Standing Star Pose
Practicing Brain Body Tools as professionals, we can bring yoga interventions and mindfulness into the classroom and therapy sessions. As we shift more to recognize our intuition, and connect to the world around us through the body, learning is enhanced for all students. This offers new strategies for students with sensory processing issues and special needs. As parents, as we re-balance our fascination with electronics with time in nature, we can help children and ourselves to shift how we experience stress with meditation. The embodied self and mindfulness buffer us from our reactions and feelings to life’s unpredictable ups and downs and facilitates the healing of trauma. As we recognize the Witness, practice embodied communication, and make time for nature, the Brain Body Tools become our re-fueling station. We now have tools to practice the yoga of daily life and take out into the world, our families and communities.
Standing Star and Swinging Star pose
Triangle pose
Lunge
Happy Warrior
Tree pose
Interject a yoga break in between lessons or during the transition between subjects. Alise Wright Tanny, author of YogaPlay (2007) pg. 43 shows how to use the Star formation for a classroom warm-up based on the basic neuro-cellular patterns from the principles of Body Mind Centering.
• Bending forward, bring the arms to the right leg and, pretending you will be finger painting with both hands on a pretend wall in front of you, in a circular direction, stretch out the arms to the right side to 3 o’clock position. Then, extend the arms over head to be a pointed star with arms and legs in a wide stance (2 and 10 o’clock). Bend again to the left side extending arms fully (9 o’clock) and finally down to ankles. Bend forward to center to end.
• Standing Star Extend arms and legs in wide stance
• Triangle, Lunge, Tree pose, on each side
• Silent walking for several minutes in the room
• Cross crawls and Connect-ed
• Wall pushups, Plank pose.
• Desk or chair push up
• Chair yoga twist, forward bend
• Standing backbend with hands on the desk behind you
• Cat and Cow in stand at the desk, with arms behind head
• Grounding column.
Standing Star Pose
Plank Pose
I have a dog and I try to walk 30 minutes every day in the late afternoon or evening. I find the oxygen and the exercise helps with fending off depression. The physical movement helps me to be less stiff, and it counters the computer posture and prolonged sitting from driving. But mainly the daylight and sunlight are so uplifting even in the cold.
I used to give the excuse that I had no time to walk. But after I started walking regularly, it just fit into the day and there was no loss for taking this time to myself. Instead, it serves as a bridge from the work day to the more contemplative and personal time that is my own. After the walk, I feel I can breathe easier. I can let go of the tape in my head of stressful situations that keeps replaying.
When my child was younger, I would walk with other mothers as the children rode bikes. Often, I did a yoga DVD after my child went to sleep. During some very stressful times, I would practice yoga DVD and meditation at 4:30 AM to squeeze in some movement and quiet time to keep my sanity. In different stages of parenting, opportunities for exercise can vary.
With younger children, you can just bring them with you to a square dance, for a hike, or walk with the dog. A challenging phase is when you have to drive the tweens and younger teens to so many activities, and you are left waiting in the car or on the bench. One participant from a seminar shared how she got tired of waiting outside for her daughter’s yoga class. She decided to just go inside the studio and take the class with her daughter! Now they do this regularly. It has become an enjoyable bonding activity for them.
I can remember walking back and forth or around the playground during some play-dates. The mothers and I were peeled to watching the kids but determined to walk and wanted to exercise. As my daughter became older and in high school, she would do DVD’s and I joined in. I had my share of waiting in the car or on the field. It took a toll evidenced by weight gain, and feeling frustrated. I finally joined the gym and got some relief, started going dancing when I could, and planned hikes and walks on weekends with friends, family or alone.
• Start the day with a Sun Salutation, 2 to 5 rounds each side.
• Keep a Thera-Band in your purse for down time.
• Use a yoga strap to stretch while watching TV.
• Plan walks as part of the day or week.
• Choose dancing, walking, bowling instead of sitting for drinks.
• Attend a yoga class regularly.
• Do 15 minutes of yoga from YouTube, DVD or follow a book.
• Schedule in cleaning house for exercise.
• Take breaks with yoga standing poses while cooking.
• Keep a set of 2-5 pound weights near your desk for break time.
• Organize chances to get up from your desk and move frequently.
• Plan yard work on weekends.
• Wake up and clean a room, or do yoga rather than check email.
• Add a seated Vinyasa, and twists when on Facebook®.
• Choose Warrior 2 or Triangle pose during a YouTube® video.
• Try core-building plank with the kids or when reading a book.
• Get on the floor with the kids on a regular basis.
• Declutter rather than begin the day on the computer.
• Set a time to meet the kids and walk instead of sitting in the car.
• Take part in a community 5K.
• Lift weights or do jumping jacks while watching movies.
• Commit to a yoga routine in your week.
On weekends, I get up before everyone else to tend the dog. After this, I’ll bring my hot water and lemon and retreat to a special place in the house to meditate where I won’t be disturbed. This makes the weekend truly delicious, because I am really giving myself this special time. Even if I can only squeeze in 10-15 minutes, that is plenty of time to go within and have a heart meditation. Create a ritual that helps you find time to do your meditation, to find a special time for yourself to contemplate and relax using the breath.
If you are a teacher or a push-in therapist who works in the classroom, what can you do to create a special contemplative time for your students? Suggestions such as sensory corners, legs up on the wall, heads on fists on the desk, the raft or balloon guided imagery, quiet time and silent meditation for a few minutes are possible activities to consider.
For therapists, what can you create within the session for a few moments that can be restful and contemplative? Refer to legs on the wall, restorative.
When in the day can you find 5-15 minutes to meditate?
Close your eyes and focus on the heart. Allow your awareness to focus at the heart and drop into the feeling of that organ. Hold your focus there as you breathe deeply with a 4-count breath, hold for 4, exhale for 6 and hold for 2. Repeat this for several times until you feel relaxed.
We can hear the small voice of inner awareness when we take a moment to pause and sit quietly. This can help an idea or feeling come to light that we might want or need in a critical juncture or bring the pleasure and gratitude of simply being in the present moment. Instead of always moving ahead to the next thing, we can practice pausing and non-striving and be filled by what that moment brings us.
Be kind to yourself and make a practice of creating alternatives to checking your phone, iPad and email and filling your day with to do lists. Allow yourself to let yourself be, look around you and stay in the moment, listening to your own feelings and body. What happens when you do an embodied check in by focusing on breathing, shifting awareness and finding your bones and head to tail connection?
While raising my child, I was fortunate to participate each summer in a family retreat at my yoga foundation. No matter what your culture, faith or community, a family retreat of any kind is a special way for parents to get support. The retreat empowers children with valuable experiences, and the parents have a great time with other families. Many faith-based, athletic, arts, and community organizations have retreats for families. The following story of a day in our summer brought our family many happy memories.
It was a beautiful Friday morning in the mountains, the sun was out in a cerulean blue sky, and the children and parents were walking into the main meeting room or meditation hall. The parents and children greeted one another, happy to see new and old friends. People arrived for the weekend or weeklong retreat from near and far away places around the globe. Quickly saying our hellos, laughing and chatting, we all shared the day’s excitement. There was a play of a classic tale enacted by the children happening that afternoon. All summer the children had been putting on a performance each Friday afternoon of a chapter from a classic tale. The children auditioned for the play on a Monday, learned their parts, rehearse all week and would be ready to perform on Friday. The past weeks performances had been very well done and dramatic and there was much excitement to see the newest performance later that day.
The parents settled down to sit for a short meeting and to (sing) chant with the children before dispersing to do our volunteer work gardening, preparing food, or jobs needed at the retreat. We waited for the emcee to begin. A 7- year-old girl sat in the front of the hall with the musicians, behind a harmonium (an instrument about 18 inches long and one foot wide that has a keyboard and bellows like an accordion.) Next to her was a boy the same age, sitting with a drum. Other older children sat nearby in the front. The teens would be lead chanters in the call and response song or some teens played flutes, guitars or other instruments. The hall was filled with about 80-100 children from many countries and speaking different languages. There was a special buzz in the air, and the children soon would disperse after the morning gathering to prepare for the play or chosen activities.
The emcee lightly touched the microphone to garner everyone’s attention. He told the children to choose one of the morning activities, sports, nature hike, reading in the library, arts and crafts or play rehearsal. Then several children joined the stage. They performed a short story about an infamous character, Sheikh Nasrudin, who was very funny because he was so silly and foolish and everyone laughed hilariously. The story always had a teaching, and the emcee asked the children to comment on the story.
Then the musicians were signaled to start a melodic melody. Everyone joined in with a call and response song that was joyful and rhythmic. The music started out slowly then the tempo quickened and rose to a crescendo. After a short while the singing ended and everyone sat quietly for meditation, basking in the stillness within felt after singing.
I needed to get to the costume department quickly and left the hall before the morning gathering officially ended. I had to fill the costume bags for each child with all the parts of their costumes. I could hear the humming of the sewing machines, as I entered the room. Volunteers were already sewing last minute costume changes from the rehearsal the night before. The bags had to be laid out quickly as the children would soon be coming to pick them up. The kids had several costume changes and were usually multiple characters in the play. I had to focus on my task to make sure I was putting all the parts of each character’s costume in the bag and not forgetting anything crucial.
Children were already coming into the costume room stressed about costumes that didn’t fit and torn garments from last night’s rehearsal. The room looked like chaos, but the atmosphere was filled with lots of joy. I greeted everyone and jumped into the fray of fun and excitement. The day was demanding my full attention, humor and compassion, and I was fully present.
The following list of guidelines can be considered when planning a retreat. Retreats may emerge from a community of like-minded individuals, a place of worship, community group or interest group. Retreats can be for a week, a weekend, an evening or a day. You can design what works for you.
I have laid out guidelines here for you to utilize if you would like to plan a retreat. Although it’s fun to go away to a retreat, it is possible to plan a local retreat in your community where you live. You can have the families and children gather in a designated place during the day, but return to their homes at night. Volunteers can prepare food or everyone can brown-bag food. The important key factor is for people to enjoy the company of one another and the theme of the retreat.
• Retreats center on families.
• Children participate with their families (exceptions can be made for guardianship.)
• Adults do volunteer work for the retreat.
• Possibly paid staff might assist, if you are at an organized retreat center.
• Plan activities.
• Meals are taken together, children and parents.
• Music is played.
• The focus on experiential activities.
• Plays
• Arts and crafts
• Physical activities yoga, T’ai Chi,
• Dance
• Sports
• Nature walks
• Singing
• Olympics
• Educational, interest-based, faith or universal teachings
• An appropriate ratio of adults to kids for safety
• Food or access to food
• Accommodations or access to
• Fun activities for the children
• Humor
• Teamwork
• Time outdoors in sports, nature
• Open and closed-eyed meditation
• Dancing
• Educational activities for adults
1. Morning gathering: the children gather with adult leadership.
Shares of personal experiences
Stories with life lessons
Singing
Playing of musical instruments
Special presentations showcasing children’s talent
Directions about the activities for the day
Plays about aspects of the human condition
2. Children attend activities of their choice: arts and crafts, sports, musical instruments, nature hike, reading or weekly play.
3. Parents attend parenting groups where they can discuss challenges in parenting, have time to meditate, study, or have time to do embodying practices.
4. Community lunch and free time
5. Afternoon program
6. Dinner
7. Group Dancing
An open group in my community meets daily for meditation at 7:30 AM. There is a short reading. A candle is lit as people enter. The group sits in a circle. The participants say “Om” 3 times in a group as they inhale and exhale, and then sit quietly for 30 minutes of silent meditation. The group leader signals the start and end of the meditation with a bell, chime or gong. After the final bell, “Om” is sung 3 times and then “Peace” is also sung 3 times with an inhale and exhale.
Optional Community Activity: Once a week participants are invited to meet for coffee together afterward. In this group of retired and semi-retired individuals, it evolved to going to breakfast every morning that accommodated their schedule and allowed the group to socialize. The main focus is to provide a place for meditation, and socializing is optional.
• Have a welcoming and accepting attitude that honors everyone.
• Come together for enjoyment and solace.
• Find a comfortable environment that is pleasant.
• Provide chairs if needed.
• Have a designated start and finish time.
• Encourage people to enter respectfully.
• Explain the agenda to new people:
• Listen to a short reading.
• Ring bell to start.
• Sing “Om” 3 times.
• Sit silently for meditation for 30 minutes.
• Ring bell to indicate silent meditation if finished.
• Sing “Om” 3 times.
• Sing “Peace” 3 times.
As we practice the Brain Body Tools in this book, we are embracing a new level of self–care for ourselves and others, and taking yoga into our lives, schools and communities. Whether we are sitting for 5 minutes silently in our car and practicing an embody exercise, or watching our breath to pause before work, we are developing awareness of our intuition, the witness and tuning into our emotional state. Being silent with our morning coffee, doing a yoga intervention in the classroom to find our feet, or meditating in the mall parking lot, we start where we are at and build a commitment to cumulatively practice as we can. As we incorporate the exploration of embodied practice into our priorities, we enhance the lives of our children, clients, families, communities and ourselves.