The topic for this month Respect.

As we discuss this word with our students, we explore with them the myriad of opportunities to practice "Respect" in their world.  Number one, of course, is self-respect. We talk about how important it is to respect our bodies by taking care of our health, exercise and nutrition; our minds through education, reading, writing, positive thinking and affirmations; and others, including our parents, siblings, friends, teachers, doctors, and police. We also discuss how we can respect our environment. Compared to 7 years ago when YogaBuddies began, students are much more privy to all the various ways we can Respect the earth. I often find them making statements with their clothing, like one of my students on Wednesday wearing a bright yellow shirt that stated in bold letters "Reduce, Reuse, Respect, Recycle, Restore." It wasn't until I started practicing yoga 12 years ago that I really began to learn to respect my Self and my body; I also started to take an interest in what it meant to respect the environment. Both of these interests started to shape how I thought about life, how I treated my body, others and the world around me. In yoga classes this is what teachers refer to as taking yoga 'off the mat.'  For me, taking yoga 'off the mat' turned into a passion for the environment and has become an intrinsic part of how YogaBuddies does business. I do my best to have YogaBuddies be as 'GREEN' as possible. A few examples include: we use recycled paper; our mats are PVC free and eco-friendly; our CDs and DVDs are made with recycled materials and can be recycled. My philosophy is similar to a quote on the bottom of the cereal box I eat, "Treat the earth well. It wasn't given to you by your parents. It was loaned to you by your children." -a Kenyan  Proverb.  So for me it is in YogaBuddies' best interest to think of our earth first, because the earth is where our children and our children's children will grow. Please check out the Buddies session below for small steps you can take towards practicing respect towards the earth. If you have a great idea, please share it with me!    Love and Respect,  Danay

The topic for this month Caring.

With all that's happened in Japan and the quick connection of media allowing us to be a part of it, I am in awe of the outpouring of care that we as human beings extend to each other. I find it moving. This is what brings about this month's topic, Caring. I don't find it needs much of an explanation.  It seems an automatic human response when someone is in need we show our care for them. When we discuss caring with our students, they are quick to give examples of how they show caring by helping friends out who've hurt themselves on the playground or how they are extra quiet or helpful when mom or dad is not feeling well. Caring is easy to practice with our family members and friends. But what about strangers? There are three ways I believe we can show we care to strangers. One, give of our time. Volunteer with an organization that calls to our heart. Second, we can give money by donating to a cause that we feel would benefit from extra funds.  Last, we can send our prayers, positive thoughts or as I learned in my Spiritual Psychology program, we can send Light. We all have our own way, our own version of what we call it. When we see the news, pictures or videos we can use it as an opportunity to take a few moments to close our eyes and send our thoughts to the situation. We'd love to hear from you if you have other examples.  

This month we are extending our Caring to help one of my friends (who was born and raised in Japan near where the earthquake and tsunami hit) with several yoga fundraisers she is holding. See details below.

Peace and love,

Danay

6 Tips for Kids to Practice Caring

Caring is giving from your heart to another person to let them know you care.  

We can practice Caring with our moms, dads, brothers, sisters, grandparents, friends, pets, extended family, teachers and strangers such as military or victims of a disaster.  

Here are a few examples from students in our classes for how you can practice Caring:

♥ Help a family member or friend who doesn't feel well.

♥ Do a chore for your mom or dad. (Examples from our students is help them cook, make your bed, & help them clean.)

♥ Listen to a friend's problems.

♥ Give someone a hug.

♥ Do something nice for someone.

♥ Send a letter or picture to a person in the military.

The topic for this month Love.

I find Valentine's Day a holiday similar to Thanksgiving in that the focus of each, love and gratitude, can be practiced every day, not just one day a year.  So this month we focus on Love. In our YogaBuddies' classes, we do our best to bring the concept of love and gratitude to our students in each yoga class. For example, while they are in a pose they may be holding for a few breaths we'll ask them to think of all the things they love about their life. Or think about all the people in their life they love. Or think about what they love about their body!  Just like grown ups, the latter is not always easy. This is why I like having them recognize (at a young age) we all have something we can love about our bodies so those negative body images don't stick with them into adulthood.

I was not taught as a young girl to look at myself physically or characteristically at what I loved. It wasn't until adulthood that I looked in the mirror and really loved the person I was looking at. Learning to love ourselves can be a process. Start simple with features or characteristics you love about yourself first. Also, try looking in the mirror, looking into your own eyes and telling yourself you love yourself.  It can be a heart-opening experience. I suggest saying it to yourself every time you look at yourself. When we learn to love ourselves first, it opens us to truly loving others.

Peace and love,

Danay

4 Tips from Kids Practicing Love

Our word this month is Love.  

Love is a strong attachment or warm affection toward another person. We can practice love with our moms, dads, brothers, sisters, grandparents, friends, pets, aunts, uncles, cousins, and teachers.  

Here are a few examples from students in our classes for how you can practice Love: ♥ Help with chores. ♥ Put away toys when asked. ♥ Give cards and presents to your parents.

♥ Give hugs and kiss to your parents.

Here are a few more examples for practicing Love: 

♥ Tell someone you love them.

♥ Do something nice for someone.
♥ Write a note or draw a picture to someone you love.  

♥ If your grandparents or other close family members live far call them or skype with them.

The topic for this month is Intention.

The definition I like most for intention is "to have in mind a purpose or plan, to direct the mind, to aim".  I learned about creating and setting intentions from my practice of yoga and through my Master's program in Spiritual Psychology. It is common in many yoga classes that the teacher will ask you to set an intention for your practice, a positive thought to "direct the mind" and use it while you're in the poses. In my Master's program I gained greater facility with intentions and began creating ones for my day, phone calls, meetings, and trips. I find most of my intentions have to do with a way of being. For example, the intentions I set for my day, a meeting, or a class range from being present, powerful, enthusiastic, gentle, loving, kind, fun or grateful.

Setting intentions is an easy way to focus the mind on a positive approach and outcome to anything you want to create in life.  Give it a try and let me know how it goes.

Peace and love,

Danay

4 Tips for where kids can practice Intention

Intention means to direct your mind in a positive way toward something you would like to accomplish.
 

When we practice intention we are thinking of a positive outcome and telling ourselves how we'd like something to turn out. You can do this at the beginning of your day, before a test, giving a report,  doing homework, or before a game or performance.
 

Here are a few examples of how you can practice intention:

For your day:
♥ Think of a positive thought you'd like to keep in mind throughout your day.  One example might be, "My intention is to have a fun and happy day".

In School:
♥ Think of a positive outcome you'd like before a test or giving a report.  An example would be, "My intention is to be calm, breathe, and do my best".

Family:
♥ Intentions of being kind, loving, helpful, caring could be used with brothers, sister, parents, cousins and grandparents. A great one for your siblings would be, "My intention is to be kind and loving to my brother/sister".

Your Health:
♥ Good thoughts about our body and our health actually help to keep our body healthy.  A healthy intention could be, "My intention is to eat healthy foods, drink plenty of water, and practice my favorite exercise".

The topic for this month Peace.

The topic for this month Peace.

There is a new "conscious hip hop" band called the Luminaries and they have this great song I like to play in our classes called "Peace". The best part is the catchy chorus phrase, "peace worldwide starts from inside". A message similar to our quote for the month. We wish each other peace over the holidays, we see the peace sign again throughout our culture, but to truly have peace we must cultivate it inside of ourselves before we can be peaceful with others or have peace on earth.

So the magic question is how do you cultivate peace within yourself? It lies within all of us. It is a matter of silently checking in, taking the time to allow it to come forward. This could be done anywhere you can have a moment to yourself.
- Taking some deep breaths
- Being in nature
- Meditate
- Pray
- Yoga
- Sitting still
- Looking up at the stars
- Listening to calm, soothing music
- Watching a child sleep
- A big long hug from someone you love

When we can take a moment to bring peace to our lives we are more easily able to bring that peace to the events and people around us. May you be filled with peace this upcoming holiday season.

Peace and love,

Danay

8 Kid Tips to Practice Peace

Peace is a state of being calm and quiet.

Sometimes when we are busy with school, homework and after-school activities we forget to take time for ourselves. Practicing peace, even if it's for just a minute or two, allows us to be calm, centered and focused. When we make time to find peace within ourselves we will notice that more things seem to go our way. Finding time for peace allows us to think about things that are bothering us, before reacting in a way that could get us into trouble. Giving yourself time for peace can also make you feel good about yourself! When we take the time to find peace within ourselves, we will be able to bring peace to the world around us.

Here are a few ways you can practice peace:

♥ Use your words to solve conflicts.
♥ Practice patience. Try not to get upset when things aren't moving as quickly as you would like.
♥ Be helpful. Random acts of kindness create more peaceful communities.
♥ Help and encourage someone if they are having a hard time with a task or a sport.
♥ Sit and enjoy being quiet with someone you love.
♥ Give someone a hug.
♥ Lay in Savasana and practice long, deep breathing

♥ Or do our pose of the month!

Extending Compassion

The topic for this month is Compassion.

Several years ago I learned a concept that has helped me see people with compassion, and I would like to share that with you when considering your interactions with people in your life - friends, children, parents, teachers, even strangers.

First, start by thinking back to a time when you were walking down the street or at a party and someone gave you a dirty look for what you felt was no reason at all. Many times, our first reaction is to make that look mean something about us or about the other person. But what is often really happening is that the person is not responding to you; they are responding to their personal insecurities, thoughts and opinions that are going through their head. We've all done it. We've all been quick to judge or jump to conclusions about other people.

It takes practice and conscious thought to consider what might be going on for the other person when they snap, get angry, give a dirty look, yell or cut us off in traffic. It could be the guy that cut us off is racing to be by his wife's side for the arrival of their first born. Or the woman who cut you off is late for her first doctor's appointment after finding out she has cancer. Or it could just be they are a reckless driver or on their phone. The grumpy woman checking us at the grocery store could be working her 2nd job or recently lost a loved one. The list goes on and on. The thing is we become so wrapped up in ourselves and our own lives that we do not think about others and what could be going on in their lives. Practicing compassion means stepping outside of our own world, our own thoughts to imagine with kindness what someone else is experiencing.

As a teacher for YogaBuddies, and I know my instructors all feel this way, we never know or assume to know what is going on with our students. We have an advantage using our Emo cards and allowing them to share with us how they are feeling, which is often when we learn they got into a fight with one of their friends, or their brother is having an operation, or their dog just died. It is our goal to practice what we teach, therefore we bring compassion to them. We allow them to feel how they feel without fixing or changing it. We provide them with breathing techniques and yoga poses that ground and calm them. We listen and we give them love.

There is a lot happening on our planet now and we can all bring a little peace to it by giving each other the gift of compassion for one another.

Have a wonder-full holiday!!

peace and love,

Danay

5 Kid Tips for Practicing Compassion

Compassion means having affectionate care or concern for another person. When we practice compassion we imagine with kindness what someone else is experiencing.

Examples of when you could practice compassion:
- if a friend's pet died
- a friend, sibling or parent has been in an argument
- someone is not as fortunate as you
- your mom or dad are in a bad mood
- a friend gets a bad grade on a test or project

5 Tips for How to Practice Compassion?
* by being quiet and listening to the person's upset
* giving a hug to a friend or family member when they are upset
* sending loving thoughts to the person
* writing or drawing a picture for the person
* telling them you love & care for them

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

All we need is just a little patience...

It’s summer, and not only are temperatures rising but so can tempers. With summer comes family vacations, trips to theme parks and trips to visit other family. The saying “patience is a virtue” could never be truer.

Things requiring our patience include: waiting in a long line; traffic; visiting family; waiting for an important call or email; waiting for a late friend or business associate for a meeting; waiting for a delayed plane, train or bus; waiting for a child to express what they want or finish what they are saying; and managing a child that does not want to go to bed or take a bath or eat their food.

Research supports patience is not something we are born with, rather it is something we learn.

Yoga has been a tremendous vehicle for me to learn patience in my life. I still remember my first yoga class- my feet, hot and sweaty, were slipping on the mat in a yoga pose in which I was trying to look good. As I followed the instructor’s many verbal cues: “square your hips, turn your back foot at a 45 degree angle, make sure your front knee is not over your ankle, reach your arms up... and breathe”, I really wondered when I was going to experience the calm everyone talked about!! After ten years of practice, I feel I’ve come a long way and I still find patience is the key to my practice.

I find the patience I practice in yoga follows me off the mat and in the grocery line, in traffic, waiting for someone to get back to me or even teaching a yoga class with several chatty kids.

Here are some ways to practice Patience:

• Take deep breaths.
• Count to ten.
• Practice patience in small increments (either by time such as 5 minutes, the drive from home to office (one day), and/or standing in a line). As you reach those milestones you can gradually build on them.
• Practice empathy. Depending on the situation, imagine yourself in the other person’s shoes. This is a good one to practice with family.
• Notice how your body feels when you are not experiencing patience as well as when you are. Use this information as cues to practice patience.
• Resist the impulse to finish another’s sentence. By listening fully we show our respect and let the other person know they are worthy of our time.
• Give yourself plenty of time to get somewhere.
• Read a magazine instead of watching the clock when at a doctor’s appointment.
• Only do one thing at a time.

Patience is a change in attitude and without patience we experience frustration, become easily annoyed, bothered, irritated and angry. With patience, we become more accepting of what is and we experience ease and a sense of peace.

Practicing Ahimsa

I was taught growing up "to treat others the way you would like to be treated". That concept is sometimes how we explain what ahimsa means when we are teaching one of our character building words in class to our students. Ahimsa is a sanskrit word that means nonviolence or to do no harm. For our students we explain that when we are practicing ahimsa it means we are practicing kindness in our actions and our thoughts to ourselves and other living beings. It's a hard rule to grasp as a kid, at least it was when my sister made me mad or a friend said something that hurt my feelings. As I have gotten older and as I have studied yoga I have learned the depth of love and peace that exists when I can remember to be kind to myself and others. I am by no means perfect, compile a long day, traffic or stress and being kind to others is quickly forgotten. And it is unfortunately unleashed on those I am closest to.

I find it is equally opportunistic practicing on others as it is practicing on ourselves. I believe the gold in practicing ahimsa is when we practice it on ourselves first. Because doing so makes it easier to practice on others. When we do not feel good about ourselves, when we are mean to ourselves, we often take it out on others. How does it look when we are NOT practicing ahimsa with ourselves? We make ourselves wrong, we talk negatively thinking we are fat, stupid, lazy, ugly, no good, a bad _____(spouse, father, mother, son, daughter, brother, sister, friend, etc). When we think or internally talk to ourselves we are being violent to our mind and emotions. When we can remember to practice ahimsa, we practice kindness to ourselves, we are loving ourselves, encouraging ourselves. This practice allows and opens a deeper space of love and peace within. When we are loving and kind to ourselves it is much easier to love and be kind to others.

Ways to pracice ahimsa:

Look in the mirror and tell yourself you love your SELF
Forgive yourself for your negative thoughts and replace with positive ones
Give someone a compliment
When frustrated or angry take a few deep breaths before responding
Try to remember how you would like to be treated

5 Tips for Kids - Ways to Practice Ahimsa

Ahimsa means nonviolence. It means kindness in our actions and our thoughts to ourselves or to other living beings.

Sometimes our emotions can have a huge affect on how our day goes. If we get a good grade on a test or if we make a new friend, then we will be happy and cheerful. On the other hand, if we get a bad grade on a test or a friend doesn’t want to play with us at lunch, then we may get in a bad mood. No matter what situation arises, practicing ahimsa creates a more peaceful life. Although it may be easier to practice ahimsa when things have happened to make us happy and cheerful, but it is especially important to remember if we have had things happen to make us feel sad or angry.

Why should we practice ahimsa? Well, think about it this way, we can handle a negative situation in one of two ways: 1) Get angry and yell and scream and throw a tantrum, or 2) Try looking past what makes you angry by staying calm, peaceful, and loving. It takes a lot of work to practice ahimsa. It is important to stay strong so that we learn handle situations in a better manner.

Ways to practice ahimsa:
* Remember the Golden Rule: Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.

* Do long, deep breathing when you feel angry or sad.

* Do your favorite yoga poses, or teach them to others.

* Do something nice for those around you.

* Practice ahimsa on small living creatures. When you see a bug in the house, help to take it outdoors instead of killing it.

5 Tips for Earth Day

Since we have so much happening this month, I am going to keep this part of the newsletter short with 5 easy tips for Earth Day.

1) Change the margins on your printer - Changing printer margins from 1.25 inches to 0.75 inches on all sides reduces the amount of paper you use by almost 5 percent. We could save 6,156,000 trees if everyone in the U.S. made this single change.

2) Put a few tennis balls in the dryer - That’s right, your clothes will dry faster and use less energy by adding tennis balls or ‘dryer balls’. By keeping the clothes from sticking to the sides of the dryer clothes they will tumble more and dry faster. Or, try the old-fashion way of drying them on the line.

3) Drink tap water - Did you know 38 billion water bottles end up in landfills each year where they sit for an average of 700 years before they decompose? Those 38 million bottles require 1.5 million barrels of oil to manufacture. One last fact, studies have shown that one fourth of bottled water is tap water. Tap water is free! And, you can buy a filter if you’re worried about the quality of your water. I use a Brita faucet filter, which even has a program to recycle the filters when you’re done! The best reusable water bottles are SIGG or Klean Kanteen.
Sigg Traveler Classic Water Bottle (1.0-Liters)
Klean Kanteen Stainless Steel Water Bottles


4) Use Earth911 - http://earth911.com - This website has great info on how to recycle or get rid of almost everything from wire clothes hangers, batteries, electronics, make-up and eye glasses.

5) Try Freecycle - http://www.freecycle.org - This is a great place to get rid of things Goodwill won’t take. All you need to do is post your item, wait for someone to respond, and then schedule a time for them to pick the item up from you. No money is exchanged. My husband and I have freecycle’d three-ring binders, half-used paint cans, DVDs and a paper-shredder.

Peace and love,

Danay

Why Earth Day Is Now One of My Favorite Holidays

When I moved to California in September of 1998 I told myself I would check out this yoga thing. As soon as I was settled I checked out a class and was immediately hooked. I loved the way it made me feel. I wanted more and tried out lots of different classes and took my first training within 3-4 months of moving to California.

Yoga philosophies resonated with my beliefs and I quickly realized that what I put into my body and mind impacted me. As a result, I found myself paying attention more to the world around me. Combined with the experience of living by the ocean the environmentalist in me began to surface. I began recycling, I started picking up trash rather than walking past it, and I started spending more time outside - hiking, walking on the strand, and at that time rollerblading.

My love and passion for the earth continues to grow. I’m now a real ‘tree hugger’ and often cry when I see a tree being cut down. But my commitment is more than that. I no longer use toxic cleaning products, I scrutinize the ingredients and production practices of all of the body products we use, I eat mostly organic food, run all my errands at one time and purchase recycled paper products for YogaBuddies.

Yoga teaches balance through postures, meditation and pranayama (breathing). I’m finding this month I am exploring balance. I like studying Chinese medicine and am fascinated by how it teaches balance through Yin and Yang.

Yang is activity, heat, fire, brightness, excitement, stimulation, the father or masculine energy.

Yin is rest, quiet, completion, fruition, receptiveness, the mother or feminine energy.

Neither is better than the other. In fact we need both – in balance. In our go, go, go and do, do, do (Yang) society we often need to remember to take time to rest, relax, and just be (Yin).

Finding something (healthy) that allows you to let go is very important. Being in nature is often a great way to acknowledge the Yin in your life and (often very quickly) helps keep us grounded.

In honor of Earth Day my recommendations for finding balance in nature are:

- Taking a walk

- Going on a hike

- Sitting under a tree

- Walking in the grass with bare feet

- Smelling a flower

- Sitting at the beach (or near any body of water)

- Standing still outside to listen to the sounds around you

- Gardening

- If you aren’t able to get in nature, close your eyes and visualize a place

10 Tips - Ways for Kids to Celebrate Earth Day

What is Earth Day? Earth Day is like a birthday! Just like a birthday is a special day to celebrate a person, Earth Day is a special day that celebrates the Earth.

Earth Day began on April 22, 1970, in San Francisco, California. Every year, America and over 100 different countries join together in the celebration of Earth Day on April 22nd. Earth Day is the largest, most celebrated environmental event worldwide. On Earth Day, we remember to appreciate nature and learn ways to protect our environment. (http://www.epa.gov/superfund/kids/earthday.htm. )

Here are some ways that you can protect our environment:
1. Don’t be a couch potato. Turn off the TV and play outside!
2. Not all trash is junk. You can make crafts out of old milk cartons, toilet paper rolls, scrap paper, and other things.
3. Turn off the lights when you leave the room.
4. Pick up trash.
5. Help the Earth by planting trees, flowers, or other plants.
6. Use rechargeable batteries. They keep going and going.
7. Walk or ride your bike instead of going in a car.
8. Turn off the water when you are brushing your teeth.
9. Save water by taking a quick shower instead of a bath.
10. Use a reusable bag for your lunch.
(http://library.thinkquest.org/6076/New%20Pages/KidsDoEnvtips.html )

Check out these awesome books about the environment and Earth Day:
The Lorax by Dr. Seuss
Earth Day Birthday by Patty Schnetzel
Recycle! A Handbook for Kids by Gail Gibbons
Michael Recycle by Ellie Bethel

Practicing Acceptance

"Accept the things to which fate binds you, and love the people with whom fate brings you together, but do so with all your heart." - Marcus Aelius Aurelius

Our theme for this month is acceptance. Life presents many opportunities to practice this concept. Looking at my own examples of when I have practiced acceptance, I'm reminded of the big things like my mom's death and being diagnosed with breast cancer, to little things like how I want to hang the kitchen towel is different than how my husband wants to hang it. The list goes on. There's practicing acceptance of how we look, what our bodies look like or don't look like, how much money we have, what our kids or spouse do or don't do, how are relatives act or react, our job situation, and on and on.

Sometimes when we think of acceptance, we may think it means to give up what we want or to surrender. This may be easier said than done in some cases. Sometimes our ego becomes so tied into that idea that it becomes harder to let it go. There is more meaning into letting go and accepting something for the way that it is. We like being "right" about our position or our belief and we don't want to look bad if we let that idea or belief go. Which is why there tends to be suffering involved when we hold our position about an idea or belief. We want to hold onto that belief even though reality may be completely different.

But I have found when I practice acceptance something magical happens. That idea or belief I had that was annoying me about my friend or relative disappears. And oftentimes that person no longer does that annoying thing. Or when I practice acceptance about my body I find I look better when I look in the mirror or I receive a compliment from someone. Or my husband does the dishes without me bugging him. I feel more peaceful and life becomes just a little bit happier when I've practiced acceptance.

How to practice Acceptance:
-Breathe
-Letting go of a belief or idea that you have about something or someone
-Finding one thing you like about yourself in the mirror
-Doing things that make you feel good
-Practicing yoga and holding a pose

6 Tips: Ways for Kids to Practice Acceptance

Acceptance means being gracious or kind when the outcome is different than expected.

Accepting Situations
When you practice acceptance, this means you handle situations in a calm, kind manner. Imagine working really hard on a project and not getting the grade you thought you deserved. Instead of being mad at your teacher, pay attention to any comments she has about your project. Chances are she may have some tips that will help you improve on any future projects. Sometimes you might not be allowed to go to a friend's house or go spend the night. Instead think of all the fun things you can do with your family, by yourself, or what you can do next time you visit your friend. Always look on the bright side of any situation, because you never know where that will lead you.


Accepting Your Self
There are over 6 BILLION people who live on the planet Earth and everyone is different. We all lead different lives and are faced with many different situations each day. Think about your friends, family, and other people you may know. How are you the same? How are you different? What is important to remember is that even though you may look different or sound different than your best friend, you are still you, and that's what makes you special! If everyone was exactly the same, imagine how boring the world would be. It's our differences that make us unique. We all have special talents and gifts that we can share with the world around us!

Ways to practice acceptance:
☺Look on the bright side!
☺Use a situation that could be disappointing as a learning experience.
☺If your parents don't let you go to a friend's house, find something fun that you can do at home, like practice yoga!
☺If you get a bad grade, don't feel bad; just remember to try extra hard next time.
☺Make a list of all the things you are good at and make you happy.
☺Look in the mirror and find something you like about yourself.