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
Hi, I’m Lillarose Hardin… You may remember me from my last post here. April 28 was my 11th birthday. I asked my mom if I could celebrate at Refuge Coffee in Clarkston, GA by teaching yoga and running their fun run race. When my mom asked the owner, Kitti Murray if I could…
Oh Ethiopia, how quickly you stole my heart! I originally set off on the journey to Africa to provide art therapy based art classes through a local non-profit in Atlanta called drawchange. The goal was to expose a group of impoverished children to art and allow them to express themselves through a variety of art…
The week before college life officially started at Belmont Abbey College, the Student Life department held one of its biggest and most important trainings of the year for its Resident Assistants. “RA’s” are some of the most influential student employees on campus. They represent the college in helping new students settle into resident hall life, assist in planning social events, lead discussions, report maintenance concerns, serve as a resource to campus information, lend a listening ear and comforting shoulder to cry on, perform room checks, work in the hall office and much more.
Needless to say, the RA position entails a great deal of responsibility, but these students are ready and capable of giving even more light and love back to those they serve. With all of the trainings, seminars and long check-lists to prepare the resident halls for new student orientation, the RA’s wanted one more important thing to prepare them for this celebratory new year of college. . . to get GROUNDED!
Yoga has become a great way for children of ALL abilities to become aware of their body, in line with their breath, and connected to the beautiful truth and peace within them. As an occupational therapist and devoted yogi, Allison Morgan of Zensational Kids (see www.zensationalkids.com) offers up a joyful and mindful way to facilatate learning yoga with pose chips.
1. HAVING A SECURE FEELING OF BEING IN TOUCH WITH REALITY AND YOUR PERSONAL FEELINGS.
2. A FIRM FOUNDATION TO BE INSPIRED AND INSPIRE OTHERS.
Two weeks ago my Grounded class wrote letters of congratulations to Emily, who had just earned her White Bandana. She’s nine years old and lives in Atlanta. The kids in my class were amazed that at just nine she had achieved this. They were inspired. The letters they wrote were thoughtful, complementary and from the heart.
Avoidable is the suffering 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 impulse 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~ 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~
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~
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.
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
The week before college life officially started at Belmont Abbey College, the Student Life department held one of its biggest and most important trainings of the year for its Resident Assistants. “RA’s” are some of the most influential student employees on campus. They represent the college in helping new students settle into resident hall life, assist in planning social events, lead discussions, report maintenance concerns, serve as a resource to campus information, lend a listening ear and comforting shoulder to cry on, perform room checks, work in the hall office and much more.
Yoga has become a great way for children of ALL abilities to become aware of their body, in line with their breath, and connected to the beautiful truth and peace within them. As an occupational therapist and devoted yogi, Allison Morgan of Zensational Kids (see 
1. HAVING A SECURE FEELING OF BEING IN TOUCH WITH REALITY AND YOUR PERSONAL FEELINGS.
