Unveiling Three New Yoga Projects

I am very happy to announce a few quite unique yoga-related developments in my world. These are projects that I have spun directly from the golden thread of my deepest self, and have been cultivating for some time. These special projects are now ripening and manifesting and I would like to share them with you!

First up, is a Prenatal Yoga Retreat called Circle of Life, Circle of Strength.

I will be teaming up with the talented Allison Distler to lead women, who are in a beautiful transitional time in their life, in a daily yoga and mindfulness practice, as well as facilitated writing and sharing circles. Time will be offered for quiet contemplation and creation time too.

Prenatal Retreat:
Circle of Life, Circle of Strength

Our intention is to offer space to relax and reflect on this special transition in your life; a weekend to honor the life-giving power and the baby growing within while communing with other women going through a similar process.

I can't tell you how excited I am to be a part of this three-day experience. Moving from maiden to mother, or transitioning from say, one to two children, is a major life change. I believe it is so important for women to take time out for themselves to contemplate these life changes and honor any feelings that may arise. I know this will be a fun and nourishing retreat.

I also love that the space is limited to a maximum of nine participants and that we will be all under one roof nestled in the forests of Indiana. If this retreat goes well, I hope to offer it on an annual or semi-annual basis!

2 -Tuning your Chakras with Yoga and Sound

Next up is a workshop I created to combine my love of asana-based yoga with my love of using sound to heal the body.  I will be leading this class on Saturday at Vibe Yoga Studio.

Years ago when I lived in Toronto, I took vocal toning classes where we held our voice on single vowels, or short combination of vowels in order to experience the healing vibration of sound on various parts of the body. There is no melody or harmony - just the sound of the vibrating breath.

The sound aspect of the class combined with the physical feeling of it sent me deep into that special place beyond space and time. I could feel the dense places in the body where the sound hit and didn't move through, but after a while directing the sound it would loosen up a bit. These classes made me realize how completely powerful sound vibrations are in cleansing and re-energizing the body.

This special Chakra Tuning class uses vocal toning, as well  is a journey through the chakras where will will be chanting the seed sounds of each chakra while poised in asanas. This will be the fifth time of offering this workshop and it gets better and better each time.

3 - Enchanted Yogi Kids

As I have mentioned previously, I am in the process of completing the Storytime Yoga teacher training. I sort of fell into the lap of this style of teaching yoga to children. I didn't really know much about it, but I was determined to learn how to teach it.

Dragon Mother Awakens, creation story by Sydney Solis
Illustration by Andras Balogh

It turns out, the process has sparked my own spiritual journey,  mostly by awakening and contemplating the power of story and myth in my own life.

I had no idea how powerful stories are for transporting you into the transcendence. It is a safe space for children to explore new ideas, new cultures, and use their imagination. The wisdom stories and myths that I will be telling are a guide to self -exploration and can be used as a life compass. It also teaches them valuable lessons such as that of compassion, honesty, and friendship.

The power of the Storytime Yoga method to grab children's attention and take them on a fun and engaging journey is amazing. I am now finally ready to try out my oral storytelling skills with children in my own area, combining the ancient art of storytelling with the healing practice of yoga.

My new kids yoga business is called Enchanted Yogis, (stay tuned for my new logo). First up, I will be teaching a monthly class a local studio, Vibe Yoga, as well offering three free classes at a local museum called, Mathers Museum of World Cultures.

Imagine telling stories sitting amongst caves, dinosaur bones, or African huts! Surely it will help inspire children's imaginations, but also hopefully inspire a life time interest and love of world cultures.

I am so grateful for the opportunity, and dare I say, the luxury of being allowed to create projects that truly resonate with my whole being. I feel lucky and blessed to be able to spend my energy of these three projects! That and my other ongoing pet project - this Domestic Yogi blog!

Namaste!

Yoga Works its Magic on Toddlers Too

Yoga is medicine. As a teacher, I know this, but didn't realize what medicine it is for toddlers too. After my Toddler & Me classes, we all seem to shine a little bit more. The toddlers are definitely giddy. But not candy high giddy. It is a yoga high giddy. Yes, even toddlers can get a yoga buzz.

Those toddlers love that yoga energy created within the circle of yoga mats. They love hearing the adults sing and move together as one. The older ones love trying the poses; the younger ones riding on those good vibes.

Shene and daughter Chiwa
 photo by Steph Langan, IDS

When we are done, the toddlers usually seem more centered and balanced within themselves. We may not even hold poses for very long, and some of them may not even try any poses. But even still, they seem more at peace with life and ready with positive minds for their next adventure.

Actually, it is the toddlers that are in their natural environment.  They are just being themselves in the moment. The bonus is their parent/care giver is also with them in the moment, connecting, and being. That is the yoga. 

And because we are all there, having fun and open to being silly and free for that little window of time, its like the yoga works its magic. The yoga transports both toddler and adult out of regular space and time, and into a magical place of singing, moving and just being together.

I didn't fully comprehend the impact of my class until talking to one mom and her daughter after one quite large class. As I observed her sweet 17 month-old daughter with love flowing from my heart, she told me they were visiting from out of state so their daughter could have brain surgery. They had been away from home for weeks. And there it was, how could I of missed it? Her shaved head had a very long scar tracing the back of her skull.

The love I felt changed instantly to compassion for a family who was going through so much. Images of hospital waiting rooms full of grim faces, sickness, and bad vibes flooded me. I couldn't imagine being surrounded by all that for weeks upon weeks, and living through the anxiety of having a child in such risky surgery.

From one mom to another, I could feel her true appreciation for that little window of time we shared to shake off the past, and arrive joyfully in the present moment. 

This is the moment I decided to never take yoga for granted. And reminded me that as the teacher, I have no way of knowing what obstacles parents and children are facing in there lives. I just provide them with the medicine - yoga.

At the end of my classes, we sing, "This little light of mine, I'm going to let it shine," eventually transitioning to, "this little child of mine, I am going to let her/him shine." But I love when we end with singing, "You are My Sunshine," because our little ones are our sunshines and it is a sweet simple song to remind us that they "make me happy, when skies are gray."

Parenting in tough. Whether it is something as serious as brain surgery, or simply getting through the long daily grind of being a parent. It's hard not to get bogged down by all the rain. Going to classes like Toddler & Me Yoga help parents (and me!) remember that the most important job as parents is to just love our children and be with them as much as possible, fully present in body and mind.

Toddler &  Me yoga
Photo by Steph Langan, IDS