Healthy Choices

The October Theme is Choice.

By now, everyone knows October is Breast Cancer Awareness month and the media reminds us to be aware of breast cancer. The irony for me is I celebrate the anniversary of my being cancer-free on October 4. This year I celebrated 4 years! I find the month of October a reason to celebrate and an opportunity to remind my family and friends not about awareness but prevention of breast cancer. While awareness is important from a community perspective, what really matters individually is prevention! It is prevention that has me here today! It is doing breast-self exams every month, eating healthy foods and exercising, steering clear of parabens in cosmetic and body products and avoiding bisphenol A that will help prevent breast cancer. I'll be the first to admit choosing to do breast-self exams can be scary, but the alternative of letting it go is worse. We have a choice in how we treat our bodies-- what we drink, what we eat, how often we exercise and what type of products we put on our bodies.

The root of why I started a kids yoga company was prevention. I felt it was important to instill and provide children with the healthy habits and benefits of yoga at an early age. It is my hope that in learning they have a choice in how they treat their bodies it may help them avoid dis-ease in their adult lives. I find over and over again when I share with people what I do their response is, "I wish I would have learned yoga at a young age". Those who say this seem to know the calm, peace, strength, openness and awareness that practicing yoga brings. It warms my heart when I have a parent share with me that they have found their child in their room taking deep breaths or doing yoga poses to calm themselves down (without being prompted). It's magical! So I feel, at YogaBuddies, we are teaching kids the earliest form of prevention. I join the YogaBuddies instructors and licensees who believe it is an honor and a privilege to be able to give to kids in this way. We thank you parents, school administrators, friends and family for believing in us to keep making that difference.

peace and love,

Danay

4 Kids Tips for Practicing Choice

Choice is considering all your options and then freely making a selection. Better said by one of our students, "you get to pick what you like best".

You can practice Choice with how you feel, how you act towards other people, what you say, and what you do.

If you practice choice in...
- how you feel, see if you can choose to change your mood or attitude from negative to positive.
- how you act, towards other people have your actions be kind, caring, and loving.
- what you say, have your words be kind.
- what you do, make good decisions like doing your homework before you play a video game, or choosing to eat a fruit or vegetable rather than chips or cookies.

Healthy Body, Mind, and Spirit

This month our focus is health; taking care of ourselves physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually. I was blessed with an amazing training at USM (University of Santa Monica) where I received my Master's in Spiritual Psychology to focus on those four areas of life. I learned how to keep in balance with all four areas; I created habits that I still practice 7 years later.

It is important to take care of ourselves as we care for others- our children, spouses, parents, grandparents, staff, co-workers and friends. If you have looked at YogaBuddies website, you have likely read that I am a breast cancer survivor. For two and half years I have been cancer free. The first question people ask, since I already look so young, is how old were you when you were diagnosed? I was 32. I am 35now. Having breast cancer was another reminder to me of how important it is to take time to nurture my Self. I feel my purpose in life is to teach kids (of all ages) to be healthy in all of its forms, including learning to being open, appreciating their bodies, nurturing and calming themselves, and practicing awareness of how they are feeling.


Here are some ways for each of the four areas mentioned above that you may consider trying to achieve a holistic, healthy life.

PHYSICAL - Exercise: walking, running, yoga, swimming, biking, dance, hiking, rock climbing, Pilates. Eating organic, Drinking plenty of water, Eating fruits and vegetables.


MENTAL - Reading, Learning something new/taking classes, Puzzles, Suduko, Crossword puzzles, Card games, Watching Documentaries, Playing an instrument.


EMOTIONAL - Journaling, Therapy, Hanging out/talking with friends, Taking deep breaths, Crying, Laughing- watching funny movies and/or going to comedy clubs.


SPIRITUAL - Meditation, Going to a place of worship, Being in nature, Practicing unconditional love

Pose of the Month: Windshield Wipers

Start by laying on your back with arms extended out on the floor. The knees are bent with feet flat on the floor. Take the knees and slowly lower them to the left, turning the head to the right gazing at right hand, creating a twist. Take a few breaths here then come back to center and switch sides. This time dropping the knees to the right and turning the head to the left.

This is a relaxing and nurturing pose. It stretches the back and massages the internal organs

5 Tips: Staying Healthy for Kids

It is really important to be a fit kid!

When you are healthy and fit, your body works well, you feel good, and you can do all the things you want to do: like sports, yoga and having fun with others.

Your Buddy knows that if you want to be fit, these tips will help:

1. Eat a variety of foods, especially fruits and vegetables. Try new foods, new tastes and textures often. You'll be surprised at what you will like!

2. Drink water and milk most often. When you're really thirsty, water is the perfect thirst-quencher. Milk builds strong bones and gives you calcium, a mineral your bones need to be healthy.

3. Listen to what your body is telling you. Take notice when you're eating about how your body feels and when your stomach feels comfortable; this way you're mindful not to overeat. Also, pay attention to when you are tired, and make sure you are getting enough sleep.

4. Limit time watching TV, DVDs, playing video games and using the computer. Make time for healthy activities like sports, yoga, bike riding and swimming.

5. Be active. It is fun to be a kid because you can play and learn new games, new sports, new yoga poses and new activities-every day! Explore, talk to others and try new things. Life is meant to be fun!