Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day to all those awesome moms out there!!!
 

 
The Alluem Kids had a nice restorative class today (in hopes they would return home to their moms a little calmer...did it work?!? I try...)). While the little kids hand printed their way into their moms heart, the tweens prepared lavendar eye pillows for their moms...don't worry we tested them out to make sure they were good. And they were. Awesome.

Be Strong

When someone tells you to be strong, what do you think of?

Do you think of a strong body...exercising, eating healthy, drinking water, getting plenty of sleep?

Do you think of a strong mind...thinking positively, honoring your feelings, having confidence?

Do you think of a strong heart...being compassionate and kind, doing the things you love, standing up for what you believe in?

Being strong is all of these things, but most of all I think being strong is knowing yourself - body, mind and heart. And when you know yourself, you know your strengths, you know your limits. Part of being strong is knowing when to ask for help. It's good to recognize when things may be too big so you can ask for help from a family member, teacher, coach or someone you trust...someone you can draw strength from. 

Introducing the Tree of Strength:

Trees draw strength from the sun, the land, the water - all things that help them grow and stand strong. Think of yourself as a tree - your body is the trunk encasing your heart and holding your head up, your legs are the roots, your arms are the branches reaching up. 

What are the things you do to keep yourself strong? Is it doing yoga, playing sports, dancing, running, bike riding? Is it eating healthy foods and drinking plenty of water? Is it getting enough sleep or taking time to just sit and relax? Is it doing things you love like writing, drawing, reading, being creative?  Is it doing things that make you smile - being with friends, laughing, playing, singing, or just being silly? There are lots of ways to keep your body, mind, and heart strong! And often times it is the people in our lives who help keep us strong - mom, dad, grandparents, coaches, teachers, mentors. After all, we are all here to help each other!

Keep your tree handy. Hang it up! Often times we forget that we are capable of doing all sorts of things to stay strong or that we have so many people in our lives who are there for us. Knowing that  you are never alone, no matter what happens in life, will always make your heart smile! :)

And by request...

The Alluem Tween "Be Strong" Playlist:

- Stand Together - Hayley Reardon

- This is Me - Demi Lovato

-Stand By Me - Majors & Minors

- Brave - Sara Bereilles

- Sunshine & City Lights - Greyson Chance

- Shooting Stars - Owl City

- Live Like a Warrior - Matisyahu

- Living in the Moment - Jason Mraz

- Better Together - Jack Johnson

-The Climb - Hannah Montana

- Tribe - Hayley Reardon

Easter Yoga with the Alluem Kids!

Easter is a time of faith, hope and new life. It's a great time to go outside and see the world as it wakes up from a long winter nap  - the leaves starting grow on the trees, the flowers blooming, the warm spring breeze and the birds coming back to greet us with the morning sun. It's also a great time to notice a spring change in yourself....
-Start in Child's Pose - rounding your spine with arms alongside your body - shaped like an egg. It's tradition at Easter Time to decorate and dye eggs to make them festive and fun. Imagine yourself as a painted Easter Egg. What color would you pick? Would you have a fancy design? Stripes, spots, tye die? Would you have glitter, sparkles or glow in the dark? Or maybe your comfortable just being plain? (Have you walked down the Easter themed aisles in the supermarket recently? Glitter Magic, Sand Blast, Rockin' Designs, Neon and my favorite - 3D Eggsplosion! What happen the normal every day solid colors and a wax crayon?? Sure, these kits are fun, but where has simplicity gone?)
I find that often times we treat ourselves like Easter Eggs. We decorate ourselves with the latest clothes or latest hairstyles. Carrying around the latest iGadget into the pockets of the latest style of jeans. Maybe trying to be cool for our peers at school - trying to fit in and be accepted. We forget that sometimes we can be more comfortable just simply being who we are.
-As you sit in Child's, imagine trying to crack out of your shell - your shell representing what you try to be for other people, forgetting that's what's inside matters most. Take a few moments to connect to your breath. Your breath is the thing that grounds you, calming you inside. Gently start to breathe deeper, stretching your arms out in front of you, grounding your palms and as slowly as you can coming up to hands and knees. As you move through Cat n' Cow, recognize how good it feels to just be and move in the body you were given as it is, still connecting to your breath, the breath that is always constant.
-Continue to move into a practice that awakens the body getting you ready for Spring!

The Alluem Kids had a great time celebrating the season! 

What's Easter Yoga without Bunny Ears?!

While the Alluem Tweens hunted for eggs filled with Yoga Poses written on Jelly Bean Shaped Cards, which they later sequenced together for a nice flow that they proudly named and taught the class...

The Alluem Kids were climbing Easter Mountain, searching high and low for eggs filled with Yoga Poses...

...pausing only to mindfully listen during Egg Shake (a game modified from Yoga in My School's "Sounds Right" game) bringing focus and concentration in the midst of all this fun!

And speaking of all this fun, the Alluem Little Kids had nothing but fun trying out some Partner Bunny Poses...

And taking time to relax with our Breathing Buddies. Floating our Duck Bunnies on our bellies riding our breath. So peaceful.

Spring Break

Happy Spring Break!

 NO Alluem Kids Classes this week (3/25, 3/26, 3/27, 3/28, 3/31). There WILL however be Storytime Yoga this Thursday, 3/28. All are welcome! $5 drop-ins! 

In the meantime...enjoy some Yoga Bunny!

Easter Yoga

I know what you're thinking...I want to be in THAT class! Easter Yoga! 

There is still space in the Spring Kids Session! 

Drop-ins welcome! ($15)
 

Sunday, March 24th

10am- Little Kids (ages 4-6)
11:15am- Tweens (ages 10-12)
12:30pm- Kids (ages 7-9)

Happy Birthday, Dr. Seuss!

Haiti Beads

"The warm midday sun is shining in the clear blue sky and the Haitian school kids, dressed in matching uniforms, are walking home from school down the dirt roads. Some kids walk for up to two hours just to get to and from school. Every day is a half day for school kids in Haiti. The schools are so over-crowded because there are so many kids and so few school rooms to fit them. There are no organized after-school activities like clubs, scouts, dance or gymnastics. Some play soccer with a ball made out of rags in an open lot. Some play cards or dominoes if they have them. Many will sit around in the street and entertain each other with stories or songs acting as each others TVs...that's only if there is no work to be done at home...but there is always work to be done.

The house always needs water so that mother can cook and clean. There is no running water, so kids will carry a 5-gallon bucket to the nearest pump and fill it for their mother. Then they go back to the well with another bucket and carry it home, usually on their heads, so that they can bathe that evening. You stand behind your house, behind a bush to take your bath from a bucket. Many folks bathe out in the open with a pair of shorts. You rinse, you lather, you rinse again, and then dry off…then change into dry shorts. You can also find kids working in the gardens or chopping wood for the fires. If they have the chance, they will watch a tradesman while he does his craft to learn tips and tricks so that they may be an artist one day. Being an artist in Haiti, is like being a doctor or a lawyer in America. It is a well respect job to have that takes talent and skill. It is how most Haitians make their money. Sometimes when money is tight, which is almost always the case, and you don't have a trade to rely on, parents may chose to take their kids out of school, because in Haiti you must pay to go to school. It's a tough decision to make, especially if you want to get an education. So some kids learn a craft early on. One of the most popular...bead making. It is a great way for Haitians to use their resources, whatever they have around them or found on the streets...used cereal boxes cut up into strips and a stick to spin a bead.

There is a boy named Eddie. He is 14 years old and in grade 4. Eddie says, "I enjoy school and am getting good at English. I have one brother and two sisters. We live with our mother in a tent. Since our father left, it has been hard for my mother, so I am grateful for the chance to make some beads and sell them to help support my family. I love my mother more than any other person in this world."

There is a girl named Duprene. She is 11 yrs old and also in grade 4. Duprene says, "I am excellent in English and recently got an award for my English writing. One day I would like to become an interpreter. I live in a tent with my mother and three sisters. One of my sisters is disabled, and my father past away when I was five. I am working hard to make beautiful beads to raise money for my mother. Some days we cannot eat when there is no food, so any money I make helps."

Doing what you can with what you have is sometimes the only way for Haitians to survive - to fill their bellies, to keep a roof over their head, to keep clothes on their backs. And while they may have very little, they have strong spirits and big hearts. They do the best they can every day. That's all any of us can do."

After sitting in meditation, visualizing what it might be like to be a child in Haiti, thirteen of Alluem's young yogis between the ages of 10 and 12 came together to learn how to make beads out of cardboard, just as the children in Haiti do. I was able to share this trade with my students after my visit to Sonje Ayiti on my December Trip to Haiti with The Village Experience. I met a group of teenagers who welcomed me and my group into the new chicken coup, serving as their temporary studio, where they were diligently working on beautiful pieces of art made from up-cycled materials - beads, jewelry, ornaments, bags - truely amazing work. The teenagers were patient enough to teach us just how these pieces were made. With patience and persistence, I got the hang of spinning the cardboard into small beads and I absolutely loved it!! I knew I would have to share it with my students when I returned! 

As I watched my students take the time to sit and listen and learn about the culture and artistry of Haiti, I saw them gain a little more awareness and focus. They were determined to sit and try to spin the beads over and over. Some catching on right away...other struggling a bit, but not giving up! By the end of the hour and a half, I could see a sense of accomplishment on their face, a feeling of peace in their hearts and an awareness they may never forget. 

A great big THANK YOU to my friends at Sonje Ayiti! They are doing amazing work to empower their community and improving living standards of children and families through solidarity! Click here to learn more: Sonje Ayiti