12 Ways Kids (and you) Can Respect The Earth

Our word this month is Respect. Respect means to hold someone or something in high regard or honor. We can practice Respect with our moms, dads, brothers, sisters, grandparents, teachers, friends, police and firemen, doctors, our environment and ourselves. Here we will focus on ways to practice respecting the Earth. Here's what YOU can do to make a difference for the EARTH: Pre-Cycle: ♥ Pre-cycling is the step before recycling. This is the process of making a conscious choice to purchase or use products and services, which will have a less harmful effect on the Environment, such as recycled paper and products with less packaging. Global Re-Leaf: ♥ Plant a tree, grow a garden or wildflowers. Recycle and Reuse: ♥ Recycle plastic bags by reusing them again at the store or purchase cloth reusable bags. ♥ Recycle water by reusing it to water plants. ♥ Many of our students create Recycled art using items put in the recycling bin. Conserve and Preserve: ♥ Turn off lights and appliances right after you finish with them. ♥ Take shorter showers or take baths instead of showers (you use less water). Don't throw it all away: ♥ When you no longer need a toy or clothing, give it away to someone who can use it.   ♥ Use cloth napkins instead of paper napkins. Use cloth towels instead of paper towels. ♥ Computers pose an environmental threat because much of the material that makes them up is hazardous. A typical monitor contains 4-5 pounds of lead. Find a Hazardous and Electronic Waste Collection place in your community to dispose of these items. They take old make up, old paint, disinfectants, fluorescent light bulbs, batteries, herbicides, e-waste (cell phones, computers, televisions, etc). Great Ideas for School ♥Take your lunch in a reusable lunch box, or cloth bag instead of paper bags. Pack a cloth napkin instead of paper one. You can reuse it! ♥ Recycle any packaging in your lunch box. Info from PLANETPALS Fascinating Facts about the Earth: Approximately two million species of animals, plants and other organisms have been identified and named; it is estimated that approximately 50 million species have yet to be identified. Each person throws away approximately four pounds of garbage every day.  Most families throw away about 88 pounds of plastic every year. 14 billion pounds of trash is dumped into the ocean every year.  We each use about 12,000 gallons of water every year. 1/3 of all water is used to flush the toilet. Recycled paper requires 64% less energy than making paper from virgin wood pulp, and can save many trees. Every ton of paper that is recycled saves 17 trees. The amount of wood and paper we throw away is enough to heat 50 million homes for 20 years.  It takes 90% less energy to recycle aluminum cans than to make new ones. The energy saved by recycling just one aluminum can is enough to power a television set for three hours.  84 percent of all household waste can be recycled.  Here is an example of how long it takes garbage to break down: plastics take 500 years aluminum cans take 500 years organic materials take 6 months cotton, rags, and paper take 6 months

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.

5 Kid Tips for Practicing Sharing

Sharing means to use, participate in, enjoy and experience with others.

We can practice sharing by sharing our toys, books or games with our friends. But we can also practice sharing from our hearts. This means sharing our love. We can practice this by telling our moms and dads we love them and giving them hugs. We can practice this with our friends, brothers or sisters when we spend time playing together. Next time notice when you feel happy, look and see, you are probably sharing your love, laughter, or a quiet moment with another person.

Here are a few ways you can practice sharing:
♥ Give someone you love a hug.
♥ Tell someone a story.
♥ Share a joke - make another person laugh.
♥ Share your love by drawing a picture and giving it someone you care about.
♥ Share a yoga pose (and then tell us about it!)
 

5 Kid Tips for Practicing Trust

Trust means to place faith or confidence in yourself, another person, or a situation.

Trust is something that we share with important people in our lives. You trust your mom and dad because they are your parents and you know they want what is best for you. You trust that your teacher will help you learn everything you need to know before you go to the next grade in school. You trust that your doctor will make you feel better when you feel sick.

But perhaps the most important person to trust is you! If you have a test in school that you studied for, trust that you will do well. If you have to speak in front of your whole class, don't be nervous, trust yourself; you can do it! When you trust yourself, other people will trust you and you will trust them too!

5 Ways to practice and build trust:

♥ Be yourself! People will trust you more if you are true to yourself and not changing to fit in with others.

♥ Practice balancing poses, like Airplane or Tree to build trust and confidence in yourself.
♥ Be honest. Trust will build between you and others if you are honest to each other and do not lie.

♥ Stick to your word. If you say you are going to do something, do it.
♥ Treat others the way you want to be treated.

Tips for Kids - Practicing Forgiveness

Forgiveness is letting go of pain or hurt we feel toward ourselves or other people.

You can practice forgiveness when...
* Your brother, sister, friend or cousin breaks or takes something of yours
* Someone says something mean to you
* Your mom or dad get angry and it hurts your feelings
* You have done something you weren't supposed to
* You get a bad grade

How you can practice forgiveness:
Say this to your self when you want to forgive your self for something: “I forgive myself for thinking ______.” Or “I forgive myself for saying ______.” Or “I forgive myself for doing ________.”

Say one of these to your self to forgive another person: “I forgive ______ (mom, dad, friend) for saying ______ or doing ________. “ Example- “I forgive my brother for taking my favorite game and breaking it.”Or "I forgive my mom for getting angry with me."

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.

5 Tips for Kids to practice Patience

Patience means keeping peace when something is not moving as fast as we want it to. Practicing patience helps you to be calm and peaceful. Times and places you can practice patience: - With a younger brother or sister - Waiting in line at a theme park - Waiting to hear back from a friend - With a parent, grandparent, cousin, friend, pet, or teacher - Leaving to go somewhere - Driving or flying somewhere you are excited about.

Ways you can practice patience: (tips from students in YogaBuddies classes)
☺ Taking deep breaths
☺ Sing or hum a song
☺ Look at or read a book
☺ Find something else for your mind to think about
☺ Talk to someone else

3 Tips for Kids - Practicing Non-Judgment

Non-judgment is the practice of not judging yourself and not judging others.

When we practice non-judgment it is similar to when your parents or a teacher have said don't judge a book by its cover. Another way of putting it, is get to know someone before you decide you don't like them or want to play with them. Remember that everyone is different. Not one yoga pose looks the same and neither does each snowflake that falls from the sky. We are all still learning about life and doing the best that we know how to do (even your parents!)

3 Ways to practice non-judgment:

• Try to find one thing you like about someone
• Look in the mirror and tell yourself you love your SELF
• Give someone a compliment

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.

Seven Tips: Kindness for Kids

Kindness means being nice to the people, animals, and world around you. It is important for us to be kind to the people and the world around us. It's not only good for them, but it is good for us too. Sometimes the people around us might be feeling sad, lonely or mad. By doing something simple, you can cheer someone up. It can be as easy as sharing a smile, sharing your toys, or teaching a yoga pose. Simple things can help to brighten a person's day. You will notice that if you practice doing random acts of kindness, that you will feel better about yourself too. Here are a few ways you can practice kindness:
* Smile at people you recognize * If someone drops something, pick it up for them * Give a compliment to at least one person each day * Do a chore before your parents tell you to * Hold the door for the person behind you when you go through a door * Give someone an extra hug * Pick up trash to be kind to our Earth

Five Tips: Courage for Kids

Reflecting on the earlier post about courage and I thought it would be useful to share some tips that kids can use to conquer their fears.

Courage is doing something even though you might be afraid. Everyone has certain things that they are afraid of. Some people are afraid of the dark. Some people are afraid to raise their hand in class to answer a question, in case their answer is wrong. Others might be afraid to say no when other kids are trying to pressure them to do something wrong. Whatever your fears may be, it takes courage to try and conquer them. Here are a few ways you can practice courage:

1. Stand up for what you believe in, even if other people try to get you to change your mind.

2. Practice looking people in the eye when you are talking to them or they are talking to you.

3. Try something new! When you go out to a restaurant, order something you have never had before.

4. Try doing something that you are afraid to do. If you are afraid to sleep in the dark, try it one night. If you have a hard time, don't worry, try again tomorrow!

5. If you are wrong about something, admit it.

The best way to show courage is to do your best to overcome your fears. It might not happen today or tomorrow, but if you keep practicing, you will soon realize your fears have been conquered!