Guest post by Bethany Winston

It seems difficult to leave the comfort of bed, maybe just for few minutes, before actually beginning to execute the ‘to-do’ list. But if you can wake up in the quietness and soothing calm of a refreshing morning, you will be delighted to find its charm. A warm cup of water with lime can get your digestive system going. Try giving a similar dose to your mind as well.

Everyone seems overwhelmed with daily chores; whether it is managing the ever-demanding boss, creating portfolios to channel your hard earned money or catering to the big requests of children. Reasons are endless. But within the busy and tight chores, finding some time for your self is imperative. An open secret that it is, the body and mind needs replenishment. And this goes beyond taking a healthy diet! Spending exclusive moments with self is not a tall order. Determination is the key.

What to Include

Yoga is an inexpensive tool when working for a better mind and body.

Working when the rest of the world sleeps can give an immense satisfaction and contentment. When beginning try moves and stretches to prepare your body for more elaborate postures which follow. Balasana can start your session, followed by other stretches like Cat-cow. Thereafter, you can move on to the more extended postures. For resting, Sukhasana is appropriate. And when performing each of the postures, watch the breath going in and out of the nose.

Finding a morning yoga schedule is recommended. It will encourage an active and complete yoga session, concluding with Savasana (Corpse Pose). While some postures are energizing, others, like forward bends, are calming. Sun Salutations produce heat and flowing movement linked to breathing. Standing poses can help in building strength and stamina. For improving concentration, balancing poses are appropriate. You can also practice twists, which detoxify the body relieving stress in the head, neck, and back. If you want to examine the world with a different dimension, inversions (upside down) are apt postures.

The Benefits

The short, yet meticulous, session is meant to work not only for the muscles but also the nerves. Early morning practice helps in setting the tone for your entire day. Sessions can be one reason to leave the bed few minutes before your usual timing, a natural compulsion. For many yogis early morning hours are lively and energetic. Your yoga session can potentially connect you to the energy, contributing to a healthy living.

A dedicated morning practice certainly produces encouraging results, boosting up your energy to meet the demands of the day. Irrespective of the day, try to maintain a similar structure in your practice sessions. When you can stick to the format, penetrating further becomes easier. Some find it helpful to incorporate a ritual blend in their practice sessions, giving a more meaningful and tempting edge to the early morning practices. Sun Salutation is a popular choice.

Before grabbing that aromatic cup of tea or coffee and the newspaper, spend a few moments with yourself. A good beginning is kick-start your day.

About the author: Bethany is a blogger by profession. She loves writing on environment and technology. Beside this she is fond of books. She recently read an article on nail care and liked it a lot. Few days ago she bought some Bathroom Lighting for her home.

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Yin Yoga Helps Kids Relax & Connect

Most children’s yoga classes are of the yang variety: energetic, strong, mobile. This reflects kids natural tendencies toward movement, activity and spontaneity. However, kids sometimes become overwhelmed, anxious, fearful, overtired and sad. At our home this is often the case in the weeks leading up to the Christmas holidays. There is so much going on with concerts, parties, shopping, exams, get-togethers with friends and family, etc. that my kids (and I) simply need some down time.

The Winter Solstice provides a lovely opportunity to delve into a child friendly yin practice. This is a wonderful way to provide space and time for purposeful relaxation. Yin yoga also assists in turning inward and helps children connect with their intuition and personal wisdom, finding peace in a quieter, slower yoga practice.

Yin Yoga Poses for Kids

• Child’s Pose – balasana
• Rag Doll Pose
• Wide Angle Forward Fold - upavishta konasana
• Happy Baby Pose – ananda balasana
• Sphinx Pose
• Legs up the Wall Pose - viparita karani
• Sleeping Swan (aka Reclined Pigeon)
• Reclined Twists
• Reclined Cobbler’s Pose – supta baddha konasana
• Savasana with Eye Pillow & a blanket
• Supported Savasana – legs on a chair or a bolster under the knees

Kids Yin Yoga Best Practices

• Allow the children to set the pace holding poses for as long as children allow, once they start to fidget, move along
• Encourage longer holds with a timer or counting breaths
• Approach with curiosity and wonder
• Speak slowly, calmly – children will take their energy cues from you
• Pretend you are practicing in deep water, every movement is slow and purposeful
• Allow space for feelings of sadness, fear, anger
• Most important – Breathe

Meditation for the Winter Solstice

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 Enter to win a fabulous Happy Baby Kit from Lilyfern Botanicals with a comment below. Draw date Oct 28th, 2011.

Years ago when expecting my oldest I learned about the benefits and healing properties of essential oils. Quickly adopted into our household were lavender, eucalyptus, and chamomile. Then, this summer I discovered a fab company that uses these same oils and others in a variety of products to sooth and nourish the skin. Lilyfern Botanicals produces fabulous hand-crafted, natural skin care products that promote health and balance.

Happy Baby Kit

I was thrilled when given the Heal Baby Balm and Calm Baby Massage Oil for a review. Now, I no longer have an infant at home, but that didn’t stop the entire family from enjoying these beautifully blended products. Throughout the summer my kids loved using the balm on their mosquito bites: no sting and the itch was immediately gone. We also used the balm on scraped knees, sunburn, dry heals, cuticles and every other skin irritation imaginable. I was continually amazed at how versatile and effective it was and loved the fact that there were no chemicals or other nasty add-ins to harm my family.

The Calm Baby Massage Oil was equally as impressive. It has a lovely light scent and a little goes a long way. When they were little I used to give my babies a massage after every bath to calm and soothe them and really wish I had this handy pump dispenser filled with a mix of nourishing apricot kernel and sesame oil then. For this review I used it on all members  of my family and was impressed with its feel and texture during massage and will definitely be stocking up on more.

Lilyfern Botanicals has generously donated one Happy Baby Kit as a giveaway. The kit includes Heal Baby Balm (25ml), Calm Baby Massage Oil (30 ml), and Clean Baby Body Wash (250 ml).

How to Enter

Enter to win by leaving a comment which mentions one Lilyfern product you’d like to use and why. Visit Lilyfern’s on-line store for full product line.

Additional entries can be made by:

• liking Lilyfern Botanicals on Facebook – comment here letting me know you did
• sharing this contest on Facebook with an @Yogainmyschool.com link – one entry per day allowed
• Tweeting this contest and including an @DonnaKFreeman tag – 3 entries per day allowed at least one hour apart each

Contest ends Friday, October 28th at 9:00 pm MDT. Winners will be contacted by e-mail and will have 48 hours to reply. Winners names will be published here, on Facebook and Twitter.

Read more about Lilyfern Botanicals in this recent Edmonton Journal article.

Lilyfern Botanicals generously donated the products for this review and giveaway. The opinions expressed here are my own.

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Stephanie Gottlob and Yuji Oka are on a mission. These two are the creators of Movement, a physical re-education program for children and teens with special needs. Their unique training program includes an holistic somatic approach including adaptive yoga. Their goal is to teach a core physical vocabulary of 12 movements through creative play. They join us to talk about their innovative approach and its incredible success in helping youth with ADHD, Autism, Down Syndrome, hyperactivity and emotional disturbances. Youth in their program learn not only physical skills but self-confidence, social skills and control. Based out of the Spiral Movement Centre in Toronto, Canada, Stephanie and Yuji transform lives one spin, hop and breath at at time.

Original Air Date: October 3, 2011

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Connect with Stephanie and Yuji at Movement for Kids with Special Needs or the Spiral Movement Center on Facebook

Access our extensive library of interviews with leaders in the yoga and mindfulness community on iTunes. Guests include John Friend, Elena Brower, Cora Wen, Waylon Lewis, Sydney Solis, Sadie Nardini and many more.

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Guest post by Jillian McKee

It is heartbreaking when children are diagnosed with cancer. The treatment affects not only them, but their families, doctors and communities as well. The treatments for cancer exhaust the body and it is difficult to watch as children become ill and bed-ridden from cancer treatment, when they would normally be out growing, playing baseball, having sleepovers and painting nails. During this treatment, both the minds and the bodies of children take a toll. They become exhausted, lose muscle, have stunted growth and  high levels of stress. For these reasons, many doctors have started recommending yoga as a therapy along with the normal cancer treatment regimen.

The breathing and meditative practices utilized in yoga are especially helpful to children, both physically and spiritually. On a spiritual level, it reduces the amount of stress and anxiety for both the children and their families. When we breathe, we breathe in prana, or life energy. By breathing slowly and deeply, children can learn to rid themselves of excess anxiety and emotions. It is also a way for parents to learn to remain calm and stress-free. When the parents are calm and reassuring, it allows for a better experience for the children.

Using breathing techniques also helps on a physical level. The body is able to eliminate more toxins and work more efficiently as more oxygen enters into it. The treatments for cancer are extremely toxic, which makes this technique beneficial. A breathing practice is also very helpful to children suffering from cancers that can inhibit their breathing, such as rare aggressive disease mesothelioma that is triggered from asbestos exposure. Mesothelioma can cause shortness of breath, fatigue, and wheezing. When breathing deeply using techniques taught through yoga, these symptoms can lessen.

During cancer treatment, children are often bed-ridden and hospital-bound. Their muscles deplete, and they are not engaging in the normal play that enables them to gain muscle and flexibility. Practicing asanas can help children gain back muscle strength, balance and flexibility. Asanas can also help children to gain more energy, which is something that many families say is an incredible benefit of yoga during cancer treatment.

A recent study completed by the Children’s Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota has shown that yoga is a positive experience for both children and their families, and it can reduce anxiety in adolescents and adults. Yoga has proven to be an enjoyable practice for both children undergoing cancer treatment and their families. It can help to improve their physical health, energy levels and stress levels. Doctors, families and children have reported immense benefits from this treatment. After cancer, yoga gives children the techniques to live a more fulfilling and aware life.

Jillian McKee is a yoga enthusiast and cancer activist. She works as the Complementary Medicine Advocate at the Mesothelioma Cancer Alliance. Her time is spent mostly on outreach efforts and spreading information on complementary and alternative medicine use in cancer treatment. You can contact her at jilliansmckee@gmail.com and check out @CancerAlliance on Twitter and the Mesothelioma Cancer Alliance on Facebook

Watch this video of a recent CBS report on alternative therapies which assist children diagnosed with cancer.

Photo from Crochet for Kids Cancer.

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September 9th, 2011 is Fetal Alcohol Awareness Day. Next week I’ll be giving a workshop on how yoga can assist children with FASD (Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder). The information is especially valuable to parents, therapists and yoga instructors. Here are some of the highlights of this workshop.

What is Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder?

Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder is an umbrella term for a spectrum of conditions that include fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS), fetal alcohol effects (FAE), alcohol-related neurodevelopmental disorder (ARND), and alcohol-related birth defects (ARBD). All of these are caused by maternal alcohol use during pregnancy. There is no cure for FASD. However early detection and proactive interventions have been found to be effective in improving the functioning and quality of life for children with FASD.

What are the symptoms of FASD?

There is a wide range of severity of symptoms with FAS from mild to severe. These are the most common symptoms.

• slow growth
• deformities of the joints, limbs and fingers (especially the 4th & 5th fingers)
• poor co-ordination
• vision and hearing problems
• learning disorders
• heart defects
• kidney problems
• short attention span, hyperactivity, poor impulse control, extreme nervousness, anxiety

Benefits of Yoga for FASD

Yoga is an effective adjunct therapy for FASD thanks to its personal adaptability. Due to the varying nature of symptoms of FASD individualization is essential. Spend time talking with parents, other care givers and most especially the child, getting to know them, their interests, the specifics of their diagnosis, etc. This is essential to creating a yoga routine tailored to meet their needs and abilities.

Yogic breathing techniques are an effective way of helping children with FASD increase awareness and reduce stress. Keep the exercises fun and of short duration, repeating often.

Children with FASD learn best in concrete, hands-on learning environments. Focus on basic yoga poses keeping instructions simple and specific with lots of activities. Repeat poses often. For example teach a few key poses, read a book which incorporates those poses and play a game with the poses. Use visual aids and music. Develop a routine and structure to each session to help with retention and predictability.

Social skills are acquired as children interact with the instructor, therapist and other children. Partner poses are a wonderful way to connect with others, develop verbal and non-verbal communication skills, and teach participants how to interact one with another. These are keys skills in building friendships which is often a challenge for children with FASD.

Yoga sessions for children with special needs should be positive, engaging and joyful. This is therapy with heart which considers the whole child as an amazing, incredible individual with much to offer. Be patient and trust that the skills you are teaching will assist the child throughout their life.

Yoga for Children with Special Needs

For more information on Yoga for Children with Special Needs sign up for our newsletter (right hand side) for information on our upcoming webinar training series for Special Needs including yoga for ADHD, Autism, Cerebral Palsy and Down Syndrome. Also check out our extensive library of articles under the Special Needs category.

You may also want to consult Fetal Alcohol Syndrome and Kids Yoga on Young Yoga Masters.

photo by o5com

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