Hearts for the Homeless

Today's opening meditation:
"Eleven-year-old Devin eyes blink open in the back room of a suburban church. The clock reads 5 a.m. when his mother whispers that it's time to get up. His little sister and brother stir in their cots next to him. Two trash bags filled with the family's clothes are stashed in the corner; a tube of toothpaste, an alarm clock, a bottle of shampoo, and schoolbooks line the only table. For five days this has been home. In three more he will move again, to another church, to another cot in another room.
'Being homeless,' the fifth-grader explains, 'means you don't stay in one spot and have to move around a lot. It gets kind of confusing.'....
Devin pads sleepily into the church fellowship hall to fill a cereal bowl and finish a book report. He didn't get his homework done the evening before because it was shower night. Every other night the family is driven by church volunteers to a neighborhood rec center so they can use the locker rooms. The friendly boy with cropped blond hair and piercing eyes has switched schools eight times since kindergarten, moving from apartments to motels to shelters to friends' houses. He doesn't much like school, except for math. He wishes he could have sleepovers like the other kids....
'The church is okay, but I wish we had a house,' Devin says. He longs for a room to decorate with sports posters. His 9-year-old sister, Sierra, sometimes gets scared when they move; his 6-year-old brother, Conner, gets clingy....
Just before 6 a.m. the family of five steps into the predawn darkness to catch the series of buses that will take the kids to school. It is 75 minutes each way. Their mother gets off the bus with her kids at school to make sure they are on time. She has never missed a parent-teacher conference. After school she'll be there again. There's one things she always makes sure her kids know - that no matter what, they'll always have each other. They'll always be a family. And Devin knows this. So everyday before he leaves for school, he tells her he loves her." (To read the full article, visit: Homeless in the Suburbs)
Imagine for a moment what it would be like to live like Devin. To never know where you may sleep next, to have to move from place to place with only a garbage bag full of your belongings, to not have a room to call your own. Imagine for a moment you were homeless. What would that feel like? There are way too many kids just like Devin homeless in the US.
I like to believe home is in your heart. Who we are, what we love, the people in our lives, the things that make us happy, what makes us feel comfortable. When we find comfort in something, anything, we find that sense of home. The one things I pray for when I think of kids like Devin, is that where ever they go - be it a shelter, temporary housing, a church or school - is that they may find comfort, that they may find love, that they may find hope - so that they may find a home in their heart. Think about what message you would like to send these kids and their families. Messages of peace and hope and love.
Keep your heart open to those who have less, but who's hearts are open to receive love. Don't be sad or have pity. Have empathy. Be understanding of what it might be like. Think of what you can do to help - even if it is as simple as a Valentine's Day message. Little things make a big difference. And always be grateful for all you have in this life.

After reflecting and moving through a heart opening class, the Alluem Kids came together to make some inspirational Valentine's that will be strung to hang as Valentine's Day decorations at the Elizabeth Coalition to House the Homeless. Alluem Yoga's Yoga in Action group will be hosting this year's Valentine's Day Party at St. Joseph's Soup Kitchen in Elizabeth, NJ....bringing the families dinner, dessert, favors, games and a sense of comfort. And love. We are so blessed to be a part of this evening with an amazing group of people. To spend time together and make true human connections. And the messages from the Alluem Kids will be the icing on the cake. So heart warming and inspiring....so comforting.

What you love will always be with you.

Happy Snow Day, friends! We love snow! Sledding, snow angels, fort making, snowballs! Endless fun! And it looks like there will be enough snow to make a new friend! Snowman making! But we all know snow doesn't last forever. Days pass by and what we create, starts to melt...even the amazing sculptures outside that home on Springfield Ave. in Cranford - I mean, have you seen these snow sculptures?! Holy cow!! But, inevitably, they melt and we must let go.
In prep for the expected blizzard this weekend, the Alluem Kids had a mini lesson on love and learning to let go. In "Making a Friend", Alison McGhee's heart warming story about a boy and his snowman friend, we learn that nothing that you open your heart to and care deeply for can ever disappear for good. "What you love will always be with you." You never forget your best snowman friend...he is with you in the spring fog, in the summer rain, in the fall frost, in a new winter’s snow—and always, always in your heart.
Spend some time with the ones you love. Take time to really BE with your family. Create some heart warming memories in the snow and take lots of pictures!! Snow-ga anyone??

Recycle Haiti: Beading Workshop

Register online: www.alluemyoga.com - workshops tab

A Pep Talk from Kid President to You

I think we all need a pep talk! :) This made my day.  

The Alluem Kids will be sure to see this in the coming classes!
 So inspired - I put together a worksheet so the kids can get to DOING!

Check out Kid President's website for more great videos and interviews!:  www.kidpresident.com

Inside & Out

They're giggling, they're texting, they're fixing each other's hair. They're wearing mis-matched socks and friendship bracelets. They are brave and bold. They are opinionated and impressionable. They are young and beautiful inside and out. They are teenagers and they have no idea that what they're about to experience may make an impact on their lives forever.
When lululemon athletica in Springfield first approached us with this event, Inside & Out: strength.confidence.beauty, I couldn't have been more excited. The layout of the workshop and the topics they presented are the exact reason I started teaching yoga. Along with a fun and heart-warming yoga class, there would be three inspirational women from the community who would share their journey in redefining beauty and confidence...women who have overcome major obstacles in their teens such as cancer, eating disorders, drugs and the everyday teenage transitions. And share they did. As the event began, each stood in front of the gathering of around 50 people, between teenagers and supporters, and spoke their truth. 

In life we are often called to speak our truth. 

They brave ones actually do.

Open, honest, raw stories. Speaking from the heart. Sharing in a way that could impact a life whether they realize it or not. One sentence, one word that comes from the heart can make a difference. And that was the goal of the afternoon. To inspire through stories, to bring hope, to bring strength, to bring healing, to bring together a community of young women in support of one another. In support of themselves. In yoga we challenge our selves on the mat - physically through asana and pranayama and mentally through meditation. We learn how our bodies and our minds deal with these challenges so that when we move off our mats, we can fearlessly face our challenges with a compassionate understanding and an unbelievable strength. 

As we moved into the yoga class lead by Nicole Traum and Anne Britt, you could see genuine openness of the teens shine through. Listening for instruction, listening to their bodies. Moving and breathing the best way they know how. Laughing, connecting, working together with their friends, both new and old. Finding peace in their bodies and in their minds. Knowing they are beautiful just as they are - inside and out.
                               Accepting. Embracing. Being.

I cannot tell you how inspired I was leaving the studio this day. Inspired by ALL the teens that rolled out their mats and opened their hearts. Inspired by Jackie, Jaclyn and Yulady for sharing their stories. Inspired by Nicole, Anne and Lululemon Athletica Springfield Avenue, especially Megan and Eliza, for bringing this event to our community. Inspired to go and share my own story. This is what yoga is all about. This is what fills my heart. This is why we do what we do. We are all so truly blessed. Thank you to all involved. xo

photos by Loida Dorfner Photography 
See more pictures from the event here.

Inside & Out: strength.confidence.beauty.

Calling all teen girls!  

Alluem Yoga and lululemon athlectica are coming together to share in the conversation of self-esteem with teen girls. Inspirational women from our local community share stories & insight of their journey with self-esteem, followed by an incredible yoga class and a chance to lock in all the love with some fun snapshots. Invite your friends, sisters, daughters, students! 
Suggested for age 13-17, this FREE event at Alluem Yoga promises to be a life-changer. 
Saturday, January 12th - 3:00-5:30pm

For more info, visit the Facebook Event Page 
Register online: alluemyoga.com - workshops tab

Small Acts of Kindness Making a BIG Difference!

Thank you to the kids and families who came out to support Snowflakes for Sandy Hook.
After a peaceful snowflake meditation and moving and breathing to find peace in our bodies, the kids and I discussed different ways we can send peace into the world through random acts of kindness. This all inspired by #26Acts - a hash tag that is sweeping the nation. The movement was started to inspire random acts of kindness in honor of the 26 lives lost at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut. Time has passed and our lives go on, but the tragedy is still in our minds and the community is still in our hearts. With the help of the Alluem Kids this week and kids across the US, Sandy Hook students will be surprised to come back to thousands of snowflakes filling their hallways and classrooms. Snowflakes filled with love and hope for a brighter tomorrow.
A random act of kindness from one child to another.

Discussing acts of kindness.

Snowflake makers.

Snowflake makers.

Glitter Station!