find their own light.

How do you teach a young child about spirituality?  Children may not understand the concept of a “soul”, but they do understand the idea of a LIGHT inside or the LOVE in their heart.

Over the past few months, my yoga lessons have revolved around finding PEACE inside or how we can express the LOVE in our hearts.  The children have been learning how they calm their bodies and their minds through yoga, breathing and meditation.  The other day, I asked my classes if they knew why we chant OMs before yoga,  and they responded “to find peace”.  It’s moments like these that make me love teaching!

Children are always learning…absorbing everything they see, hear and feel.

They relate what they learn to their inner experience.  Teaching a child to pay attention to their breath, tune into their feelings, and listen with their heart will help them develop a strong connection to themselves and the world around them. This builds their sense of trust in themselves and self confidence.  We may think they are too young to understand but they “get it”.

The greatest lesson you can teach young children is to LISTEN to their inner voice.

It’s not often that children get to just “be” and relax.  At the end of every class,they lie down in Savasana or

DO NOTHING DOLL…Nothing to think, Nothing to Do, Doing Nothing is Good for You.  

While my students are resting in Savasana, with their eyes closed, I tell them a “story”, a guided visualization where they are lying on a beach or going on a cloud ride in the sky. I ask them if they can try to be so still, so quiet that they can hear the sound of their own breathing.  I tell them to breathe in that calm feeling from  the top of their heads to their tip toes.  It may take weeks or even months before they can lie down without wiggling around or talking, but eventually they can and even enjoy it.  I let them know that no matter what, they can find that quiet place inside where they can always go when they are feeling sad or upset.

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I usually end my yoga classes with a soothing song, either Kira Wiley’s Namaste Song or Snatam Kaur’s Longtime Sun. I explain that just like the sun, we each have a LIGHT inside us and to remember to let it SHINE.  When I look around our circle and see their blissful faces, I know that they are IN that peaceful place, shining their light!

I leave you with this beautiful blessing.  May your own light guide you on your path so that you may find your peace.  Namaste.

May the longtime sun

Shine upon you

All love surround you

And the pure light within you

Guide your way on

                                                                                                     ~ Celctic Blessing

By: Category: Children, Inspiration, Kids Yoga, Love, Meditation, Music, Peace, Soul, Spirituality, Teaching, Yoga

Yoga Surrender Playlist

February is the month of LOVE…so I will be sharing about all aspects of love.  Yoga AND love are about surrender.

After a long weekend of writing and concentration, I got on my mat, set my ipod to my favorite yoga playlist and just           LET GO…

Music is such an important element in yoga class.  During my yoga training, I began observing all the elements of a yoga class, including the kinds of music teachers used.  Some of the music I loved and some I did not really care for, so I decided to create my first yoga playlist to use the next time I taught my friend and first student Julie.  For some reason, I was being called to create a heart opening playlist and selected a variety of songs that have inspired my heart.

When I met with Julie for our weekly yoga session, she revealed that she was in a vulnerable place.  The yoga playlist and heart opening sequence that I had planned for the week were perfect for what she was going through.  I am learning to trust my intuition more and on some level I just “knew” that this music would be a great complement to my yoga sequence.

Creating yoga playlists  provides an opportunity to express my creativity and love of music by combining the perfect songs to  complement the theme of my class.  Julie loved my playlist so much that she asked me to share it with her and now I am sharing it with you.  May you surrender to your heart!

My Yoga Surrender Playlist:

Offerings (Shaman’s Dream)

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To Let Myself Go (Ane Brun)

Sufi Groove (Lost at Last)

Ramachandra (Jaya Lakshmi)

Beauty Beats (Beats Antique)

Waterfalls-Bali Chill Mix (Ease 2 East)

Feel You Live a River (Heather Nova & ATB)

Samadhi (Shaman’s Dream)

By: Category: Creativity, Inspiration, Love, Music, Relationships, Spirituality, Yoga

Evolvefest

Evolvefest Kids 2012 Frog Pose

This past weekend Be Yoga Be Love volunteered at Evolvefest, a Yoga and Music Festival at the Warren County Fairgrounds in Phillipsburg, NJ.  I was part of the Evolvefest Kids Korner and we all had a blast playing and creating a magical environment for all the children and families at the festival.

Evolvefest Kids 2012 Tree Pose

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Evolvefest Kids 2012 Body Painting

When I was not playing with the kids at the Kids Korner, I had plenty of fun PLAYING, dancing, chanting, doing yoga, singing around fire circles, roasting marshmallows, communing with nature and attending many of the wonderful and healing workshops taking place throughout the weekend.  It was such soul nourishing experience I will never forget!

By: Category: Music, Uncategorized

Blissful Yoga Retreat

Yoga Rural Retreat

I just got back from the most nourishing retreat weekend!  

It’s amazing what the Universe provides when you ask.  I had set the intention to expand my circle of spiritually minded people and that same week was invited by a new friend, Lizzie to join a her and some other people for a retreat at her parent’s home in New Hope, Pennsylvania.  There were 10 of us, including her parents, who were such wonderful hosts.  They welcomed us into their beautiful home, which was surrounded by lush green fields and lots of farmland and nature to explore.

The night we arrived, we all gathered around a fire pit and did a Release Ceremony.  

We each wrote down something we wanted to let go of and then one by one dropped the piece of paper in the fire. There was something so sacred and powerful having others witness the release of  something that no longer serves you. We shared stories, laughed and sang together.  While I had only met two of the people there, it felt like we were a family.

The next morning , a few of us sat around reading poetry from one of my favorite books:  Love Poems from God.  

We each took turns opening the book to any page and reading the poem.  It was interesting to see how each of the poems had a message to teach us, and was really relevant in our lives.  Being a poet, it was like a dream come true to share soulful poetry with others!

One of the highlights of the weekend  was going on a hike to enjoy the glorious countryside.
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We just wandered around, it was like an adventure..we found farm animals, winding roads, beautiful homes nestled in the trees and then discovered a creek. We took off our shoes and walked across the rocks.  It was so refreshing to feel the water flowing over my feet!  Being fully immersed in Nature can really bring a sense of peace and rejuvenation, especially when you have the luxury to be away from all the busyness and stress of day-to-day life.

betty on the creek

Later in the afternoon, we set our mats out on the grass and took a yoga class with own very own private instructor!   I love doing yoga outdoors…looking up at the sky, the trees all around you, the wind and gentle rain on your face.  I felt really connected to all of nature, to my new friends and to myself.

yoga field

For dinner, we all helped prepare a yummy vegetarian feast.

Before our meal, we offered gratitude for the food and this whole experience we were sharing together.  Then we had some tea and got ready to go out to build a fire and roast jumbo marshmallows.  

retreat feast

Lizzie, a voice teacher and kirtan leader, shared her lovely voice to lead us in some singing and chanting.

We danced, chanted, played and made s’mores by the fire.  Such a good vibration of love and connection was present in this circle, this tribe of like-minded souls and I felt so blessed to be part of it.

The next day, one of the other yoga teachers in the group, Irina led a class for a few of us.  We also did a group meditation outdoors led by Mark Dee.  I love how each one of us shared our unique gifts to contribute to each other at the retreat.  We all had some wonderful discussions throughout the weekend and made some nice connections that have led to new opportunities.

For me, the retreat was such a gift because it reminded me of how easily we can create community and support each other.  Each of us is on our own spiritual path, but when you find others along your path who enrich and nourish you, the journey becomes all the more enlightening!

By: Category: Books, Family, Law of Attraction, Love, Meditation, Music, Poetry, Relationships, Self Development, Spirituality, Yoga

Creating Ambiance in Yoga Class

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Yesterday I attended an Open Level Vinyasa Flow class taught by Sonia Quintero at Bhakti Barn in Millburn, NJ.  I had been curious to try a class at Bhakti Barn for some time and Sonia invited me to come to her class on Thursday night. The studio was really adorable, the colors and lighting were very inviting and there was an altar at the front of the room.  The class was a Krama class and helped me to understand the idea of sequencing and building upon poses and adding binds and twists to slowly open the body and deepen the practice.   There were a few pregnant women in the class and it was valuable to see how Sonia modified poses for them, since they could not do the twists.

I had told Sonia that I was in the midst of my yoga teacher training so she provided some valuable hands-on adjustments which made me aware of needing to lengthen and lift from my torso in some of the poses I find most challenging, such as Triangle and Extended Side Angle because I tend to collapse into my lower back.  I really enjoyed Sonia’s class and found it to be restorative after several days of intense practice during our training weekend and my Advanced Vinyasa class on Tuesdays.  I really surrendered in Savasana… the music was so relaxing and the energy of the studio and teacher were so soothing, that it allowed me to just melt into my mat.

After class, Sonia offered us a cup of tea, which was the perfect ending to such a restorative class. I learned so much from this class and from Sonia as an instructor, including how important it is to create an ambiance and environment for your students through the space, music and personalized instruction you provide.

By: Category: Creativity, Music, Teaching, Yoga
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