We all have a limited, contracted, outer hard surface. Yoga teaches us to dig deep into our center to know our true, authentic selves. Yoga Teacher Barbie was gifted to me on my birthday and I have chosen to Ground her and help her to expand her consciousness. All of my students are gifts; yet this is my first one who was born in Indonesia and had a non-existent childhood,. No wonder she has restricted knowledge.
Perhaps Barbie’s obvious patterns of limitations can teach us how to observe our own stuff. Barbie has offered her correspondence to her beloved, Ken for you all to witness her progress. I welcome advice on how to help her ground her feet!
Last week my seven year old son participated in a Grounded Quest for Elevation Yoga camp and was asked to contribute a blog post on how Grounded has changed his approach to situations….here it is…in his own words…
Sedef Dion who teaches a Pre-Grounded class at Springs Yoga shared with me the story of a four year old girl who in the cutest way mistakenly called Savasana….Lasagna. This inspired me to write a Savasana visualization with a Lasagna theme that Amy and I recently used to connect with our Fernbank Elementary Yoga Club students. After we did our practice complete with the Lasagna Savasana, one of our students..the Principal’s seven year old daughter said…”that was so relaxing…this could help me fall asleep at night”. Since it was her birthday that day, we wanted to put together a recording that her parents could play for her as she lays her head down for a good night rest after a long day.
This 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…
The Harry Potter Series by J.K Rowling has many meanings. I have found the meaning to be Love Conquers All But as you look more closely at the interworkings of her books you figure out that each book represents a different Chakra. Chakras are energy centers located along the midline of the body.
So you finish your practice~ You feel loving and calm. There is nothing you dismiss~ You are full of BLISS bombs.
You rejoin your family~’ And what do you hear? Shouts of anxieties~ Blames, Shames, doubts and fears!
Does loving-kindness deflate As you join the contention? Or will your blissed state Transmit without tension?
Each time you experience The delight of {I AM} Your bliss will flow forth~ Like a hydraulic ram.
Embody the KNOWING~ Of your inner LOVE state. So you can keep it safe~ And INTERRELATE.
YOGA says your relationship between you and your SELF~ can not be diminished, or put upon a shelf.
You take your SELF everywhere you GO! Then everything is spiritual from Grumps to Sloppy Joes!
Lokanandah Samadhi-Sukham Shiva Sutra One.Eighteen~ Your inner bliss continues Like you won the slot machines.
So how do we GROW In our capacity for such LOVE? Without mermaids and unicorns~ Blue moons and white doves?
We create an INNER space Direct love toward KNOWERSHIP~ Call forth our virtues, Our patience, our grit.
We bridge the gap of difference SERVE in a profound way~ Not cold duty or bargain~ LOVE is the order of each day.
Become capable with powers Of WILL, KNOWING, and ACTING By practicing {I AM} Without useless distracting.
Place your hand over your HEART~ Feel right beneath your palm~ Towards your back body~ Where this is endless peace and calm.
Allow your attention To be with your BREATH~ To flow in and flow out Softly in your chest.
Welcome the BREATH~ Right into your HEART. Feel a soft golden sun That is bright, warm and smart.
With each breath IN~ make that SUN glow. With Each breath OUT~ Expand the warmth to and fro.
As you welcome the breath in To the vast INNER world~ Invite the HEART to reveal It’s largeness, depth, and swirl.
Flow in with the thought {I AM} The mantra of the inner self~ (Not I am Sam~ Or I am a silly elf)
The heart receives the breath With the recognition {I AM} The exhalation feels space, The experience of BLISS BAM.
Practice with eyes open Practice with eyes closed Practice often And LOVE will be exposed.
As you greet those outside~ Amongst the chaotic and mundane~ Stay tuned into your heart And send LOVE to their pain.
You’ll get glimpses of KNOWING Your yoga is working~ When outer frustrations Are shirking, not lurking.
Grounded Kids Yoga 115 Milton Park Court, Alpharetta, GA 30022
Based in Atlanta, Georgia, Grounded Kids Yoga provides in-person and online training, professional development workshops, and ongoing support for educators, parents, and clinicians. We specialize in kids yoga, mindfulness, social-emotional learning (SEL), trauma and pain management, emotional regulation, and impulse control for preschool through high school students. Each year, we serve thousands of children and teens through school programs, after-school enrichment yoga clubs, summer camps, Girl Scouts, 4-H conferences, and yoga studios across Atlanta, the Southeast, and nationwide.