The Yogiños Blog, OHMusings, is an OHMazing® space to reflect and respond on flexibility, strength, balance, collaboration, civic and social responsibility, mindfulness, nutrition, and wellness on and off the yoga mat. We enjoy having guest bloggers so let us know if you would like to contribute! We look forward to hearing from you!
Today I want to tell you about my rather unholy obsession with... dun dun dun... kale. I love it. I used to hate it, but that was because I didn't know how to prepare it. It can be a finicky little green, but when it's treated well, it becomes so tasty, and I can feel it healing my body. I'm actually craving it daily now.
My latest trick-- you may be far ahead of me on this-- is kale chips. Kids will love helping out with these! There is a very special moment when the kale actually changes color in this recipe.
There are lots of great recipe variations out there. Experiment with different seasonings and let me know what you come up with.
Ingredients:
1 bunch kale
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 teaspoon sea salt (or less--to taste)
Supplies:
cookie sheet
parchment paper (optional)
large bowl
salad spinner (optional, but very helpful)
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
Kid-friendly: Wash the kale thoroughly. Separate the leaves from the tough stems. Kids will love ripping the leaves off. I like to save the stems for juicing or to put in long-cooking soups when they'll have time to soften substantially.
Kid-friendly: Dry the leaves in a salad spinner and/or with towels. They need to be really dry. Kids are the perfect salad spinning assistants.
Kid-friendly: Put the dry leaves in a big bowl and take a picture (mental or with a camera). Pour in the olive oil and use your hands to mix the oil and leaves. Notice how the leaves turn a beautiful bright green when they've been massaged.
Kid-friendly: Spread the leaves out in a single layer on the cookie sheet. You may have two batches, depending on the size of your kale bunch.
Kid-friendly: Sprinkle with salt.
Place in the oven for 8-10 minutes. I suggest checking after 8 minutes. The aim is for crispy but not brown or burnt.
Let them cool and enjoy them with your favorite holiday movie! (Perfect popcorn replacement!)
Damla plays in double boat/barco doble/navasana with variation.
by Damla Eytemiz
While holiday events may encourage us to eat, drink, and be merry, we can be mindful about how we participate. Moderation in all things is necessary. Here are some of my reflections on how to have a great healthy holiday.
Exercise regularly. Eat well. Holiday doesn’t mean you have to cut your exercise time, change your schedule or eating habits. Instead, try adding more activity in your life to cope with holiday stress. Exercise helps you to relax and reduce your stress. Plus, if you do attend more gatherings with delicious foods, the added activity will help prevent possible seasonal weight gain.
Connect the season to your activities: dance to your favorite carols, walk around the neighborhood and marvel at the decorations, make snowballs, work with your kids to make healthy holiday snacks and teach them how to make OHMazing choices no matter the season.
Oranges are examples of "candy from the Earth."
At a recent class in La Palmera mall for the TideTurner's event, Yogiños: Yoga for Youth® founder and CEO, Beth Reese, and I passed out clementine oranges reminding kids to eat "candy form the earth." Fruit has sugar in it, too! The difference is the sugar is natural and the pulp and fiber in fruit forces our body to digest the sugar more slowly than in foods with added sugar.
Damla Eytemiz is from Turkey and she is trilingual in Turkish, English and German. She started Yoga in 2010, and she has been doing Pilates since 2007. She loves sports and thinks kids should put “Yoga” in their lives so that they can readily work through life’s challenges and be happier kids.
Meredith (right) and I have tons of fun transforming
traditional asanas into playful partner poses!
by Elizabeth Reese, Ph.D., RYT, RCYT
It's no secret that I love to practice yoga-off-the-mat: brushing my teeth, waiting for coffee, in-line anywhere, traveling.... you name it! I also enjoy traveling to new places to meet new friends and experience yoga, like Yoga Rocks the Butte Festival for all ages including FAMILIES in February!
Try this pose with your family and friends then SEND ME PICTURES to enter a drawing to win a pass to YOGA ROCKS THE BUTTE!
One of my favorite poses to play with is Arbol/Vrksasana/Tree. We offer instructions in English and Spanish to extend our limbs to as many friends as possible.
Start in Mountain Pose with feet strong (think about your four points of contact)
Reach forward to grab your right ankle. Put bottom of right foot against upper left thigh
Teachers play "Mirror Tree" pose to extend the
asana into pratyhara or cultivation of the senses.
Keep a firm foundation while tightening hips & belly for strength
Place hands on hips & lengthen your body.
Hands meet at heart center in Anjali Mudra.
Comienza en pose de Montaña con los pies fuertemente plantados en el piso (piensa en tus cuatro puntos de contacto)
Estírate hacia adelante para agarrar tu tobillo derecho. Coloca la planta del pie derecho contra la parte superior del muslo izquierdo.
Mantén una base firme al mismo tiempo que tensas las caderas y la panza para obtener mayor fuerza.
Andersen, my 4 year old Yogiña, sports
Vrksasana almost anywhere, anytime!
Coloca las manos en las caderas y estira tu cuerpo.
Middle school yogis play in Arbol and add a ball or sandbag
to turn the pose into the OHMazing™ game, Tree Toss.
Las manos se encuentran en el centro a la altura del corazón para Anjali Mudra.
Our Teacher Training in Crested Butte found us hiking and
striking Tree pose along the way. Join us at Yoga for the Peaceful
in June for another Teacher Training among the mountains!
Elizabeth Reese, Ph.D., RYT, RCYT, is the founder and executive director of Yogiños: Yoga for Youth®. She is a teacher with over 20 years of experiences leading learners of all ages in creative problem solving, self-reflection and empowerment. With her doctorate degree in art museum education, Reese is the visual arts columnist for the Corpus Christi Caller Times, a visiting instructor at Texas A&M University—Corpus Christi, and the author of several articles and book chapters as well as co-author of the book, Experience Art: Teaching and Learning through Works of Art. Her teaching credentials also include windsurfing and skiing.
Holidays are fraught with emotion for everyone, and those emotions
can be particularly heightened around the subject of food. Holiday
celebrations revolve around food, and the preparation and eating of the
food is a ritual sacred to many households.
When you or a family
member has food sensitivities, food allergies, and special dietary
needs, the weight of those traditions suddenly becomes more apparent, and you fear doing
anything to disturb them. I play the zero-sum game with myself each time. Which
is worse, getting sick or calling attention to myself with my special
food? Typing that question makes me sad, but I consider it at each social meal.
Gluten-Free Easily is hosting an extravaganza of allergy-friendly holiday recipes to help create new traditions.
If you have a child with food allergies, the holidays mean well-meaning relatives offering spoons to lick
and handfuls of treats at all hours of the day. You worry that
hyper-vigilance won't be enough, and that maybe staying home is always the best option.
Several online resources have helped me handle both the emotional side of social eating-- the fear, the shame, the anxiety-- and the practical how-tos of what to bring when I go out to eat or to a friend or family member's house. These resources have also helped me realize that there are so many things that I can eat instead of focusing only on what I have had to remove from my diet. They make me feel excited about food again.
If you need a place to start, this post from Adventures of a Gluten-Free Mom really resonated with me
and made me realize that making myself sick was not worth it.
Here are some resources that I have found helpful. Most cover multiple food allergies and sensitivities. Lots of great recipes and advice in each link.
by Meredith Paterson
I wanted to write today about two OHMazing™, tenacious activists who were curious about something and set out to find answers. And they were only 11 years old.
In the documentary What's on Your Plate?, produced and directed by Catherine Gund, Sadie and Safiyah, two friends in New York City, set out to get answers about where their food comes from and how it gets to their tables. They interview people from many different aspects of our food system. They go to grocery stores, fast food restaurants, and school cafeterias as well as to farmers' markets and farms-- all in a quest to determine how our food system works and why it has gotten to the point of our food being "trucked over 1,500 miles before we bite into it. And seeds are engineered to die out after one season in order to ensure corporate control of the food chain." (Catherine Gund)
This is a can't-miss film, an incredible opportunity to talk about food with your family and to look at the system together so that everyone can make educated choices about what they put in their mouths.
"Kids need to know the full benefits of local food: more energy-efficient production,
more prosperous farmers, healthier communities, longer lasting and better tasting
fruits and veggies. Kids need to know that their food doesn’t only come from the
supermarket or the factory, but from nearby farms, trees and the ground. Adults
need to be empowered to share this information with the next generation. . . .
These days, when I tell my kids to eat their veggies, I also have to tell them that I am
willing to fight for their opportunity to do so. This film represents a part of that
work. . . .
The film culminates with a delicious local meal cooked by the girls and
friends they have made along the way. Sadie and Safiyah formulate sophisticated
and compassionate opinions about urban sustainability, and by doing so inspire
hope and active engagement in others." (www.whatsonyourplateproject.org)
Trim cauliflower stalks and separate florets. In large stockpot,
add cold water and 1-2 garlic cloves. Place cauliflower in large
steamer basket and place into stockpot. Bring to boil, about 10
minutes.
When cooked, remove water and toss boiled garlic in with the
cauliflower. Remove the strainer. Return pot to low heat and add olive
oil. Mash all with potato masher.
If you don’t have a potato masher, use the back of a heavy spoon or fork.
Taste and add salt and experiment with the use of white or black
pepper seasoning. Use crushed red pepper for garnish for to spice up
the dish.
Serve warm - tastes great cold too!
*Adding your favorite fresh herbs bring a different taste thrill -
try dill or oregano. Try a lemon squeeze over a bite-ful for a tasty
zing...
Happy Halloween! What are you doing tonight to celebrate?
A skeleton does half-lotus-- look ma, no muscles!
This past weekend, I had the great treat of being in downtown San Antonio and taking part in some of the Día de los Muertos festivities that were being held at El Mercado.
Día de los Muertos is celebrated in Mexico and around the Southwest on November 1 and 2 and is a celebration of the lives of friends and relatives who have passed. It is a regional version of All Saints' Day and All Souls' Day celebrations that take place around the world.
Offerings, ofrendas, on an altarat Mi Tierra restaurant in San Antonio.
During these days, graves are cleaned and decorated, and beautiful altars are created in homes and public spaces to honor the deceased. The altars include offerings, ofrendas, such as marigolds, sugar skulls, favorite foods and drinks of the person, objects that the person may have loved, and poems and stories in honor of the person. Families and friends get together to share memories and stories of loved ones.
"People go to cemeteries to be with the souls of the departed and build
private altars containing the favorite foods and beverages as well as
photos and memorabilia of the departed. The intent is to encourage
visits by the souls, so that the souls will hear the prayers and the
comments of the living directed to them. Celebrations can take a
humorous tone, as celebrants remember funny events and anecdotes about
the departed...
A large altarbuilt on a truck in the San Antonio Farmers' Market Buiding
Toys are brought for dead children (los angelitos, or "the little angels"), and bottles of tequila, mezcal or pulque or jars of atole for adults. Families will also offer trinkets or the deceased's favorite candies on the grave. Ofrendas are also put in homes, usually with foods such as candied pumpkin, pan de muerto ("bread of the dead"), and sugar skulls and beverages such as atole. The ofrendas are left out in the homes as a welcoming gesture for the deceased.[2] Some people believe the spirits of the dead eat the "spiritual essence" of the ofrendas
food, so even though the celebrators eat the food after the
festivities, they believe it lacks nutritional value. Pillows and
blankets are left out so that the deceased can rest after their long
journey. In some parts of Mexico, such as the towns of Mixquic, Pátzcuaro and Janitzio, people spend all night beside the graves of their relatives. In many places, people have picnics at the grave site as well." from Wikipedia
I love this holiday for so many reasons. Though death is in its title, it is a celebration of life, beauty, creativity, and art. Most importantly, it is time set aside to consciously remember those who are no longer with us in person, and to remember them with humor and full-spirited love. The holiday embraces all aspects of our existence, the light and the dark. It gives us permission to be something other than somber as we reflect on and send out prayers for those who have passed.
The countdown is on! Just a few more days until one of my favorite holidays of the year. I'm still putting a few finishing touches on my costume. Check out our monthly Yogiños newsletter for more fun Halloween tips!
Halloween is definitely a holiday to be celebrated with gusto. I am a former raisin-giver (I have since repented) who tried foolishly to impose health-at-all-costs on the poor, unsuspecting trick-or-treaters. Now, I'm just looking for a little more balance. Gusto doesn't have to mean excess, and celebrations don't always have to end with tummyaches. There are now so many more environmentally-friendly, healthy options out there for what you can hand out to trick-or-treaters. Look at the bottom of this post for ideas.
Like I tend to write in so many of these Together at the Table posts, one of the best things you can do as a family is to have a thoughtful discussion about how to have a mindful holiday that doesn't actually become a pain in the belly.
Here are some of our favorite Yogiños yoga poses for keeping your digestion running smoothly, even through Halloween.
Me and the OHMazing™ Meredith Paterson!
Meredith is the Director of Yoga Trainings
and Austin. She also is my dear friend,
an incredible colleague, and dedicated yogi.
Mere: NAMASTE!
by Elizabeth Reese, Ph.D.
One of the best and most unexpected opportunities for me and Yogiños: Yoga for Youth® is our OHMazing™ partnership with Crow Collection of Asian Art. Seeds were planted during the planning and filming of our first, award-winning DVD, The Story of Ganesha, when Director Amy Hofland curried two sculptures to South Texas from Dallas for content for the DVD. Blossoming since fall of 2009, the partnership has been mindfully nurtured and carefully sculpted to include the filming and production of a second DVD, Vishnu's OHMazing™ Journeys, yoga trainings, tours, a staff position, gallery guides, and even a new mission of the museum to embrace body, mind, heart and art.
Our most recent journey together was in collaboration with YogaVibes. "YogaVibes makes yoga accessible to anyone by offering classes of various styles, intensity, and duration. No matter your schedule or location, the benefits of yoga are as close as your computer," states members of the team.
On October 1 we filmed 4 classes: The Courage in Me, Lakshmi: The Heroine of Generosity, Super Friends, and Mudras.
Mudras: In this free yoga video, we explore some of the Hasta Mudras that are associated with the Hindu deity Vishnu and his beautiful consort Lakshmi. Designed for ages 4 & up.
From Ahila Gulasekaram, Instructor with Yogiños: Yoga for Youth®, Dallas, TX:
"Mudras, specifically Hasta Mudras (Hasta is Sanskrit for hand) are widely used in both yoga and Indian Classical dance. There is a tremendous flow of energy in our hands and each finger is said to represent one of the five elements. The thumb is agni (fire), the index finger is vayu (air), the middle finger is akash (ether), the ring finger is prithvi (earth), and the little finger is jall (water). By curling, crossing, stretching, and touching the fingers and hands, we can lock or guide the energy flow to certain parts of the mind or body. Hasta Mudras are also found in Hundu and Buddhist works of art."
We hope you enjoy this free video of hand postures in the museum and beyond!
Elizabeth "Beth" Reese, Ph.D., RYT, RCYT, is the founder and CEO of Yogiños: Yoga for Youth®. Yogiños: Yoga for Youth® is an OHMazing™ interdisciplinary curriculum in English, Spanish, and Sanskrit. We weave together the 8 Limbs of yoga with original art, music, games, stories, and other sensory-integrated activities to promote flexibility, strength, balance, collaboration, civic and social responsibility, mindfulness, nutrition, and wellness both on and off the yoga mat. Yogiños: Yoga for Youth® is endorsed by Andrew Weil, M.D., in partnership with the Crow Collection of Asian Art in Dallas, and in cooperation with prAna. Beth is a teacher with over 20 years experience with preK-12 grades in art, yoga, windsurfing and skiing. She also has taught art museum education at the University-level. A yoga practitioner for over 10 years, Beth completed an Anusara Immersion and teacher training with Christina Sell in 2009 and currently is working toward Anusara-Inspired Certification. Beth is the mother of three OHMazing yogis under the age of 12. Her oldest daughter, Jordan, is the inspiration for Yogiños: Yoga for Youth® as she learned to navigate challenges associated with Sensory-Integration "Disorder" through practicing all 8 Limbs of yoga.
The first CCISD/Yogiños Teacher Training was
part of a 3-school Pilot Program.
by Elizabeth Reese, Ph.D.
It brought tears to my eyes. And when I say tears, I mean the streaming ones with trembling, smiling lips.
In a PE class at a Corpus Christi elementary school last spring, about 40 kids took their new journey to begin PE class. Singing and practicing the Yogiños: Yoga for Youth® sun salutation, Toco el Sol, it looked and sounded like they had been doing this all year. When the music player stopped suddenly, it didn't stop them; with only 4 days of this vinyasa shining in their lives, they kept the light flowing.
This team of PE teachers were part of a 3-school Pilot Program implementing a sample, 5-week Yogiños: Yoga for Youth® curriculum into their existing program. The Story of Ganesha, featuring a poster of the hero from the Crow Collection of Asian Art and our award-winning DVD with the same name, empowered teachers to weave original art, music, games, stories, and other sensory-integrated
Youth in the Pilot Program participate
in a casual exit-interview
activities to promote flexibility, strength, balance, collaboration, civic and social responsibility, mindfulness, nutrition, and wellness both on and off the yoga mat. This Pilot Program reached over 600 elementary students and about 275 middle schoolers.
With State of Texas Fitnessgram pre- and post-tests, we did see an increase in physical flexibility. "What I like best about Yogiños is that I feel more flexible.... not just here in PE, but everywhere," shared ine 5th grader.
In the 2010-2011 academic year, test results indicate that CCISD 3rd-5th graders average between overweight and obese, and that 48% fall below the National Fitness Zone. Let’s say YES and transform this health crisis into an OHMazing™ opportunity to teach youth how to make healthy choices for themselves, others and the environment!
Current brain, academic and cardiovascular research provide scientific evidence that practices related specifically to yoga and breathing techniques offer:
~ 27% increase in GABA levels (calmness, anti-anxiety);
~ Improved academic achievement through learning how to improve focus and handle stress;
~ Increased academic interest through providing integrated movement in traditionally sedentary, academic settings;
~ Interactive experiences with team-building, cooperation and tolerance.
This summer 80 PE teachers in CCISD spent 2 days in a
Yogiños workshop. Here they practice many elements
of yoga, including asana and pratyahara, in mirror tree pose.
Workshops and Programs provide training and techniques for teachers, faculty, staff and administrators of schools and organizations to integrate aerobic, strength, flexibility and rejuvenation activities into the daily lives of students and families. YES promotes the success of Coordinated School Health and fitness test programs. Customized workshops, trainings, and retreats are available for schools, museums, PTOs, after-school groups, and other organizations and businesses ready to integrate wellness in safe, healthy, engaged, supported and OHMazing™ ways.
Since the completion of the Pilot Program last spring, Yogiños: Yoga for Youth® facilitated our basic training with 80 PE teachers from CCISD last summer and is now in a full-school integration with Corpus Christi Montessori School. Here we are conducting scientific-based research investigating the impact of weaving the program into the school's curriculum. The study includes research with both students and teachers.
Elizabeth Reese, Ph.D., RYT, RCYT, is the founder and executive director of Yogiños: Yoga for Youth®. She is a teacher with over 20 years of experiences leading learners of all ages in creative problem solving, self-reflection and empowerment. With her doctorate degree in art museum education, Reese is the visual arts columnist for the Corpus Christi Caller Times, a visiting instructor at Texas A&M University—Corpus Christi, and the author of several articles and book chapters as well as co-author of the book, Experience Art: Teaching and Learning through Works of Art. Her teaching credentials also include windsurfing and skiing.
Today, we are so excited to announce our collaboration and partnership with YogaVibes.
Yogiños: Yoga for Youth classes are now available on YogaVibes so that you and your family can take a class anytime, anywhere.
Download the classes and have a yoga party at your house!
These unique classes were filmed in partnership with the Crow Collection of Asian Art in Dallas, and each class weaves together art, storytelling, yoga, music, love, and loads of fun!
Mudras:
In this FREE yoga video, we explore some of the Hasta Mudras that are associated with the Hindu deity Vishnu and his beautiful consort Lakshmi. Designed for ages 4 & up.
Lakshmi: The Heroine of Generosity: Join kids and families of all ages on an adventure about the greatest form of wealth: the art of generosity. Learn mudras, breathing, poses and cultural narratives inspired by an original work of art of Lakshmi who is known for bestowing wealth, prosperity, and abundance of knowledge, kindness and generosity. Music credits: "I am OHMazing" by Hunter James (words by Beth Reese and first verse of Upanishads); "Jai Ma" by Donna De Lory; "Ganapati Om" by Donna De Lory; and "Toco el Sol" by Albert Del Rio (lyrics by Beth Reese). (48 mins.) Designed for families with yogis of all ages.
Beth and the Yogiños discuss Ganesha's vehicle
in the "Super Friends" video.
Super Friends:
Reflect on people and pets who are special. Learn about several heroes and their companions or vehicles. In Sanskrit, a vehicle is called a vahana. Surrounded by original works of art, we will meet several heroes and heroines - Shiva, Parvati, Lakshmi, Vishnu and Gansha - through sight, sound, breath, and poses or asanas that reveal how friends and pets are special to us and how we are special to them. Music credits: "Toco el Sol" by Albert Del Rio (lyrics by Beth Reese). (47 mins.)Designed for ages 4 & up.
Learn one of the ancient stories of Garuda, half-man, half-eagle, and the heroic tasks he had to take on moments after his birth. Inspired by the works of art surrounding us in the galleries of the Crow Collection of Asian Art in Dallas, we use breathing, asana (yoga poses), and partner work to look inside our own hearts to find the courage we need to face difficult situations. Music credits: "Toco el Sol" by Albert Del Rio (lyrics by Beth Reese). (35 mins.) Designed for ages 6 & up.
In Yogiños: Yoga for Youth® we spend a lot of doing yoga off the mat. In fact, I was happily surprised when I learned that yoga is a way of life not "just" poses or asanas. Asanas are 1 branch of the yoga tree. The overarching philosophies pf yoga are known as the 8 Limbs:
Meredith encourages yogiños to cultivate pratyahara
by carefully looking at this sculpture of Vishnu as Varaha
in the Crow Collection of Asian Art.
Yama : Making good choices for others
Niyama : Making good choices for yourself
Asanas : Body postures or poses
Pranayama : Breathing exercises
Pratyahara : Cultivation andcontrol of the senses
Dharana : Concentration, focus, inner awareness
Dhyana : Meditation
Samadhi : Union with the Divine within yourself
Sometimes at first it may be hard to imagine practicing yoga off the mat. In this week's Yogiños in Your Home we offer a short film showing Remy and one of her OHMazing™ Days.
Be a hero at home and share yoga on and off the mat!
Beth is the mother of three OHMazing yogis under the age of 12. Her oldest daughter, Jordan, is the inspiration for Yogiños: Yoga for Youth® as she learned to navigate challenges associated with Sensory-Integration "Disorder" through practicing all 8 Limbs of yoga. elizabeth@yoginos.com
Monday, October 24, 2011 marks the first National Food Day! How do you plan to celebrate?
Keep reading for links to recipes and resources below.
All across the country, friends and families will cook and eat together; farmers' markets and local food organizations will host parades, parties, gardening demonstrations, cooking classes, and more-- all in the service of raising awareness about access to healthy, affordable, sustainable food. And sustainable food is food that supports the earth, the growers, the harvesters, and the consumers. Find food day events near you and as well as nationwide events.
The old saying is true. We ARE what we eat. The food we consume becomes
the energy our bodies use to think, move, create, and love. So we need to
start with clean, healthy fuel for our bodies. In Yogiños: Yoga for Youth® classes, we often discuss the effects of the food choices we make and how important the food we eat is to the health of our bodies, our families, and our earth. Let's work
together to make sure that everyone has access to healthy food that sustains the planet.
"Food Day's goal is nothing less than to transform the American diet—to
inspire a broad movement involving people from every corner of our land
who want healthy, affordable food produced in a sustainable, humane
way. In other words, we want America to eat real. We want to get
Americans cooking real food for their families again. We want fewer
people at drive-throughs and bigger crowds at farmers markets. We want
to celebrate fresh fruits, vegetables, and healthy whole grains—and to
support the local farms and farmers that produce them. We want all
Americans—regardless of their age or income or geographic location—to be
able to select healthy diets and avoid obesity, heart disease, and
other diet-related conditions. "
The Food Day website offers curriculum and other resources for teachers to use in their
classrooms as well as resources for throwing your own event and talking
with your family about the importance of the Food Day goals.
Free Food Day recipes from chefs like Kate Sherwood, Mario Batali, Emeril Lagasse, Dan Barber, and Rick Bayless. Jaime Oliver 's Food Revolution is sponsoring Food Day events and posting recipes on its website.
A sunny Friday… Wind comes and goes… Definitely a good day for outdoor activities…
I love the nature and I love the way it serves us… However, I believe we should give something back to it if we want this world to last long.
I am reading a lot about ways to save the world and to go green. Today I am going to share five ways how to save the world.
1-Share the car: We are all producers and consumers. So let's think more about the earth and be more gentle to it so that all the generations will enjoy at least as much as we do. Why don’t we start sharing cars? You can share your car with your wife, husband, kid or a friend or neighbors. It won’t only mean the total mileage will be less but maintaining one car instead of two will certainly be less expensive and will require less energy. With the money you save, it is possible to make many OHMazing choices. There were an estimated 255 million registered passenger vehicles in US in 2007.
2-Electric Companies: If you can, choose an electric company that offers energy from renewable sources. Then, you will help the earth to reduce the emissions of greenhouse gases that is due to fossil fuels; coal, oil, natural gas.
3-Avoid buying too much: Don’t buy things that you will want to get rid of quickly. We all go to malls, shops and come with things we really don’t want to buy. All the advertisements and all the marketing make us buy the things we actually don’t need or it is not on the priority list. When you do grocery, if you know you can’t consume a lot, please think twice. Eggs, milk, vegetables, meat, fruits are all perishables. So, excessive amount of buying will end up putting the items in trash in a couple of days.
4-Go for Organic Coffee: If you are a coffee drinker, go for organic coffee. US sales of organic coffee were $89 million in 2005 and the number is increasing more each year. If you are not a coffee lover, you are more than welcome to skip #4 giving yourselves a high five.
5-Check the chemicals: Our laundries, kitchens, bathrooms are all full of chemical products whether we see or not. Please check the products you use and read the content labels whether they are harmful to the environment or not.
6-Keep up with Yoginos…. Do Yoga…. Make it an inseparable part of your life.
Damla Eytemiz is from Turkey and she is trilingual in Turkish, English and German. She started Yoga in 2010, and she has been doing Pilates since 2007. She loves sports and thinks kids should put “Yoga” in their lives so that they can readily work through life’s challenges and be happier kids.
During the first Yogiños Instructor Training in Corpus Christi,
Damla and Claudia practice double boat pose.
by Damla Eytemiz
Nowadays… We are either watching our weight, diet or we all just want to be healthy. Yesterday I came across a game online, called FATWORLD.It is a video game about the politics of nutrition. It explores the relationships between obesity, nutrition, and socioeconomics in the contemporary U.S. The game's goal is not to tell people what to eat or how to exercise, but to demonstrate the complex, interwoven relationships between nutrition and factors like budgets, the physical world, subsidies, and regulations. For more information, please check fatworld.org. Weighty topics section provides more information related to nutrition, exercise, diet and meal plans, obesity and other health concerns, children’s nutrition and etc.
I am a bookworm, especially when it comes to health and nutrition books. I enjoy everything I read especially if it is something I can bring to action. After starting working at Yogiños: Yoga for Youth®, I can tell that I felt so much healthier physically and emotionally. Yoga made me search more about health and nutrition and each day I started to do better in picking what I should eat and drink and what I should avoid. However, I met a lot of people who thinks a healthy body is only related with eating healthy food.
I call on people to realize that eating and drinking are sisters or brothers. One shouldn’t be considered separate.
I want to share with you some information from about the drinks we should avoid drinking and/or be more concerned about. The following four drinks with problems are form a recent posting by Andrew Weil, MD.
Coffee drinks with full-fat dairy, artificial flavorings, and extras such as chocolate sprinkles. These can pack as many calories (and fat) as a meal. A better option is a plain coffee with soymilk or, better yet, antioxidant-rich green tea.
Frothy summer cocktails. Whether it's a margarita or a pina colada, sugary drinks pack a double dose of calories due to alcohol and sugar - some can top 800 calories in one drink. A better option is a glass of red wine (60-100 calories) or a light beer (about 100 calories).
Non-juice "juice drinks." Before buying juice, read the label and make sure it is 100% juice (not just "made with" real juice) and check for added sweeteners and calories. Many of these products are no better than drinking sugar water.
Soda. There just isn't anything nutritious about soda, whether it's diet or regular. If you're a soda addict, break the habit by eliminating soda as a treat, and stop reaching for it automatically with a meal or as a thirst quencher.
Next week, I am writing about WATER and how it is important for our life. Keep up with us ogiños: Yoga for Youth® lovers ! And be the change of your life.
Meredith Paterson, Jennifer Buergermeister, and I celebrate
the Second Instructor Training at CuraYoga last June.
We will have another one in June 2012.
by Elizabeth Reese, Ph.D. Last Friday I had the pleasure of dining with my dear friend and colleague, Jennifer Buergermeister, in Houston. We have shared a pot of tea, a morning cup of Joe, but never a dinner. Like any good gathering over savory foods, we savored sharing our memories and experiences and, in turn, grew in both our professional and personal relationships.
With a photo-shoot with a dozen OHMazing™ Yogiños on Monday, Meredith came to Corpus Christi to direct the event (many thanks!). Mere is consuming very
Meredith assist Yogiña Molly in
Estrella/Triangle/Trikonasana.
selective and specific foods right now. While the rationale is hers to share, I can share my observations of a friend and colleague who is illuminating her path with self-love and exploration.
Listening to her challenges and the grace with which she navigates what, when, and where to eat, I ultimately see a person who is cultivating and practicing yoga with every bite. Literally, through careful selection of foods and beverages, Meredith is practicing one of the limbs of yoga, Niyama or personal observances, and one of its elements, Svadhyaya.
Sva means "self'" and adhyaya means "inquiry" or "examination". Any activity that promotes self-reflective awareness can be considered svadhyaya. When we intentionally cultivate careful reflection and responses in our activities, we also can learn to embrace our limitations.
With years of experience with these kids (lol), Jeaneen
carefully orchestrates culinary techniques like
carefully slicing scallions and tearing spnach.
In my house tonight, I find myself struggling between wanting quiet at dinner time with watching my kids find joy in preparing a meal with our dear friend, Jeaneen. Of course the fact is, the idea alone that the Texas Rangers are in the World Series automatically increases the volume... thank goodness!
"These are asparagus. They can bend and also break, just like us. Let's wash them carefully," advised Jeaneen.
"This is cheese. Let's slice it mindfully like when we make decisions about whether to do this, or that. Stay with these friends, or go with that group."
As the evening goes on, my kids (ummmm and I?) abandon bedtime bewitching hours in favor of assisting Jeaneen and learning about food sources and how they make us more aware of ourselves—or more adept at engaging with Svadhyaya. Accordingly, I become more likely to remember and respond to what a dear friend and mom once advised me, "there's more to education than school."
Whether over spring rolls and corn polenta cakes, buckwheat cereal or Corpus Christi couscous, we can choose to mindfully reflect and respond to what we consume and share in more ways than one.
The name for this dish is still debatable but I like
Corpus Christi Couscous!
Elizabeth Reese, Ph.D., RYT, RCYT, is the founder and executive director of Yogiños: Yoga for Youth®. She is a teacher with over 20 years of experiences leading learners of all ages in creative problem solving, self-reflection and empowerment. Her teaching credentials also include windsurfing and skiing.
A yoga practitioner for over 10 years, Beth completed an Anusara Immersion and teacher training with Christina Sell in 2009 and currently is working toward Anusara Inspired Certification. Beth is RYT-200 and a Registered Children's Yoga Teacher (RCYT). Beth is the mother of three OHMazing yogis under the age of 12... and we all LOVE Corpus Christi Couscous!
Sandra and her youngest son Jeremiah work together
to create "My OHMazing™ Space" at the
Corpus Christi Montessori School.
by Sandra Golaszewski
South Texas is one of those corners that does not get a lot of rain during the year. So when it does rain, we fully embrace this natural occurrence and as a family we have always done it. You have too, especially down here in south Texas. Rain is considered nourishment for mother earth and the water of life. It makes us feel calm, it washes away our worries and thus starting over fresh. It is essential that we show our children, that rain is good for us and should be enjoyed. Nowadays many parent do not want their children to go out and get wet, out of fear that they might get sick. Well, do not spend endless hours in the rain. If you feel you are getting cold do not stay, just make your way inside into the warm tub and afterward a warm tea. This is how we harden up, strengthen our immune system, by being exposed to mother nature.
There are many ways to enjoy a stroll in the rain:
1.Jumping in puddles
2.Singing in the rain
3.Dancing in the rain
4.Exploring the gutters/drains – finding out where it travels to
5.Making paper boats and have them travel in the puddles
6.Going through the mud, and talk about the feeling of mud on your feet
7.Pitch a tent and listen to the rain drops on the tent – very soothing
This weekend we spent some time together playing outside in the rain, since it has not rained in “months”, literally. We ran through the puddles, jumped and danced in the rain. Had fun feeling the mud on our feet and explore how the rain was flowing through the gutters and where it eventually takes the rain to. We also did ‘Yoga of the Mat’ by walking barefooted and feeling mother nature on our feet, as well as the mud.
Sandra Golaszewski is a Yogiños: Yoga for Youth® Inspired Instructor.Originallyfrom Berlin, Germany, Sandra is bilingual in German and English. She started Yoga in 2010, and has since been very interested in varies forms of Yoga and also is a Reiki I practitioner. She has 3 children that are being homeschooled using Montessori and Waldorf philosophy and she includes Yoga almost every day. Sandra believes that a child should be treated as a 'whole'.
