Tuesday, October 30, 2012


Hey Youthful Yogis!   
I know a lot of you are super busy right now carving pumpkins, looking for your mom and dad's candy stash, and putting last minute touches on your Halloween costumes....seriously, there's tons of stuff to do!




Sorry to interrupt the holiday fun, but I really want to know...were you able to finish last week's Yoga Word Find Game??? I just found the last word today and let me tell you, my brain is still recuperating!

"I need a nap...!"

Today we'll do a quick review of the vocabulary words in last week's Yoga Word Find...some of them were pretty tricky. Just to keep things interesting, I'll give you a multiple choice activity. Are you ready? Let's get started!

                                             Yoga Word Find Vocabulary Words:

1) Childs Pose is:  A) a position your little sister makes when she is trying to look tough   B)  a look you give your mom when she asks you if you've been snooping for her Halloween candy  C) a yoga pose that is very relaxing


"Am I looking tough yet?"


2) Magic Carpet refers to: A) a new ride at Disney Land  B) the time at the end of our yoga practice when we lie on our backs and relax by imagining that we are traveling to some place beautiful  C)  a new hamburger dish your dad came up with: pickles, lettuce and ketchup on a bun with no meat!


"Where's the beef?"


3) Tree Pose is: A) a balancing pose  B) a good way to strengthen your tummy and legs C) a pose that takes a lot of concentration  D) all of the above

4) Yoga is: Oh please, I think we all know this by now!

5) India is important because: A) the food is spicy and delicious B)  the country of India is in the part of the world where yoga began, many centuries ago  C) it is the second most populated country in the world with a rich history and 21 official languages!

6) Namaste means: A) "Hey, what's up?!   B) "I'd love to come over to your house after school but I have an English paper due..."  C) "The light within in me bows to and honors the light within you"



7) Triangle Pose looks like:

                                         A)      
                                                         



                                            B)
                                             
                                           


                                               C)




8) Lions Breath is:  A) stinky    B) a new video game that your cousins like  C) a yoga technique that involves exhaling out of your mouth while sticking your tongue out and crossing your eyes: it's  pretty hilarious! Lions Breath also happens to be good for the throat and eyes, and it's said to purify the body





9) Sanskrit is:
                          A) an ancient language from India

                          B) the name of your Great Uncle Louie's pet Chihuahua

"Do you really think I'll answer to the name Sanskrit?!"

                            C) a written language that looks like this:




10) Warrior Two looks like:          

                                                           A)

                                               


                                                           B)

                                               



                                                            C)




OK, Youthful Yogis, I have a pumpkin to carve and some fake spiders to sprinkle around the house...let's look at the answers to today's multiple choice activity real quick so we can get on with other important stuff...!

                                Yoga Word Find Vocabulary Words demystified:

1) Childs Pose is : (C) a pose that is very relaxing, of course!


 

2) Magic Carpet refers to: (B) the time at the end of our practice when we relax and imagine floating off to a beautiful, peaceful place.

                       

Remember Youthful Yogis, you can go over to the "Listening Activities" page of this blog to hear a guided Magic Carpet Ride exercise at home...pretty cool. Finally, I want to mention that  "Magic Carpet" might actually be a great name for your dad's new hamburger creation which sounds really delicious...just don't forget the mustard and relish!

3) Tree Pose is: (D) a balancing pose, a way to strengthen the body and a pose that takes a lot of concentration since you're standing on one leg. What's not to love?!

"I am tall and steady, strong and focused....in case you didn't notice!"
               
4) Yoga is...yes, yes yes, we all know! Yoga is a way of moving the body and regulating the breath so that we feel peaceful and strong everyday. Yoga means "union" and the practice of yoga allows us to feel connected to, not separate from, the world around us.





5) India is important because....well, OK, I admit, the food is spicy and delicious.  And yes, India is a huge country with a rich history and a zillion different languages and dialects. But since we are discussing yoga, the answer to this almost-trick-question is (B): India is significant because it is where yoga originated, many centuries ago. And get this...clay tablets from the Indus Valley in northwestern India are thought to show the earliest depictions of what we now call yoga "poses".



Indus Valley in Northern India



"I would love to use a yoga mat but they haven't been invented yet!"




6) Namaste is a Sanskrit word often translated as "I bow to you." Officially the answer to this question is (C) because in yoga we use the word Namaste to acknowledge and appreciate the divine light in others ("The light within me bows to and honors the light within you").  But here's some good news! If you thought the correct answer was (A) as in "Hey, what's up?", you get partial credit because in India and Nepal Namaste is used as a friendly greeting... go figure!


Cutest Namaste, ever!


7) Triangle pose is this one, of course!

Triangle Pose


The other pose I showed was Bow Pose (a back bend) , and the swirly triangle thing was something that you might need a PhD in Physics to understand completely!


8) Lions Breath is: a Pranayama (breath technique) that relaxes the face while exercising the eyes and the throat.   It is supposed to keep you healthy...something you will not be if you tell a real lion that his breath is stinky!!


Lions Breath



9) Sanskrit is: (A) an ancient language from India and (B) it looks like this...

Try saying this ten times fast!



10) Warrior Two looks like this....of course!


The other pose I showed you is called Scorpion Pose and the little green and purple guy above that is...well, really just mysterious!


Ok, Youthful Yogis, how did you do?

Now that we've demystified the Yoga Word Find vocabulary words, it's time to get back to pumpkins, spiders and fake noses with with warts on them...!




Have a fun week and be safe. I'll see you again soon!

Namaste

     

Wednesday, October 17, 2012

Hey Youthful Yogis,  
Well, the days are getting shorter and that means a lot of us are looking for some fun activities to do once the sun has set. We've looked at three different types of yoga poses recently: strengthening poses, sun salutes and resting poses.  As it turns out, almost any gentle yoga pose is nice at the end of the day...here are a few new ones to try:

"Cow Face Pose"

Cow Face Pose, known in Sanskrit as Gomukhasana, is a deep and relaxing stretch for the chest, shoulders, arms and upper back. Don't worry if you can't connect your hands behind your back like the guy above: you can always simply rest your hands on your back, or use a strap, like Mr. Muscles here...

"I like my muscles...but I like Cow face Pose even more!"

You do not need to do the tricky leg position in Cow Face Pose if you don't want to; many Youthful Yogis enjoy practicing Gomukhasana in a cross legged position on the floor, or even while sitting in a chair!

Here's another pose to try....

Pigeon Pose

Pigeon Pose, called Kapotasana in Sanskrit, is a super deep hip stretch. You can begin like the woman above, then stretch your arms out in front and relax your chest and head towards the floor. Folding forward will stretch your spine, which is very relaxing. There is another way to get a nice deep hip stretch if Pigeon Pose does not feel good in your knees, hips or ankles...here it is:

"I'm lovin' this!"

Ok, Youthful Yogis, the sun has set and you have: 1) finished your homework  2) done some gentle yoga poses  3) asked your mom if there's anything good to eat and  4) watched an ancient episode of Scooby Do on Netflix.......


"Zoinks!"


What next?  If you ask me, it's time for some fun and games! Let's take a look at an activity I love a lot...it's called Yoga Word Find, in case you're wondering.

"Yes, I'm wondering...now would you please explain to me what Yoga Word Find is?!"

A word find game, as you probably know, is a puzzle that shows various letters of the alphabet in the form of a grid.  Within this grid, or box, are various words; they can run up and down, sideways or diagonally. Players are given a list of the hidden words, and then need to use their eyes, their brains, and maybe a little extrasensory perception to find each word in the grid. Sometimes the words are even spelled backwards, so it's not easy! Once you find a hidden word, circle it in the box and check it off your list so you'll know it's been discovered. Here is an example of a difficult word find game that is already finished:

Zoinks, for real!

Word find games activate the brain which means you may not want to work on them right before bedtime. But, in general, they are relaxing...plus, you can get other people to help you which your mom and dad might appreciate if that other person happens to be your little sister...


 ...or your Great Uncle Louie who has decided to extend his visit for another week!

"Remember me?!"
                     
 Let's get serious, Youthful Yogis...below is a Yoga Word Find Game I made up a while back. You'll be looking for words that relate to Yoga, of course! But since you can't actually circle the words on your computer screen, try copying and pasting the game onto your desktop. Then you can print it out, grab a pencil and have fun!

" In case you've forgotten...I'm a pencil and I'm cool!"


This is actually a pretty challenging game... all of the words you are looking for have been mentioned at some point or another in this blog. But if you're still not sure what some of the words mean, no worries! Just do your best and as always.... have fun!

                          



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CHILDS POSE
INDIA
LIONS BREATH
MAGIC CARPET
 NAMASTE
SANSKRIT
TREE POSE
TRIANGLE POSE
   YOGA