Yoga during algebra? A good arguement for it in this BT Bite!
It’s great for your breathing, flexibility and stress relief and it isn’t just for grown-ups. Donna Freeman is the founder of YogaInMySchool.com, an innovative program aimed at kids and teens, and she joins Breakfast Television with a few young friends.
Teens are at an ideal age to practice yoga. It helps them de-stress, focus, develop mentally, emotionally and physically, get to know themselves and become all they can be.
Yoga instructor Donna Freeman chats about her new book, Once Upon a Pose, which makes it easy to bring yoga into the classroom during this BT Bite. She also brings some kids along to demonstrate various poses and show how fun and easy yoga for kids can be.
Once Upon a Pose is written specifically for parents, teachers, daycare workers, youth leaders, health care professionals and anyone interested in promoting healthy living for children. At a recent conference one attendee said, “This is by far the best teacher resource I’ve ever bought.”
The Boston Bruins are on a roll. Monday night they won against the Sabres and are now heading into the next round of the NHL playoffs.
Tim Thomas, a goalie for the Boston Bruins, uses yoga to enhance his hockey performance and stay on top of his game both physically and mentally. Check out this video to discover how he does it.
Tim Thomas is considered one of the Top 10 Goalies in Bruins History. We are thrilled with the example he is setting for young hockey players and other elite athletes.
Adora Svitak, prolific short story writer and blogger, addressed TED recently. At the mature age of 12, she promotes more “childish” thinking to solve many of the world’s problems. She encourages adults to dream big, go after bold ideas, approach learning as a reciprocal activity and always have high expectations of themselves and others. She promotes an improved tomorrow by striving to make the new generation better than the current one. This is progress. This is how we develop the leaders of tomorrow.
Absolutely love her enthusiasm, her clarity of thought, her quest for a brighter tomorrow.
On Monday, March 8th John Friend, founder of AnusaraYoga and pre-eminent yoga teacher, gave a lecture at USC, Health Science Campus, entitled “Yogic Prescription for Health.” This was the first lecture of a series to bridge the gap between western medicine and homeopathy. Having grown up with a homeopathic Grandmother, I find western and eastern medicine wonderfully complementary. Each can build off of the strengths of the other.
Friend underlined how yoga can assist western medicine by working on balancing the whole person, increasing mobility, and cultivating a positive, loving attitude. He said:
A patient’s mental state is now acknowledged as a key contributor to physical health. Yoga helps develop a positive, strong-willed attitude.
Natacha Sagalovsky Lovering was able to attend the event and graciously shared her notes with Yoga In My School. Our favourite concept was:
John stresses that there is a pulsating consciousness that underlies everything that is physical, our bodies (and everything in this physical world) are made up of an energy that is supremely intelligent, that is orderly and that doesn’t want us to suffer, it is benevolent. Our body knows where proper alignment is, and how to heal itself if we give it space and help it pulsate. Bend over, twist, move around – get your blood, cerebrospinal fluid and lymph system moving – increase your vitality so that the cells and organs in your body can pulsate. Stand up straight, give your spine a healthy curve, don’t collapse into your lungs and heart, they need space! Cultivate a positive and life affirming attitude, and never underestimate the power of a caring look, a loving touch, a sweet smile, kind words and humor.
What a wonderful way to approach health and well-being. Here is a sample of John Friend’s teaching as he encourage us to cultivate a positive mind set and say “Yes” to life.
Today children are inundated with poor food options. From chicken nuggets to processed treats, its all readily available and marketed to the hilt. One of the worst culprits is school lunch. School cafeterias often don’t have a single ‘from scratch’ option made without preservatives and chemicals. Where are the fruits and vegetables that are supposed to make up the largest portion of the daily intake? And ketchup is NOT a vegetable!
Educating children about healthy eating is critical. There is much we can do to promote fresh, healthy, delicious food. It is essential to change children’s relationship to food so that they understand that what they put into their bodies effects how their bodies feel and perform.
Here is a 20 minute talk by Ann Cooper, the renegade lunch lady, who is passionate about changing what kids eat for lunch. She promotes a local, sustainable, seasonal and educational diet.
There are numerous ways to change how children relate to food. Here are a few suggestions
Teach proper nutrition- develop awareness for the food groups, portion size, and label reading
Involve kids in the kitchen - even the smaller kids can help in the kitchen, get them involved and empower them with life long skills
Eat together – studies show famlies that eat together have better health habits
Grow your own food – even a small garden can grow fresh produce for the table
Appreciate the body - learning basic anatomy develops an appreciation for and awareness of the body, its systems, and how to care for it with proper nutrition
Other articles with a focus on improving the health and nutrition of children include:
