 Society has seen a growing interest in mindful modalities for kids, such as yoga, for many of the same benefits they provide adults. Children are struggling with how to self-regulate, manage their emotions, and get along with others. Teaching kids mindful movement, breathing techniques, and other sense-awareness exercises not only creates healthy fitness habits for life, but also strengthens their mind-body connection. Learning mindfulness tools when toddlers, and continuing the practice throughout their K-12 years, will likely lead to happier and healthier children because they will learn how to ride through difficulties with greater ease.
Growing research evidence is emerging from studies of healthy children, as well as those with issues like ADHD, learning disabilities, or conduct disorders. The following are some of the identified benefits of children doing yoga:
Yoga instructors for kids must genuinely respect, support and love teaching children, and be a good role model for mindfulness. With younger children, the focus should be on feeling the body move; reaching, balancing, and moving in all directions. Playfulness is essential - combining mindful movement, games, breath-work, and visualization to move energy through their bodies as we calm their minds. As they get older, attention should move to the quality of movement and maintaining good posture. Good instructors emphasize “feeling the pose” in the body, not “perfecting the pose”, allowing the children to hold the pose naturally and providing alignment detail over time. Starting this Fall, Nimaste Yoga will offer many classes that embrace the child in your life:
Make an investment in your child today!
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 “Sound came first, and then came light.” Every ancient culture believed in the power of sound and its link to health and life itself. Sound reaches down and touches us at an emotional level. We hear music that can immediately set us at ease, or can make us anxious.
Ayurvedic medicine says that the body is held together by sound, and that the presence of disease means that the body is not in harmony. Sound healing is the therapeutic application of sound vibration with the intention of creating a state of health and harmony. “OM” is the seed, or source of all sound, and is the name given to the supreme. OM is present in all other sounds. Sounds can be made with the voice, such as chanting, or from a variety of musical instruments or tuning forks. The practicing of chanting a mantra is called “Japa” in Sanskrit. When one chants a mantra, the power within us grows, and the power of the mantra grows and becomes one with the chanter. Chanting can be a path toward our inner light. As we chant, we increase our vibration of love and light. Mantra literally means “saving the mind”. So how do we know what to say in our mantra? A mantra can be a single word, a short simple sentence, or a longer more complex series of sentences. Chanting in Sanskrit is important since Sanskrit is the “mother of all tongues”; all western languages can trace their roots back to Sanskrit. (There is a mantra for mispronunciation if you are worried about making mistakes!) There are thousands of mantras from which to choose. Say some of them repeatedly and notice what kind of energy they give you, what emotions arise, or if you experience any sensations in the body. Or choose a mantra based on a material or spiritual goal you have. For example, “Eim (I’m)” can be chanted to bring artistic, scientific and educational goals to your life. Or “Om Shrim Lakshmiyei Swaha” can invoke abundance. To see a list of some mantras, see the book Healing Mantras: Using Sound Affirmations for Personal Power, Creativity, and Healing by Thomas Ashley-Farrand, or The Healing Power of Sound: Recovery from Life-threatening Illness Using Sound, Voice, and Music by Mitchell Gaynor. Also, check out this webpage: http://www.spiritvoyage.com/mantrahome.aspx. Pick a quiet place to chant your first mantra. Try to chant for at least 5 minutes, and make note of how you feel before and afterwards. Then try building up to chanting your mantra 108 times (which is considered a sacred number). You can use pencil and paper to mark the repetitions, or you can also use a mala to help keep track (it has 108 beads on the necklace). Try to chant your mantra each day, 108 times a day, for 40 straight days. Mantras can be chanted any time, any place, or even while doing other activities. But to establish a habit, try to pick the same time and place for those 40 days. Keep a spiritual diary to record the practice and the effects of the practice. Did anything significant happen to you? Our path of yoga is a path toward the light of our true self. Said another way, when we are in resonance or vibrating in harmony with the universe, we become one with all. Yoga gives us many tools to guide our paths toward harmony and light. Sound is one of these many tools.  What is Ayurveda? What does “Dosha” mean? Why should I care? This blog post tries to guide you in answering these questions for yourself. Ayurveda is one of the oldest healing sciences -- a holistic approach to health focused on maintaining physical and emotional balance. The term Ayurveda is derived from the Sanskrit words ayus, meaning life or lifespan, and veda, meaning knowledge. Ayurveda seeks to prevent and treat illness by maintaining balance in the body, mind, and consciousness through diet, lifestyle, and herbal remedies. This can be done by balancing your basic body constitutions, called doshas. According to Ayurvedic beliefs, these three doshas are present in every person:
We also have a “quick and dirty” quiz you can take in our studio. Stop by to pick one up. Also, please comment below with your questions or insights!  How often do we seek change? And how often do we resist it? We don’t realize that life is a continuum, and in that continuum, change is implied.
Change can be challenging, especially when we are uncertain about the outcome. When we transition into this period with hope and an open heart, we can trust that one day all the pieces will fall into place. We live our lives without the awareness that we are all interconnected. But life itself connects us, and bring us together. We each play an important role in each other’s path, and in relation and connection with one another. I know--it sounds mystical--but I want to convey that all the parts create the whole when they connect and harmoniously dance together, evolving from messy puzzle into a beautiful picture. As many of you know, we (Nicole, Stephani and me-Marisa) and many of you crossed paths teaching and learning at the former Allay Yoga Studio. Pam Kaufman, the owner, had the soul power to bring together, and hold a special place for us to grow and connect. (Thank you Pam!) After years of evolving, life came along with its changes transforming all of us. Today, as a result of weekly meetings trying to put the pieces together, and with the support of a wonderful local community, NiMaSte begins its journey. A path to serve, allowing everyone to express, grow and evolve with us. Smiling from our hearts, NiMaSte (Nicole, Marisa and Stephani)  Hello and welcome to the new Namaste from NiMaSte blog! This blog is where you'll find the latest yoga studio offerings, tips for maintaining a home practice, how to improve your health, fitness and wellness, as well as information about community events related to yoga, meditation, and reiki. Plus you’ll see your favorite teachers and fellow yogis and yoginis in the spotlight with our member profiles. Along the way, we’ll try to make this blog interesting to read and relevant to your lives and yoga practice. So bookmark this blog, email to a friend new to yoga or a seasoned practitioner, and let’s share the joy of yoga in Kensington. And of course, we’d love getting your feedback on NiMaSte Yoga classes and workshops, teachers, and this blog — and what you want to see discussed and showcased in the future. Until next time ... Namaste Nicole, Marisa, and Stephani (NiMaSte) |
AuthorThe Namaste From NiMaSte Blog is written by the Nimaste Yoga staff. Archives
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