Sunday, June 26, 2016


If I do yoga but today
I really kind of want to say...

"Stop!"
"Get out"
"I'm feeling mad!"

...is this so horribly, terribly bad?

Yogis are calm, they smile a bunch
They stretch and breathe and eat tofu for lunch...


So how to explain my very dark mood
My glumness and sorrow and craving for food?
Chocolate cake and cheesy wraps
Potato chips and gingersnaps!


Life is different every day
I guess I should see that it's OK
To feel bad once in a while
To frown a little, not always smile


Because whenever I'm on my mat
I know I accept wherever I'm at
Not judging myself: am I good or bad?
Is this the worst day I've ever had?


Simply breathing...seeing what's new
This is the way that I get through
The times I feel not enough
When I'm mad or sad and life is tough!!




Namaste


Saturday, June 4, 2016


                                                     Dear Youthful Yogis,


Ping and I decided today
To write this blog in a different way
We've decided to put it all in rhyme
And have ourselves a really fun time

Ping's a cat, I am not
And where we live it's very HOT

Home

So in order to stay cool
(Ping really wants to go in the pool!)
We're taking our days nice and slow
Maybe skipping poses such as bow

No!!

Truth be told, first thing in the day
I am definitely quite OK
With backbends, plank and other stuff
That when it gets hot might feel tough

Plank pose



So check the temp
Your body, too
And only do what's right for you
Here are poses you can try
In the summer when we fry:


Pigeon pose





Legs up the wall

That's all for now I gotta run
Ping's telling me it's time for fun
That means tossing him toys
And watching him play
A great activity for this hot day!!

Namaste!









Friday, June 3, 2016




Here is how I start each day
With a little Namaste
On the floor or in a chair
Any place…I don’t care!
 
I try to breathe in through my nose
Before I do a yoga pose
This simple act can clear the head
After hours spent in bed
 
The breath moves in the breath moves out
And lets me know without a doubt
That I’m ready for my day…
Places to go, bills to pay!
 
Lots of times I stretch out long
Do Down Dog or ring a gong
What I really want to say
Is yoga's different every day
You can move a lot and break a sweat
Or close your eyes and enjoy your pet
You may do lunges, planks and such
Or reflect on the one you love so much
Some folks like to use a chair
Others do yoga with messed up hair
 
You don’t need money or fancy clothes
You don’t need a piercing in your nose
For yoga you just need a little space
Some time to breathe and feel grace




Tuesday, May 17, 2016

Hey there Youthful Yogis...it's your brain here! You got that right, no cats or dogs or chickens today. Just a nice smart brain!

a nice smart brain

I'm here today to tell you a little bit about myself.


Let's get started...

1) The brain is sometimes called the "command center" of the nervous system. I receive information from the body and I also send messages back, to help keep everything safe and sound. Does it surprise you to know that I like being in charge?!


serious command center

2) An adult brain weighs approximately 3 pounds and that's kind of a lot, if you think about it!

heavy duty

3) I am made of nerve cells, or neurons, and they are pretty crazy looking. Take a look!

nerve cell...I am not kidding!

4) I am housed in the skull, or cranium. Please do not confuse this with a board game of the same name!

yes


noooo!

Anyway, not to toot my own horn, but I'm pretty much the most important organ in the human body. I am active even when you are asleep, and I need a lot of oxygen to keep doing my job well!

Oxygen, y'all

Here's how I work: you taste things, see things, feel hot and cold and respond to situations all thanks to information that the brain (that's me!) receives from different parts of the body. This information travels to the brain via the spinal column.

wow!

It's the spinal column that allows me to send messages back down to the rest of the body. Such as..."That pan is hot, silly, better let it go!!!"

let it go!!

Inside the brain, the neurons I mentioned share messages across "pathways, also called synapses. Here's what a synapse, or pathway, looks like according to Wikipedia...pretty scientific, right?




There's lots more to say about me, the brain. In fact, you can go back to March 17, 2014 on the Youthful Yogis Blog to read a bunch more fun stuff!


The last thing I'll leave you with is one of my favorite YouTube videos of all time. It is, of course, about me! It shows how information gets transferred from one nerve cell in the brain to another...super cool! Just click on "synapses at work" below and you'll see what it's like to really get inside someone's head


synapses at work

That's all the time we have today, Youthful Yogis. Be smart, stay cool and we'll see you again soon on the Youthful Yogis Blog!!

Namaste

Wednesday, March 23, 2016

"Cluck!"


Hi Youthful Yogis!
Today the Youthful Yogis Blog continues with its "guest writer program". As you can see, I'm a chicken....and I am very happy to be find a place where I can express myself freely!

You recently heard from Frank--I know, such an original name, right? Anyway, Frank the dog was pretty proud of the fact that he was mentioned in a recent Youthful Yogis Q & A entry (you can find it on the left side of the Youthful Yogis homepage). I admit, Frank and I aren't such great friends but I do love reading the questions and answers on this blog, especially when they mention chickens!

"Chickens rule!!"

And that brings me to today's topic...well, sort of. As you probably know, many fantastic yoga poses are named after animals. I wish I could say there's a yoga pose named after a chicken but, sadly, I don't think such a pose exists.


"I'm pretty sure I'm doing yoga right now!"

Sure, Mr. rooster up there might look like he's doing a yoga pose but, honestly, there is no pose named after him.


"No fair!"

Let's look on the bright side, Youthful Yogis...even though there are no poses based on the extreme beauty of hens or the bossy confidence of roosters, there are plenty of poses named after many of our fine feathered friends. Let's take a look!



Pigeon



Pigeon Pose



Eagle


Eagle Pose



Crow
Crow



Crow Pose

Finally, I'd like to show you stork pose...and since I don't have a picture of a human being doing the pose, I'll have to get old Mr. Rooster to help out instead!


Stork


Stork Pose...?!


Well, that's about it for today, Youthful Yogis. It's time for me to go nibble on some grain, scratch around a little and get back to my nest! I hope you've enjoyed looking at some bird-inspired yoga poses today. Try them and let me know what you think!

Hopefully, I'll be invited back to the Youthful Yogis Blog as a guest writer soon. In the meantime, here are a few up and coming authors who I know are trying to get themselves on the blog...keep your eyes out for them!


"Rock on, y'all"



"It's so dry out here...does anyone have any eye drops!!



"Me, writing a blog?!" 

OK, that last guy may not make the cut as a visiting writer. But hey, you never know!

Have a great day, Youthful Yogis. And as the little chicks like to say...


Namaste!!



Friday, March 18, 2016

"Woof!"

Sorry if I surprised you, Youthful Yogis...my name is Frank and today I'm taking over the Youthful Yogis Blog...


"ARGH!"

No, no...not a pirate kind of takeover. What I mean to say is I'm a visiting author, and that's another word for someone who has seen enough cat images for a few days!!

So let's just say there will be no pictures of cats today:


Cat-free zone

I wanted to take this opportunity to remind you of the Youthful Yogis Q & A section of this blog. It's just to your left, underneath Youthful Yogis Listening Activities (another fun thing to check out!)  Q & A stands for "question and answer" and on the Youthful Yogis blog it's a great place to get all your yoga questions figured out.


"It all makes perfect sense now!"

You may be wondering why I am using my very important guest-writer time to talk about the Q & A section of this blog...well, it's because the latest question is all about ME!!


"It's really all about Frank."

You heard it from the mouth of Honest Abe, Youthful Yogis...the latest Q & A discussion revolves around moi. And "moi", as you may know, is French for ME!!!!

Check it out and let me know what you think!



That's all for today Youthful Yogis. If that cat Ping shows up again, I really can't be held responsible. But at least for today it's been a cat-free kind of day!!

Cool!