 |
||||
|
Join Our Free Monthly Class 11/19 Pilates, 10:30-11:20 am 12/15 Restorative Yoga, 7-8:15 pm View our complete schedule on our website by clicking here.  Featured Class Pilates with Sue Bream Mondays and Thursdays 12:30 to 1:20 pm Sue Bream combines her expertise as a Pilates instructor and personal trainer in her work with her clients. Sue is both a P.M.A.-certified Pilates instructor and an A.C.S.M. and A.C.E. certified personal trainer. Her business “Fitness Choices” focuses on Pilates, Personal Training, and Nutrition/Wellness. She has been working in the fitness industry for over 14 years. Sue has been teaching Pilates classes since 2007 both on the traditional equipment and on the mat. Sue became interested in Pilates as she continued to be physically active while raising her family and looking for another mode of exercise to balance out the skiing, running, speed skating, yoga, etc., that she loved to do. Her specialties include women’s fitness (pre- and postnatal exercise, an understanding of mid-life changes), cancer (especially breast cancer), injury rehab, and older-adult fitness as well as working with active adults and teens who are looking for cross-training for other activities or just to be physically balanced and develop and maintain strong cores.  Contact Us: 2245 32nd Ave. W. Seattle WA 98199 info@villageyoga.com www.villageyoga.com (206) 466-2429  Visit us on Facebook! |
||||
 |
 |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
New Kids Yoga Series Classes for November and December. Sign your Kids up Today! Download/Print the flyer here.
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Judy’s Column The Spirituality of Kids  Fall is here and Village Yoga is bustling with children’s classes! I am very excited to spend time with all the young yogis and yoginis that will come to our classes.I spent over thirty years working at Magnolia Co-Op and integrated yoga into my classroom about eight years ago. I also taught after school yoga for many years. I would like to share some of the benefits that yoga brings to children both in and out of the classroom with you. On the subject of empathy When I was a classroom teacher I was reminded daily of the empathy that yoga can bring to children. If there was a physical or emotional problem between two children, I could usually help them turn it around by suggesting that they take three deep yoga breaths. Once they calmed down and told their side of the story, we could brainstorm based on the question “were you acting in the yoga way?” Surprisingly, they almost always understood and said “no” if they were the aggressor. If I said “what would be the yoga way of solving this problem?” They could usually come up with some good answers. Does this mean they never grabbed another toy away from someone? No, but it seemed to help them understand that they could breathe before they acted and think of how their actions might effect someone else. I find this very helpful and wish I’d been exposed to it when I was five. On the subject of grief: A number of years ago my nephew was killed in a car accident. Because I was absent for some time I needed to share this information with my preschool and yoga classes. For many of the children in my classes, my nephew’s death was the first time someone they cared for was grieving. For others, it brought up a memory of a lost grandparent or a pet. We had many discussions about this in class, all of which seemed quite profound and sensitive to me. But the most meaningful moments were and still are from the children who came up to me quietly and ask questions like “Teacher Judy are you still sad?” As adults, we forget that grief remains long after the last sympathy card. I have learned from these children to check in frequently with people who may be suffering from any type of loss. On the subject of gender: This is a conversation I had with Paige. “Teacher Judy, are you a boy or a girl?” “I am a girl.” “I thought so!” said Paige with glee. “How did you know?” I asked, somewhat worried about the answer. “Oh” replied Paige, “I could tell because you are wearing a bracelet.” What did I learn from Paige? I think, never make assumptions without verifying them. On the subject of manners: We had a visitor in one of the classes. I introduced her to the children and asked them to answer questions if she had any for them. Then I asked them what they could do to show their best yoga manners. “I know!” said Preston. “We shouldn’t say potty words!” The rest of the class solemnly agreed. This lesson is clear; never use potty words when you have guests. On the subject of spirituality: In one of my grade school yoga classes, I was part of one of the most spiritual discussions of my life. It was totally child directed. It started like this. Kieran asked, “Teacher Judy if you meditate long enough, can you fly?” I answered, “I think if you practice meditation long enough, your mind might feel like it’s flying, but your body doesn’t actually fly.” The children seemed to accept this and one after another suggested where the best place to meditate might be. Their suggestions ranged from a quiet beach, your room, a desert, or heaven. The discussion then turned to heaven and if there is one or not, and if so can you mediate if you are dead. It was getting close to the end of class, so I told them it was time for Savasana (or Yoga Nap as some of the younger students call it). One of the children asked if they could sit in meditation pose instead of lying down. I said yes and many of them sat in full or half lotus for at least five minutes. This is a very difficult thing to do. This is what I learned: Children are very wise. Take time to listen to them and to meditate. On the subject of compassion: At the end of most children’s classes we sing the “Shanti” or peace song. If I forget the kids always remind me. After that I usually close with a prayer of sorts like, “may all the children of the world have a school to go to.” Right after the Haitian earthquake, I started to close class by saying “Namaste”, when Nathan asked if he could say something. I said yes and he said, “May all the children of Haiti have enough food and clean water to drink.” I already knew this, but children are very kind. I am a new stage in my life as part owner of Village Yoga I teach many types of classes, but I know that kid’s yoga will always be the place I learn the most. I look forward to getting to spend the rest of my life hanging out with such wise people. Namaste, Judy P.S. Last Spring I asked my some yoga students what their favorite pose was and what they liked about yoga. Ben: I like plow and archer. Bella: I like wheel. I feel peaceful at yoga. Aidan: I like the yoga card game. I feel good at yoga. Frankie: I like butterfly. I feel calm at yoga Ethan: I like plow. Nathan: I like learning how to get into poses more comfortably. I like pigeon pose. Yoga helps me feel calm. Jeremy: I like learning to be more flexible. After yoga, I feel “Zenish” Sophie: I like flower pose. Yoga helps me feel peaceful. |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
