Hi Youthful Yogis!
It was lots of fun looking at yoga poses with you last week...and everyone did great on the Pop Quiz, too!

Most Youthful Yogis enjoy exploring a wide variety of yoga poses: back bends, balancing poses, strengthening poses and postures that allow us to rest...just to mention a few. But how can we remember the names of all these wonderful poses? That's today's big question.

Here are a few ways to learn the names of different yoga poses:
1) write each pose down on the back of your hand (kind of weird)
2) email the names of your favorite poses to your Great Aunt Izzy, for safe keeping (even weirder)

"I haven't checked my emails in years...!"

3)  tell your next door neighbor the names of all the poses you like, and hope he or she will keep them straight for you (good luck with that!)
4) repeat the name of every pose you've ever heard of one hundred times...

"Boring!"

OK, Youthful Yogis, you get the picture...we want to find a way that is easy and fun to remember the names of yoga poses that we love. Here's an idea: let's investigate the animals, objects and people that poses are named after. Are you wondering where to start?

 ...let's go first to Egypt!
       

If you are ever lucky enough to travel to Egypt, you may get to see the Great Sphinx of Giza. The Sphinx is made out of limestone; it's thousands of years old and has the body of a lion and the head of a human...pretty cool! Throughout history, the Sphinx has been a symbol of strength and wisdom to many groups of people. So it's no surprise that the yoga pose of the same name strengthens the spine and buttocks; it also relieves fatigue and reduces stress. Oh, and it's good for the internal organs, chest, shoulders and belly too...check it out!

Sphinx Pose...also awesome!

The Great Spinx of Giza...awesome!

           

Next, we'll take a look at one of the best inventions ever...the wheel, of course!  Without it we'd really feel stuck!

You definitely can not be stuck if you're planning on practicing the yoga pose known as wheel: it's a super deep back bend and it strengthens the wrists, arms, legs and belly as well. Wheel pose is not for everyone...please warm up well before you try this pose, and skip it all together if your body is telling you that it's too much.

"I'm a wheely important invention...get it?!"

Wheel Pose

Now it's time to rest! If you really want to know how to toss your cares aside and relax like there's no tomorrow...just take a look at babies. Awwww, they're so cute! And they really know how to take it easy when they need to.

"Don't mind me...I'm just getting ready to relax!"

I wouldn't exactly recommend wearing blue PJs to yoga class, but you can make yourself as comfy as the little guy below by practicing child's pose;  it's relaxing because it quiets the mind while stretching the back,  hips,  thighs and ankles...you can't get much better than that!

"I'm cute and I'm cuddly and I sure have this relaxation thing figured out!"

Pose of the Child

We've covered a lot today but there's one more thing we need to do...get out in nature! There are lots of cool plants in the world, but trees are especially amazing: no two are exactly the same and they change with every season. Also, even when the wind is blowing, most trees stay tall and steady...that's a great quality! You can learn to feel tall and steady too by practicing Tree Pose. It's pretty tricky because you stand on one leg; but, over time, tree pose will improve your balance, strengthen your thighs, calves, ankles and spine. It might even help you to get taller!

Tree Pose...balance at it's best!

                                                                                           

nature at it's best!

That's all the time we have for now, Youthful Yogis. I hope you've enjoyed looking at some new yoga poses...and from now on, you won't have to write notes on your hand to remember what each pose is called! Speaking of writing...I'm a little worried about Great Aunt Izzy. If you've been sending her emails, we now know she hasn't checked them in years! It might be time to pick up a pen, find some paper and ask your mom for an old fashioned postage stamp.

I know it sounds crazy, but trust me, most older relatives LOVE getting mail. Why not give letter writing a whirl? It'll probably be fun...and it might even put a smile on your Great Aunt Izzy's face!

"Why am I smiling?...it's because I just got mail, of course!"

See you again soon, Youthful Yogis. Stay safe, have fun, and don't forget to write!

Namaste