Poised for Possibility: Off the Mat

by Damla Eytemiz 

Yogiños: Yoga for Youth® changed my life and I think it can change the world, too.  Last week I was reading "Bringing Yoga to Life" by Donna Farhi and she writes, 

Andersen finds joy in asana off the mat.

"Regardless of what stage of life we're in, Yoga practice should serve to bring forth our unique skills, strengths, and talents. It should help us live with greater ease and acceptance. If we mold our practice into some idealized form based on an external standard that is irrelevant to our own destiny, our Yoga practice will only fortify a false sense of self. In this light, always consider your practice in terms of how it can balance and serve the rest of you life. The practice should serve you: you are not a servant to the practice." 

Skills, strengths and talents… That is what I feel after each Yogiños class. Every Tuesday, I teach yoga at Mi Casita Montessori School and whenever I get out of gate, I find myself so relaxed, more focused and I feel the freedom from fear inside me.

I started yoga in my home country, Turkey, but, at that time I wasn’t interested in it so much. When I came to the US, I started to see more and more people each day, practicing yoga. All of them were under the same umbrella... All were more positive, more willing, more free, more independent, more and more…

Students and teachers at Corpus Christi Montessori School
explore opening hearts to team-work during our
whole-school integration program.

When I spend time with Beth Reese, I enjoy it so much. And I feel the same joyful moments spending time with Meredith Paterson, Yuko Wolf, Sandra Golaszewski… There should be a common point, I thought. And not difficult to figure out… All of us are meeting under the Yoginos umbrella.

Yogiños and yoga are not only learning how to do a butterfly pose, downward dog pose and the rest… It is for sure more than that…

I learned so many great lessons on the mat… Next week, I will be happy to write you the lessons on the mat… Please keep up with me…

At La Palmera Mall this past Tuesday,
Yogiños used kind hands to practice gently
touching the earth or in Spanish,
toco la tierra.

Before I forgot, let me give you great news…First Tuesday of every month, we will have hour class at La Palmera Mall 10:00am – 11:00am. Please bring your kids and join us. Tuesday October 3, 2011, we had our first class there and all the kids were OHMazing™! We had a great time with Beth.  As usual she was so energetic and positive. She was spreading her positive vibes all inside the mall. November 1st, we will be there again… And will be so happy to see you among us.