Everyone did a great job getting right back into the swing of things after a week off! Mrs. Mac joined us again and she told me that it was a "great workout," and that she felt really relaxed and stretched out. What an awesome way to start the week! Our Yoga practice this week was all about focus, breathing deeply, being aware of our breath, and using intuition. We heard a yoga story about a little fish who goes on a journey through the ocean and encounters many different creatures. We saw seals, water snakes, crabs, dolphins and even a surfer on the water. Many of the exercises were meant to improve abdominal and back strength, and to improve overall wellness of the digestive and glandular systems. After a deep relaxation and 2 minute silent meditation, we played the "feather game." Some of us were able to use our intuitive skills to figure out which yogi had the feather on the first try! Great job everyone. It is so nice to see all of the yogis in the halls during the day. The other teachers at JFK tell me that the young yogis are using the strategies they are learning throughout the school day. Yoga lessons are lessons for life, just like math, reading and science. You are all doing a great job keeping up!

Fondly,

Mrs. W

Asanas and Mudras-Archives

Here are Brenna and Emily in Double Boat Pose. This pose energizes and works on balance, strength of muscles in abdominals and back, and helps to improve focus.

Quote of the Week-Archives

"Get out of your head and into your heart." Guruatma Kaur Khalsa.

Rise and Shine Yoga

Dear Yogis,
Well, it looks like Mother Nature isn't through with winter just yet! In the event of a delay, Rise and Shine Yoga will NOT meet. Rather, we will make the class up at the end of the session. Stay tuned to the t.v., or listen in the morning for a connect-ed call to see if school is delayed in Franklin. Let's hope that we can meet!
Mrs. W

Welcome!

Welcome to our new follower! Thanks for Keeping Up with us! We love that you are an Air Force Wife, and we are thankful for all that the military and their families do to protect our liberties and freedom!
Mrs. W and the Young Yogis

Asanas and Mudras-Archives

Here is Gracie sitting in Rock Pose. This pose is a natural relaxing position and helps with digestion.

Quote of the week- Archives

"If you knew what anger did to your body, you would never get mad."-Guruatma Kaur Khalsa

Rise and Shine Yoga

It was a very Happy Valentine's Day for week four of our yoga class! We focused on cooperation this week and did poses and exercises with a partner. We had A LOT of laughs, and really stretched our bodies. Working together to set up the mats, wash the fruit, exercise together, play a game and clean up, put everyone in a very positive mood for the week. Our desk strategy for the week is a breathing technique called "sitali breath,"which means cooling breath. It helps if you are very angry, or very excited, and need to calm down. Ask your young yogi to show you how it is done! We also did an "I am, I am" meditation for two minutes. We finished the morning with a cooperative game called"train ride," check out the video to see how it went at the beginning. The train got very twisty, but didn't jump the track after I turned the camera off.

After the morning announcements, all of the 4th graders, 5th graders and Mrs. Dulamine's second grade class met in the gym to do the Cupid Shuffle. Check it out by clicking here and scrolling down to the video. Thanks Mrs. Merten! Talk about cooperation!

Next week is vacation, have a wonderful week and I will see all of you on the Monday that we return to school. Work on some of your yoga techniques between now and then. Remember, you have to keep up to be kept up!

Mrs. Williams

Rise and Shine Yoga

Week three was FANTASTIC!! We worked on getting rid of angry feelings and how to handle yourself if you get angry. We talked about slow deep breathing and a few students shared examples of how they used deep breathing to clam down over the past week. Great Job! We learned about the Kundalini method of "Breath of Fire," and practiced it for one minute while in rock pose. We put our hands in the air with our thumbs pointed up while we sat in Rock pose and breathed like dragons. This is a great way to break your ego and let go of angry feelings. I shared with the students that sometimes I have to do this several times a day just to find my heart center and let go of those feelings that get in the way of feeling positive. Check out the video below of the young yogis trying Breath of Fire for the first time. Our exercises all involved moving and letting go of anger. Woodchopper was a favorite exercise and Taylor made a great suggestion for how to do a modified "woodchopper," at your desk if you got angry during the day. Way to go Taylor! We also played a new game called, "Enchanted Forest." We split into two groups and some of us were animals in nature(bears, frogs, cobras, lions) and some of us were objects in nature(trees, rocks). Everyone had to make their way through the forest to the music, and when the music was turned off, we switched poses with the person we were closest to, and then began moving again when the music started. Sebastian and Maddie even did the tree challenge! This was a great way to increase our strength and flexibility and to practice some of our favorite poses. During meditation, I read a story to help the children "visualize a peaceful place," as a way to deal with angry feelings. We meditated for three minutes! Next week will mark the halfway point in our yoga session, the time is flying by!

Thanks for sharing your children with me.

Mrs. Williams

Asanas and Mudras-Archives

Here is Mike sitting in Gyan Mudra-this means "wise one." It brings happiness and sharpens the memory

Quote of the Week-Archives

"Be in your breath awareness." Guruatma Kaur Khalsa

Rise and Shine Yoga

During Week 2 of our Monday morning Yoga class, we focused on deep breathing. We did a variety of exercises and poses while taking long, slow deep breaths. We talked about how breathing deeply is a strategy that we can use during the school day, particularly when we are sitting at our desks, if we are feeling anxious and stressed. We also talked about how we can improve our focus and attention to tasks, if we are breathing deeply. Ask your young yogi to tell you about the poses we have been learning. Everyone is doing a great job remembering the poses and how they help improve our well being. Deep relaxation is quickly becoming a favorite part of our yoga class. Click on the video to see all of us "relaxing."

Thanks for sharing your children with me!

Mrs. Williams