Where have ya been? November 10, 2008

I haven’t been posting a whole lot lately… Wanted to share what’s been taking up my time and keeping me from writing on this blog…

1. YogaKids Tools for Schools Program Launch- I’ve been launching a program called YogaKids Tools for Schools in San Diego County. I’ve been reaching out to teachers and inviting them to workshops where they learn how to use yoga in their classroom. It’s had a wonderful response so far!
2. Children’s yoga boutique- I’m launching a children’s yoga boutique soon. It’s going to have hand selected yoga-themed items for kids, and you are just going to love it! It’s been a busy time, learning about e-commerce, sales tax, and UPS shipping rates (all things that don’t usually go hand in hand with teaching yoga to kids!!!)
3. My book- Oh, yeah, I’ve also been writing a book!!! It is a book of relaxation stories that I use in my yoga classes during savasana. It’s been a project that I’ve been working on for years, and it is finally coming into its last stages…. So here’s an excerpt:

Making Friends with A Tree
Imagine that you are walking through a magic forest.
Any tree you can imagine is here in this forest.
Apple trees, maple trees, palm trees…
Sycamore trees, banana trees, orange trees…
Even imaginary trees are here in this magic forest, like candy trees and trees that grant wishes.
Now pick any tree that you like, and imagine walking over to it.
Touch its bark. How does it feel?
Sniff its leaves. How do they smell?
If it has fruit, take a bite and see what it tastes like.
Now imagine yourself climbing its branches.
When you reach the top look out and see all of the trees in this forest.
Now climb back down and sleep in your tree’s shade.
Take some time to enjoy being with your new tree buddy.
Trees breathe out what we breathe in.
So, take a deep breath full of oxygen,
And then slowly let it out so the tree can breathe too.

So that’s it in a nutshell… It’s been an exciting time, and I’ve been writing lots and lots for my book and my new website, but I haven’t been writing here. Didn’t want you to feel neglected!!! I’ll keep you posted on everything… Tomorrow I have a photo shoot for the book and website, so I’ll try to post some pics soon!!!

Namaste,

Carolyn

http://www.sdyogakids.com

YogaKids Tools for Schools Workshops November 10, 2008

In August and November of this year, San Diego had its first YogaKids Tools for Schools workshops! Education pioneers from across the county joined me at 3 hour workshops that showed how to use yoga in the classroom, and how to integrate yoga into their existing curriculum. It was inspiring to see how enthusiastic these teachers were to bring yoga back to their classroom, and everyone seemed to agree that stress relief is such a necessary part of school today…

The teachers went home with a Teacher’s Manual with lesson plans to use in their classrooms, along with pose cards that have a picture of the pose along with classroom integration ideas. Many teachers said that they planned on punching holes in the cards and putting them on an O ring so they could easily use them throughout the day.

Future workshops are planned for 2009, so keep an eye out for registration information on http://www.sdyogakids.com/tools.html

Yoga in Italy November 10, 2008

I am a bit behind on getting all my posts up on my blog… Went on an amazing yoga retreat in September in Tuscany Italy. We were at Il Borghino villa, outside of Lucca. Surrounded by vineyards and olive groves. Lots of wonderful food, amazing wine, and of course fantastic yoga! I was really able to deepen my own practice and commit to daily yoga. It can always be a challenge to squeeze in my own yoga when I’m focusing on bringing yoga to others, but it is SO important. I was inspired to do some fun Italian themed yoga with my kiddos in class too:

Pizza Pose (Sit on floor with your legs open like a wedge of pizza!)

Spaghetti Pose (Wiggle your body, make it loose and floppy like Spaghetti)

Leaning Tower of Pisa (Crescent Moon Pose!)

Making “Grapejuice”

Curl your body up in a ball- we’re all bunches of grapes!

Now act like you plucking grapes from the vine- pile them up in the center of your mat

Grape smashing with your feet (Imagine that you are squeezing grapes with your toes- helps stretch out your toe muscles)

Duomo Pose- Lots of cities in Italy have a duomo- Extended Mountain Pose

City Wall Pose- Lots of Italian cities are walled, like Lucca! Join hands as you do various standing poses- Mountain, Tree Pose, Warrior 3, etc

Tree Pose- At the top of a tower in Lucca, there are trees growing!

Have fun with these, and Ciao!!!

Carolyn Clarke
http://www.sdyogakids.com