OHMazing A-Z Kids' Yoga Coloring Book press release and book signing!

MARK YOUR CALENDARS NOW for the formal release and book signing of OHMazing A-Z Kids' Yoga Coloring Book:

Saturday, May 12, 10am-3pm, 
Art Center of Corpus Christi
100 N. Shoreline Blvd.
Corpus Christi, Texas 78401

Families and yogis of all ages: come pose and play to bilingual music and check out the *NEW* bilingual wellness book, OHMazing A-Z Kids' Yoga Coloring Book! Enter a drawing to win a Yogiños: Yoga for Youth® educational package featuring our bilingual products including award-winning yoga for kids DVDs, music CD, posters, and new book.

Yogiños: Yoga for Youth® is a locally-founded, internationally-expanding OHMazing™ interdisciplinary kids yoga curriculum in English, Spanish, and Sanskrit. Our yoga for kids program weaves together wellness with original art, music, games, stories, and other mindful, sensory-integrated activities to promote flexibility, strength, balance, collaboration, civic and social responsibility, mindfulness, and nutrition on and off the yoga mat. We offer bilingual yoga DVDs, kids yoga music CDs, and other bilngual educational products for schools, studios and homes.

Our award-winning DVD, The Story of Ganesha, was filmed locally at the Art Museum of South Texas, the Yoga Studio of Corpus Christi, near Cole Park, and other locations.

Yogiños: Yoga for Youth® is endorsed by Andrew Weil, M.D., Christina Sell, Yoga in My School, and others. We are in partnership with the Crow Collection of Asian Art in Dallas, Read to Lead, and YogaVibes, as well as in cooperation with prAna. Our DVDs are available here and also distributed by Lotus Shop at the Crow Collection of Asian Art, White Swan Music, AVCafe, and numerous private yoga studios.

Don't miss out on this OHMazing event!

Yoga in Schools Aligns Body, Mind & Heart.

by Elizabeth Reese, Ph.D., E-RYT, RCYT

             

 

 

Photo credit: Elizabeth Reese

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 four days of this vinyasa shining in their lives, they kept the light flowing.

This team of PE teachers, faculty, administration and students were part of a three-school Pilot Program implementing a sample, five-week Yogiños: Yoga for Youth® curriculum based on the story of Ganesha into their existing program.

The teachers first attended a workshop. Here they received a curriculum including five weeks of daily lessons featuring our version of The Story of Ganesha, a poster of a work of art of the “hero” Ganesha from the Crow Collection of Asian Art, our bilingual music, custom latex-free mats, and our award-winning DVD. These materials empowered teachers to weave original art, music, games, stories, and other sensory-integrated activities into their existing curricula. This Pilot Program reached over 600 elementary students and about 275 middle schoolers.

The pilot program of integrating yoga into schools was needed.

In the 2010-2011 academic year, test results indicate that Corpus Christi Independent School District (CCISD) 3rd-5th graders averaged between overweight and obese, and that 48% fall below the National Fitness Zone. To investigate physical benefits, we used existing State of Texas Fitnessgrams as pre- and post-tests to measure physical changes encouraged by the addition of yoga. We also taught pranayama, like Flower Power.
Across the board there was an increase in physical flexibility. And some youth reported additional ranges of flexibility as well.

“What I like best about Yogiños is that I feel more flexible….and not just here in PE, but everywhere,” shared one 5th grader in an exit-interview.

Many yoga for kids programs—International Association of School Yoga and Mindfulness, ChildLight Yoga, Yoga in My Schools, Little Flower Yoga and Shanti Generation, to name but only a few—provide support, 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 in safe, healthy, engaged, supported and OHMazing™ ways.

Bringing yoga into schools is important for the integration of body, mind and heart.

Scott Eliff, Superintendent of Corpus Christi Independent School District says that many schools have focused only on academics and the mind for too long. “We are now learning we need alignment of the whole body, heart and mind for optimal learning,” Eliff said when we met to discuss bringing Yogiños: Yoga for Youth into the district.
Indeed, 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.

Since the completion of the Pilot Program last spring, Yogiños: Yoga for Youth® facilitated our basic two and half days training with 80 PE teachers from CCISD last summer. We also provided this training to all faculty and staff at Corpus Christi Montessori School where we currently are in a full-school integration. Here we are conducting scientific-based research investigating the various impacts and benefits of weaving the program into the school’s curriculum. This study includes research with both students and teachers.

Elizabeth “Beth” Reese, Ph.D., E-RYT, RCYT, is the founder and executive director of Yogiños: Yoga for Youth®. A yoga practitioner for over 13 years, Beth is the mother of three OHMazing yogis under the age of 13. Her oldest daughter, Jordan, is part of 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.Yogiños: Yoga for Youth offers classes for children and families as well as trainings for classroom teachers, yoga instructors, parents, and others interested in bringing yoga and healthy choices to all ages. elizabeth@yoginos.com and here.

Via elephantjournal.com

on Apr 13, 2012

Eating Close to the Earth

By Elizabeth Reese, PhD, E-RYT, RYT

 

During our kids yoga classes at Yogiños, we talk about making good, or "OHMazing" choices for ourselves, others and the earth. Often this includes discussing food because making healthy choices for our whole bodies on and off the mat is definitely part of yoga. For simplification, I invite kids to choose and eat foods that are “close to the earth.”

One day a group of 3-6 year olds were snacking on popcorn and I asked, what’s healthier: popcorn or potato chips? A 4 year old excitedly raised his hand and with great passion and the inability to wait another second he exclaimed, “POTATOES! Because they grow IN the Earth and popcorn comes from corn stalks which grow ABOVE the Earth.”

(Ahhhhh the things kids say..... and they call this work!?!?)

Clearly he had taken my suggestion of “eating close to the Earth” to a literal extreme, yet the offering is a positive guideline to help form how and why we choose certain foods.

Integrative health expert, Andrew Weil, MD, advises that people of all ages seek and crave sugar for several reasons. As children, we are often rewarded with sweets like candy and cookies. This sets us up for a lifetime of connecting good behavior with sugary processed foods. Sugar also increases serotonin—a natural chemical our bodies produce—which helps us feel good and relax. This is why we often turn to sweets when we feel stressed or anxious.

While we all want to feel good, more relaxed, and less stressed, we can make the more OHMazing choice and select sweets that comes from the earth: fruit.

When I talk to youth about choosing fruit, I call it “candy from the Earth,” beautiful, colorful, natural sweets. While we should practice moderation of our intake of these sweets, too, fruit is a better choice than processed sweets and snacks for many reasons. Weil recommends berries, cherries, apples, and pears as the best fruit choices as they have a low glycemic index.

Low glycemic index is a carbohydrate ranking that means a food will not spike our blood sugar levels as much as other foods. High glycemic index foods, like candy and processed sweets, are associated with obesity, high blood pressure, elevated blood fats, and an increased risk of type 2 diabetes.

Why and how is fruit OHMazing?

Ourselves: Whole fruit is good for our bodies because the sugar is natural and paired with fiber. The fiber slows down how our bodies absorb sugar and helps us digest all of our foods more efficiently.

Others: Choosing candy from the earth is good for others because it supports our farmers, especially when we choose locally grown fruits.

Earth: Selecting fruit over processed foods is good for the environment because there is no extra processing or energy spent to make it. Fruit also has no waste! Even if we do not eat all of it, the core, peels, and rinds can be composted. Composting allows natural leftovers to return to feed the earth. It's also a lot of fun and community-building to start and maintain a garden.

A fun way to teach this idea is to discuss which is the more OHMazing choice and why:

• orange soda, orange juice or whole oranges
• apple juice, apple sauce, whole apples
• potato chips (fried and baked), french fries, baked potatoes

Talk about other groupings and ask children to come up with their own groups of three to compare and contrast. I find that kids are never too young to start talking about nutrition. As my yoga teacher, Christina Sell, once asked, don’t we deserve to only consume the very best?

 

Originally Published on MindBodyGreen April 4, 2012 at 10:00 AM

 

About Elizabeth Reese

Elizabeth "Beth" Reese, Ph.D., E-RYT, RCYT is the founder and CEO of  Yogiños: Yoga for Youth, an OHMazing interdisciplinary yoga for kids program in English, Spanish, and Sanskrit. Yogiños: Yoga for Youth weaves together the 8 Limbs of yoga and wellness with original art, music, games, stories, and other sensory-integrated activities to promote flexibility, strength, balance, collaboration, civic and social responsibility, mindfulness, and nutrition on and off the yoga mat. Yogiños: Yoga for Youth offers classes for children and families as well as trainings for classroom teachers, yoga instructors, parents, and others interested in bringing yoga and healthy choices to all ages. 

Website: yoginos.com

Facebook: facebook.com/yoginos

Twitter: @Yoginos

I am OHMazing!

Elizabeth Reese, PhD

A major facet of Pantajali’s Yoga Sutra is an eight-limbed path that forms the structural framework for most yoga practices. These theories and practices also form the foundation of Yogiños: Yoga for Youth®. Using the 8 limbs of yoga not only teaches youth to have respect and awareness for self, others and the environment, but also encourages participants and families to weave yoga into their daily lives both on and off the yoga mat.

In brief, the Eight Limbs, or paths of yoga, are as follows:
Yamas: good choices toward YOU 
(There are 5 Yamas.)
Niyamas: good choices for ME
 (There are 5 Niyamas.)
Asana: body postures
Pranayama: breathing exercises and control of breath
Pratyahara: control of the senses
Dharana: concentration and cultivating inner perceptual awareness
Dhyana: devotion, meditation on the Divine
Samadhi: union with the Divine

For simplification, we call practicing the Eight Limbs of yoga on and off your mat being “OHMazing!” We teach youth and families this powerful philosophical concept by defining OM as all things are interconnected, or, as stated in the first verse of the Upanishads, all is OM. We then discuss the meaning of amazing: cool, super cool, really great, and so on. From here we share that when we make “super cool” and positive choices being mindful that all things—including us!—are interconnected, that is OHMazing.

During Yogiños classes we discuss that as humans we are OHMazing, along with the fact that we must consciously practice making OHMazing choices. When we make amazing choices for ourselves, others and the environment, that is OHMazing!

Kids are encouraged to cultivate their light by exclaiming, “I am OHMazing!” Youth offer friends and classmates support by cheering on one another with “you are OHMazing!” We share and practice how working together is important, high-fiving after a partner or group pose exclaiming, “somos” (“we are” in Spanish) OHMazing!

While we incorporate the 8 Limbs and OHMazing into every class, participants also are prompted to reflect and respond on the positive ways they help themselves, others and the Earth at home, during school, in sports, with friends and in other spaces and places. Our short film, Remy’s OHMazing Day, illustrates some of the OHMazing choices youth can make every day. This video also is available in Spanish.





This article was originally posted on Elephant Journal.

Elizabeth “Beth” Reese, Ph.D., E-RYT, RCYT, is the founder and executive director of Yogiños: Yoga for Youth®. A yoga practitioner for over 13 years, Beth is the mother of three OHMazing yogis under the age of 13. Her oldest daughter, Jordan, is part of the inspiration for Yogiños: Yoga for Youth® as she learned to navigate challenges associated with Sensory-Integration “Disorder” through practicing all 8 Limb yoga. elizabeth@yoginos.com

Yoga Room Management

Teaching 60 students at a school can be more successful
when the kids know what is expected of them. Here they demonstrate
Mariposa/Butterfly/Bassha Konasana with Flower Power
breath to start each class.

by Elizabeth Reese, PhD



Having a solid plan—as well as a back-up plan or two—is a critical component to teaching yoga in any environment. Some of the places we teach our classes include in school classrooms, yoga studios, after-school programs, art museums, libraries, festivals, conferences and more. While things like weather, holidays, testing and nutrition can affect the energy of your kids and space, developing some consistent practices is highly beneficial.

Preschoolers find Mariposa Dormida/
Sleeping Butterfly/Supta Baddha Konasana
near the end of class as part of a consistent routine.

Here are a few tips to keep handy and practice:

• Be warm and helpful to the teachers and staff where you teach.
• Use eye contact. Speak with confidence.
• When you see a parent, always approach him/her with confidence and introduce yourself.
• Establish rules at beginning of every class for at least a month: eyes and ears open, use kind hands and words, stay on your mat; 
• Instructions: short and precise. Remember that kids hear the LAST thing you say so be aware of your order. Don’t run in the street = …run in the street. Stay on the sidewalk = …on the sidewalk.
• Know you "chaos level": acceptable energy, movement and sound levels vary from teacher to teacher. I suggest knowing yours and planning accordingly.
• Establish a routine at every site. For example, at a pre-school we do this EVERY week: socks and shoes off with socks tucked in shoes and lined up neatly (that’s an OHMazing™ choice); sit with mat; when I call your name bring your mat; unroll where I invite; sit in mariposa/mariposa dormida so I know you’re ready. Closing is similar.
• Wear comfortable but yoga-professional attire.
• Be prepared and flexible. Arrive early to set up; have time to clean up so you are not hurried.
• Use positive reinforcement instead of critical language or “that’s wrong.” If I have a child who wants to do other poses, I might say, “Tom, WE are in boat pose. Please join us.” I praise the kids who are following directions and try to give them my attention.
• Change the  tone of your voice to get attention: when their voices get louder, I purposefully get softer.
• A sense of humor goes a loooong way.
• Have fun. ;-)
  
  
  
  
  
  Elizabeth “Beth” Reese, Ph.D., E-RYT, RCYT, is the founder and executive director of Yogiños: Yoga for Youth®. A yoga practitioner for over 13 years, Beth is the mother of three OHMazing yogis under the age of 13. Her oldest daughter, Jordan, is part of 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
  

Together at the Table: A New Winter Snack

by Meredith Blanks Paterson

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)

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. 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.
6. Kid-friendly: Sprinkle with salt.
7. Place in the oven for 8-10 minutes. I suggest checking after 8 minutes. The aim is for crispy but not brown or burnt.
8. Let them cool and enjoy them with your favorite holiday movie! (Perfect popcorn replacement!)

(vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, corn-free, soy-free)

Mindful Holidays

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.