← Back to the blog

Namaste

Said my young friend who wants a connection:
“I wave. I shake hands, with no objection.
No pain, no remorse, no one intervening
a choice I make without much thought or meaning~”

“…Is there a gesture that honors each other?
That celebrates greeting sisters and brothers?
Can you show me HOW to express happiness
with social and spiritual significance?”

YES, my dear friend, I can show you a mudra~
a gesture of sorts, for kings, friends and sudras.
Place hands together from fingers to wrists~
like a knife, cut through difference that may exist.

This immediately gets you to the shared ground~
of ALL people, of all cultures, of all sound.
It’s a recognition, a united force~
that honors equality of all from the Source.

Close your eyes and tune into your own inner light;
your divine spark that forever burns bright.
That’s the key, my dear friend, you must see your OWN
in order to recognize others’ light shown.

BLEND your five fingers of action on the left~
with five fingers of knowledge on the right~
to achieve the symbol of perfection~
the union of opposites; interconnection.

FInd the Connection of your brain and your HEART;
your sun and your moon; your stop and your start.
Marry together reason and emotion~
Unite thoughts and feelings, stillness and motion.

JOIN positive and negative; hot and cold~
theory with practice, silver with gold~
Wisdom with Method, intellect with instinct~
talent with genius, and feelings with think!

Exhalation and inhalation, ,brain and heart~
Align in harmony, right from the start!
There is indeed no sphere of our existence
untouched by the symbolic significance~

of Namaste~

Namaste

More to Explore

  • Certified to Teach Kids Yoga in Middle School

    Last night felt surreal. I was standing in my kitchen with Lee, Amy & Cheryl when they handed me a single piece of cardstock with the words ‘Certified Grounded Teacher.’ I felt my throat clench and my heart skip a beat. Though I have been teaching Grounded Yoga for over a year, it was this small piece of recognition that let me know that I am now officially recognized as part of one of the greatest movements of my lifetime.
    Once I received my 200hr teacher training in 2012, I had begun leading my daughter’s classes at school once a week and eventually took over the Tween class at my studio. I pulled resources from all around- other teachers, online sites, books, games…everything I could find to help create a well-rounded class. It was a year of growth and some things worked and some failed miserably. What I did know was that I loved teaching children- their honesty in their bodies and mouths and they way it was starting to create a shift in their perspective. My dear friend and teacher, Lee introduced me to Grounded in early 2013 when she came home lit UP from Level 1 training. I watched her do Go To Your Room and that’s literally ALL it took! I knew that something special was going on with Grounded…something that hadn’t been done before…something that was about to change how the world looks at kid’s yoga. We put a plan together to “sell” our yoga program to our school as a full-time yoga curriculum. And it WORKED! I decided to take the Level 1 training just after school started so we could teach the same material and use each other to bounce ideas and begin to try to understand the huge undertaking we’d just landed.

  • Sweeping Breath- Dr. Seuss Style (Siva Sutra 1.2 jnānam bandhaḥ)

    Bondage and ignorance and limitation!
    Oh my!
    We contract like a sneeze~
    You want to know why?
    These are the roots of our issues,
    You see~
    Unworthiness, insecurity, feeling un-free.
    These deep darkened roots,
    known as Anava Mala,
    cloak our awareness
    like pollen all upon ‘ya.
    This pollen of unworthiness
    Helps us forget~
    How miraculous we are~
    We recoil ~we regret.
    We regret and we doubt.
    We feel separate and small.
    Our pimples and frizzes
    Keep us enthralled.
    How, do we, how do we
    How DO we re-remember?
    Our goodness, our freedom
    From here to September?
    Good question, my dear!
    So at your request~
    I’ll teach you the tools
    To elevate your quest!
    Your breath is the broom
    that sweeps away pollen,
    Shines light on the ignorance
    Which is hidden and smallen.
    Sit tall, close your eyes,
    Tune into your spine.
    Inhale your breath
    Down the left side line
    Sweep your breath out~
    On the same side,
    From bottom to top~
    Deep inside.
    Sweep your breath in,
    Down the right side this time.
    Get real close and real low~
    To release dust and grime.
    Sweep your breath out~
    From bottom to top.
    Keep sweeping your spine~
    No reason to stop!
    No reason to stop~
    Till you feel lighter and free!
    Relieved of unworthy
    Pollen and debris.
    The pollen of ignorance~
    And debris of limitation~
    Can be swept to the surface
    For expansive illumination.
    Each time we remember,
    We grow and expand~
    We become more real!
    And that is quite grand!.

  • The Book of Marlie

    Thank you Eight year old Marlie for presenting me with this yoga book you wrote and taught to classes in your school. I appreciate your interesting chapters~ Yoga that keeps me calm Yoga that keeps me Grounded Yoga with more than two people Yoga with two people Yoga that keeps me happy and your very helpful notes~ Remember you will not get it the first time Breathe slowly Remember to lean your beautifully detailed art~ and your permission to share your work on our blog~ I am grateful that you have been a grounded student for three years and you continue to serve your school with yoga. With love, Cheryl Crawford

  • A Grounded Guide for Kids: Inspired by the Wisdom of The Little Prince

    Grown-ups like numbers. When you tell them about a new friend, they never ask questions about what really matters. They never ask: “What does his voice sound like?” “What games does he like best?” “Does he collect butterflies?” They ask: “How old is he?” “How many brothers does he have?” “How much does he weigh?” “How much does his father make?” Only then do they think they know him. If you tell grown-ups, “I saw a beautiful red brick house, with geraniums at the windows and doves on the roof…” They won’t be able to imagine such a house. You have to tell them “I saw a house worth a hundred thousand francs.” Then they exclaim, “What a pretty house!”…That’s the way they are. You must not hold it against them. Children should be very understanding of grown-ups.
    — The Little Prince, Antoine de Saint-Exupery
    So Children, how do you master the art of Grown-up relationships one conversation at a time?