Poised for Possibility: Off the Mat and in the Museum

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.

During the filming of Vishnu's OHMazing™ Journeys, Ahila instructed me on padma mudra.

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.