Hey Youthful Yogis,
Have you ever felt like this funny guy: shaky and kind-of-sort-of nervous about the next step you're going to take?


Lots of things in life can be scary...starting a new school, playing a new sport, getting up in front of a billion smiling parents who want to hear your version of Fleur de Lys on the piano....just thinking about that piano thing makes me want to go hide under the kitchen table!


You may be wondering why I am talking about something as scary as playing Fleur de Lys in front of grownups with big teeth. Well, let me explain....Everyone feels scared from time to time. Getting nervous is no big thing....learning to deal with scary stuff is what's really important.


Believe it or not, doing yoga  can help you to overcome fear. I'm not saying Youthful Yogis aren't scared on Halloween night when their friends jump out of a closet looking like Frankenstein...but by strengthening their bodies and trying new poses, Youthful Yogis gain a sense of confidence and well-being...two things that help out a lot when life feels a little over-whelming!

There are a lot of strengthening poses to choose from, but in honor of our wobbly friend up there with the polka dotted scarf on his head, I'll start with plank pose.


Mr. Wobbly is walking down a gangplank, and to your right is an image of  a plain old wooden plank. What both of these things have in common with plank pose is that they are long and strong and steady. Take a look....

Plank Pose

    
Plank pose strengthens your arms, your tummy and your back. The pose takes a lot of effort, and that's  one of the reasons we gain confidence by doing it. Make sure your wrists and shoulders feel OK in this pose; and, as always, get extra help if you need to.  

way to go, Kermit!

One last thing....once you have mastered plank pose, there are variations (remember that means different versions) of the pose you might like to try. Here are two pictures of "side plank", which is a Youthful Yogis favorite!

                                    

I guess if this guy can do side plank, anyone can!

Now that you've learned about plank pose, it's time for me to head off to practice the piano. Oops, I forgot, I don't even play piano!  Oh well, I'll find something else fun to do....maybe I can catch a nice version of Fleur de Lys on the radio?!!

See you next time, Youthful Yogis: be strong, be brave and have fun!!

Namaste