Hi there Youthful Yogis!

I have something amazing to share with you today!  It's not inside information on how to win the lottery...   

It's not a four page letter to your mom about the benefits of serving chocolate for dinner....

It is some super incredible, totally awesome information about your brain!! 

       

     

Gack!

  

I know, the brain is a little creepy when you actually take a good look at it. You'll notice from the picture that our brains are made out of soft tissue. An average human brain weighs about three pounds; it is 75% water and--if you can believe a few of the sources I found--it has 100,000 miles of blood vessels!

Something that makes the brain look funny are all of its ripples, which it turns out are actually folds in the tissue. Did you ever notice how you can fit more clothing into a suitcase when each piece of clothing is carefully folded?

"To fold or not to fold...that is the question!"

Well, the same is true for the brain. Brain tissue "is folded in a way that increases the amount of surface that can fit into the volume available"...I got that from Wikipedia, in case you're wondering!

So, we have all this this creepy soft tissue folded up in our heads (please don't tell your science teacher I called the brain creepy!)...what protects the soft tissue, you might ask?

"Ouch...for real!"

Our friend Tintin up there might end up with a headache after getting walloped by a bad guy, but his brain is probably safe thanks to something called the skull.

Here is a picture of a real human skull:

 And here are more images of skulls:

Kinda scary

Seriously scary

Hilarious

The part of the skull that encloses and protects the brain is called the cranium...not to be confused with a really fun board game of the same name:

totally fun

Now it's time for me to tell you a little something about the workings of the brain....

"Listen carefully..."

I'm not sure who that guy is!...Anyway, the brain is made up of nerve cells called neurons. There are about 100 billion neurons in a human brain!!! Any thought you have or action you take involves information being passed from one neuron to another. Here is what a neuron looks like: 

Neuron

One end is called the dendrite and the other end is called the axon. Of course, you would need a special microscope to actually see neurons in such detail.

Something else you need to know is that neurons don't touch! In order for messages to pass from one cell to another, signals have to cross a tiny gap called a synapse:

Synapse

Luckily for anyone who wants to move or think or even breath, special chemicals are released that allow messages to be passed across synapses from the axon of one cell to the dendrite of another. The route this information travels is called a synaptic pathway.

There are trillions of synaptic pathways in our brains!

When signals are being sent through brain cells in this fashion, we say our "synapses are firing"!  I found a video online of what it might look like inside our brains when the synapses are "firing". This is really the coolest thing ever! Make sure it's OK to go on YouTube, then click on the words in the picture below and check it out!

Synapses firing

Here is one more thing I want you to know about the brain, Youthful Yogis: when you do things everyday, like brushing your teeth, walking your dog or asking your mom for a little extra allowance...

Not happening, Dude...

...strong pathways get created in your brain. The trick, especially as people get older, is to continue to create new pathways.

How in the world do we create new synaptic pathways, you might ask? What a great question! After some serious research, I've come up with some answers. Here we go...

The Official Youthful Yogis List of Activities to Build and Strengthen Synaptic Pathways:        

1) Practice yoga!

2) Include exercise of any sort into your daily schedule:

"It's all about the brain...!"

3) Eat a healthy diet: 

 ...and be sure to include yummy foods full of "good fat" to help your brain develop:

Yum

yummier

Yummiest!

4) Get plenty of sleep! 

"I call this my happy place...!"

5) Play games!

 6) Work with your hands!

  

6) Learn a foreign language!

7) Play music!

 8) Do something completely different! 

Try brushing your teeth with the "wrong" hand, for example.

And, as if all of this is not enough, here is one more thing you can do for your brain...

 10) Laugh!

Studies have shown that laughter releases chemicals that can help to keep us healthy...and that's no laughing matter. 

"To me, everything is a laughing matter!"

If you want a little more laughter in your life, why not check out something called Laughter Yoga...it really exists! Click on the link below to see a YouTube video of some folks enjoying Laughter Yoga...it'll crack you up! (Remember to check with an adult to make sure it's OK to go to YouTube!)

Laughter Yoga

It's been lots of fun discussing the brain with you today, Youthful Yogis. There's lots to think about...

"I was born to think!"

 And the good news is that all this thinking will fire up our synapses!

Fire away!

I hope you've enjoyed what we've covered today...I'll definitely be talking more about the brain in the future. Meanwhile, why not do some research on your own? There are tons of articles about the brain in books and online...drop me an email if you find something interesting!

Have a great day, Youthful Yogis. And remember to strengthen your brain by trying something new!  

I'll see you again soon,

Namaste

Hello Youthful Yogis!
I have something amazing to share with you today.  It's not inside information on how to win the lottery...

Happy New Year, Youthful Yogis!
As we head into 2014 I thought it might be fun to review some of what we've covered this past year in the Youthful Yogis Blog. And just to make sure everyone stays awake during this First-Annual- Youthful-Yogis-Year-End-Review, I've decided to present this information in the form of a Pop Quiz...are you ready? Let's get started!

        First Annual Youthful Yogis Year End Review/ Pop Quiz Edition:
Answer the following questions. When you are done, check your responses with the answers at the bottom of the page...no peeking! Unless, of course, you stayed up past midnight and your brain is really, seriously not in working order.

"My legs are working but my brain is out of order! " 

1) Yoga is...
A) a creamy, calcium rich food you can enjoy any time of day
B) a character from Star Wars
C) a way of moving our bodies and using our breath so we feel healthy and strong everyday
D) a sense of feeling connected to, not separate from,  the world we live in
E) A and B
F) C and D

2) Yoga began...
A) about a year ago
B) hundreds of years ago in the part of the world that is now the country of India
C) in Canada
D) on a beach in southern California

 

"Dude, I'd rather be doing yoga!"

3) Yoga poses...
A) are always difficult
B) are always easy
C) are called asanas, and there are lots to choose from
D) none of the above

"Everything I know about yoga I learned from the Youthful Yogis Blog!"

4) Yoga is....
A) for kids
B) for grandparents
C) for babies
D) for everyone

5) Yoga breathing is called Pranayama; it can...
A)  warm us up
B)  cool us down
C) help us to relax
D) make us more energetic
E) all of the above

"Can't talk now...I'm practicing Pranayama!"

6) Yoga is good for...
A) strength and flexibility
B) balance and concentration
C) bugging your little sister
D) freaking out your dad
E) A and B only

 

"I am not freaking out...I am not freaking out...!"

7) Yoga is...
A) twistable
B) stretchable
C) awesome
D) relaxing
E) fun!
F) all of the above...duh!

Ok Youthful Yogis, how did you do? Let's take a look at the answers and find out!

          Answers to the Youthful Yogis Year End Review Pop Quiz: 
1) Yoga is not the same as yogurt, Youthful Yogis. Please do not forget that! And it is also not the same as Yoda; he's the crazy little Star Wars character who first appeared in 1980!
                       

Yoda

Yoga is...a way of moving our bodies and using our breath so we feel comfortable and connected. The correct answer is F! 

2) People have been doing yoga in Canada and-of course!-on beaches in southern California for many years. But yoga actually began hundreds of years ago in the part of the world that is now the country of India. The correct answer is B

               

3) Yoga poses are sometimes difficult. Yoga poses are sometimes gentle, and that can make them seem easy. But yoga poses are always called asanas, and there are lots to choose from! The correct answer is C

"I'm lovin' this!"

4) If anyone ever says you are too young, or too old, to be doing yoga, then please direct them immediately to the Youthful Yogis Blog! You heard it here, Youthful Yogis, so now it's official: a person is never too young or too old to do yoga! Yoga is for everyone and the correct answer is D

kinda old

kinda young

                   

kinda too cute for her own good

     
5) Yoga breathing is called Pranayama and, believe it or not, it can have the effect of warming us up, cooling us down, helping us to relax...or making us more energetic! The correct answer is E

Energetic much?

6) I hope that yoga does not freak out your little sister. And I also hope it does not freak out your dad...but if he starts looking like Homer Simpson up there, just teach him a few of your favorite poses and I bet he'll start to relax!

"Sooo relaxed!"

By the way, yoga is good for strength, flexibility, balance and concentration: the correct answer is E

7) I'm sorry to repeat what you already know, Youthful Yogis...but here it is: yoga is twistable, stretchable, awesome, amazing, FUN!

Oh, and the correct answer is F

How'd you do on the pop quiz, Youthful Yogis?  I hope it jogged your memory a little. And remember, if you want to review everything you know and share it with friends, check out the Youthful Yogis YouTube Channel. Here's a link to the story I posted on YouTube called "Yoga Is...." It's sort of where I got all the ideas for today's pop quiz!  Just click on the words underneath the picture below...remember to check with a parent to make sure it's OK to visit YouTube.

Yoga Is...

That's all the time we have for now, Youthful Yogis. I have lots to do as we head into 2014 and I'm sure you do too. Remember to enjoy time with friends and family, appreciate peaceful moments and laugh and smile a lot. Oh, and do some yoga poses while you're at it!

Have a very Happy New Year!!

Namaste

                             

Hi There, Youthful Yogis!
I would like to start by saying Happy Turkey Day to all those celebrating Thanksgiving next week!

"Gobble, gobble...and may I remind you about a little thing called Tofurkey!"

Next, I hope everyone enjoyed the YouTube links in my last entry...was your Magic Carpet Ride relaxing? Mine was!!

"So chill!"

Finally, have you ever wondered how the poses known as Warrior One, Warrior Two and Warrior Three got their names?

"Someone named some yoga poses after me, but I'm really not sure why."

Warrior Poses, known in Sanskrit as Virabhadrasana, are really fun. And the story behind the name is awesome too; it's the tale of an angry god, a lock of hair, a scary dude and a king who ends up with the head of a mouse. You heard it here first, Youthful Yogis...I really think Hollywood should turn this epic adventure into a movie!

Let's travel back in time to ancient India where the myth of Virabhadra takes place.  First, we'll check in with an influential fellow whose name is Shiva:

Lord Shiva is one of the major deities, or gods, in Hindu mythology. He loves the icy mountains of the Himalayas, wears a spiffy leopard skin around his chest and a crescent moon in his hair.  Shiva is known as both the "transformer" and the "destroyer", responsible for bringing things to an end so that new things can find their start.

"My name is Lord Shiva and, yes, this is my real hair!"

According to Hindu mythology, Lord Shiva, for reasons that are complicated and a little creepy, was not able to marry the woman he loved. This made him so angry that he pulled out some of his thick, dark hair (ouch, I know!) and ground it into the earth. What came out of Shiva's locks of hair was another god who was scary and huge and had many arms; he went by the name Virabhadra:

"My name is Virabhdra and no, I do not go by Vera for short!"

You can read about this ferocious fellow in books and online. Here is what our old friend Wikipedia has to say about him: "...his (Virabhadra's) tall body reached the high heavens, he was dark as the clouds, three burning eyes, and fiery hair; he wore a garland of skulls and carried terrible weapons." 

Needless to say, things got a little crazy with Virabhdra on the scene. In fact, he broke a lot of things, trampled on some people, and even cut off the head of the king who was responsible for messing up Shiva's marriage plans. The whole situation was nuts!

A seriously nutty situation!

Luckily for all involved, another important god named Brahma came along and advised the gods to make peace. Everyone was forgiven and Lord Shiva even showed some serious compassion by giving the poor king another head....only problem?  It wasn't  the head he started with! In fact, it was the head of a mouse, which could be kind of a drag, depending on how you look at things. But the king was pretty happy and, all in all, things ended on a very positive note:

"I'm just saying...the head of a  mouse is better than no head at all, right?!"

So that's the story of Virabhadra, Youthful Yogis. In case you were wondering, the Sanskrit word "asana" means body position or pose. So "Virabhadrasana" means the "pose of Virabhadra."

Let's take a look at the three poses named after the guy with a gad zillion arms!

Virabhadrasana One

Virabhadrasana Two

Virabhadrasana Three

As you can see, these poses are similar, yet different. In Warrior One the hips face forward, in Warrior Two they open wide. Warrior Three is done by standing on one leg...but the arms are still straight and the legs are strong.

We are not trying to be ferocious warriors when practicing Virabhadrasana One, Two and Three. Instead, we are looking to find a sense of strength and inner calm. Working with these poses creates mental clarity. We feel confident and clear and ready to take on whatever life has has to offer.

"I may look weird, but I sure feel good inside!"

Don't expect to turn into a fiery eyed giant with weird hair when you practice Virabhadrasana, Youthful Yogis...

But do be ready to tap into a strength you might not have known you had....

"I seriously did not know I was this strong!"

It's been lots of fun sharing the myth of Virabhadra with you today, Youthful Yogis. I hope you will give the warrior poses a try! Think of Virabhadra with his many arms as you lift and stretch your limbs in each pose. Feel the earth beneath you and focus your gaze off into the distance, keeping your eyes relaxed and your face soft. You'll feel great, I know.

Have fun and I'll see you again soon!

                                       

                       
Hi Youthful Yogis!
If you have a few extra minutes this weekend and are wondering what to do, here's an idea....why not check out Youthful Yogis on YouTube?!

It's easy...first check with an adult to make sure it is OK to go onto YouTube. Then simply click on the words under each of the pictures below and it will take you to the Youthful Yogis YouTube Channel!

"Youthful Yogis rock!"

There are a few different things you can do on the Youthful Yogis channel: go on a "magic carpet ride,"  learn some cool mudras, or find out how Hindu deities can enrich a home yoga practice. There's more stuff too, and it's all lots of fun! 

Are you ready? Here we go....

Magic Carpet Ride

               

Mudras

                                                 

           

Hindu deities for a home yoga practice

And I almost forgot to mention...if you are still a little unclear as to what exactly yoga is, then you can read a short book I wrote titled--what else?--Yoga Is...  Just click on the link below to find it on YouTube:
                       

"Yoga Is..."

Have a great weekend, Youthful Yogis. See you again soon!