play-button

Grounded in Concentration

play-buttonThis is a memory game.  The object of the game is to turn over pairs of matching chips. Concentration can be played with any number of players or alone.

You will need two tubes of the Grounded Pose Chips. Decide how many poses to include in the game based on the number of players and time. Pick poses that the class is familiar with unless you plan on teaching the poses during the game. (This is not ideal since it interrupts the play). Lay the chips face down on a surface.  In turn each player choose two chips and turns them face up. If they are of the same pose  (e.g. Down Dog and Down Dog)  then that player wins the pair, everybody practices the pose and plays again. If they are not of the same pose, the players still practice the 2 poses, the chips are turned face down again and play passes to the player on the left.  The game ends when the last pair has been picked up. *The winner is the person with the most pairs, and there may be a tie for first place.

Variation: concentrate and relate

This is played the same way with the following twist. If the chips are two different poses then the player states a relationship or connection that the poses share and everyone practices both poses. The answer must be backed up with aconcentration_1 good explanation. For example, We Will Rock You and Bridge are both back bending poses.  Calm Steam Silly and Take Out The Trash both help to release energy, thoughts or emotions that you don’t want to hold onto any longer. Tall Mountain and Forward Fold flow perfectly from one to the other linked to the breath. If the player is unable to relate the two poses to each other, turn the chips over and the play passes to the next person.  (This can be played with just one tube of chips)

Grounded Tips:

Set the chips out in organized rows. Two tubes of pose chips takes up an entire yoga mat.

Set a timer for each pose to encourage the players to be mindful of their alignment.

Set out 12 or fewer poses for the Pre-Grounded Kids.

This game may be played in pairs. This works well for large groups (Yoga Clubs, PE)

*We have learned from our students that it is OK to have a winner sometimes.   We will dive deeper into this topic on another post. Stay tuned. 

More to Explore

  • Hi Barbie…It’s Me Ken!

    I have been working with Ken, this is true. I have found him to be a natural adept; I leave him seated, sometimes in the morning, I come back, he has not moved an inch – he is completely absorbed in the mantra. I asked him what his experience was like, and he just stared at me, said nothing: obviously it is beyond the ability to verbalize at the shtula level. Pure transcendence. I even at one point stuck a pin in his foot and held a BIC lighter to his head – he did not flinch. Incredible. He is an amazing meditator.

    Ken-Letter

  • Love in Your Head

    On this day, we invite you to practice the Love in Your Head pose gifted to us from Elie, age 6.

    “Close your eyes. Breathe and get still. Pour love into the top of your head. Not just one thing you love! Pour everything and everyone you can think of that you love into your head. Keep going until your head feels full of love and joy.”

    first

    second

    third

    Love is the most powerful activator for positive change to manifest on this planet.

    Thank you Elie, for being the light of awareness. You are living wisdom. You are Love.

  • Shames, Shames, Go Away! And Don’t Come Back Another Day!

    Inspired by Yoga Sutra 2.16 Heyam dukham anagatam

     

    Avoidable is the sufferingshames regrets doubts
    that has not yet to come~
    That feeling of shame
    That sticks like chewed gum.

    How do we get through places
    That are stuck deep inside?
    Where the holdings, the collections
    The patterns reside?

    The patterns of feeding
    Our suction cupped shames~
    With secrets and silence
    And judgements and blames.

    Attract the energy of movement~
    And comfort with movement~
    Comfort with change~
    Comfort with improvement.

    Create space between impulseZI60-Hands-Button
    And action that binds~
    The stuck feelings that resists
    Our meetings of minds.

    Space is the experience
    Of minds open and bright
    The Wisdom of Grace
    Is filled up with light.

    Grace is the knowing
    Our mistakes serve an aim~
    Instead of allowing
    Our mistakes to serve shame.

    So to prevent future suffering~
    And the feeding of shames~
    Create a steady practice
    Of breath work and aims.

    Here’s a mantra for you
    To embody and embed~
    Press thumb into each finger
    And say in your head~

    {I inhale to prepare~shames 2
    I exhale to share~
    I inhale to release blame~
    I exhale to transform shame~*}

    {Repeat 11 times}~

    Keep your sitting bones rooted.
    Slowly rotate your core ~
    Counterclockwise 3 rounds
    Your breath? Don’t ignore!

    Inhale going backwards,
    Exhale going forward .
    Your movements ride on your
    breath~

    TS24 big

    It’s pretty straight forward.

    Pause and move clockwise.
    Repeat 11 times.
    Close eyes and listen.
    To your heart beat like chimes.

    Find someone you know,
    You love and you trust
    Show them your shames
    And watch your blames turn to dust.

    May we have what it takes
    To transform all our shames~
    To allow our mistakes
    To serve our Great Aim~