Yoga Card Decks

One great tool I have found for my kids yoga classes is the number of fun and well made yoga cards. Each deck has a unique twist and the kids just love to use them.

1. Yoga Pretzels: 50 Fun Activities for Kids & Grownups by Tara Guber and Leah Kalish

2. Yoga Warrior Cards by Shakta Kaur Khalsa

3. The Kids' Yoga Deck: 50 Poses and Games by Annie Buckley

4. Fun with Sun Yoga: Yoga Cards and Guidebook for Children's Yoga by Dr. Jacqueline Koay

5. Yoga Planet Deck by Tara Guber, Leah Kalish, and Sophie Fatus

6. Yoga For Teens Card Deck by Mary Kaye Chryssicas

7. Yoga to the Rescue: Remedies for Real Girls (61 Card Deck) by Amy Luwis

Les Deux Papillons

When I lived in France, I became very close to a girl who had Spanish in her blood. We lived on the same floor of the Pavillon Italien at the Village Olympique (the dormitories that were built in 1968 for the winter Olympics in Grenoble, France). My friend, Frederique Garcia-Mesny, and I used to go out dancing together. We often went to Scotch-Club (14 kilometers outside of Grenoble with 3 pistes de dance, a swimming pool,squash courts). The drink of choice (we all got two free drink "bons" with our entry fee) was Malibu Rum and Coke.

But what we came to do there was dance! The club opened at 11PM and did not close until 5:00 or 6:00 in the morning. So my friend Freddy and I would dance and as she danced she told me a story, with her hands, of two butterflies. These butterflies, created by rolling her wrists, would flutter up and down, intertwine, dart back and forth, fight with each other and make love.

I see now that these butterflies represent "floreo" ,the art of the hands in flamenco. I see now, my first introduction to the art of flamenco...on a dance floor in France 25 years ago! Thank you Freddy. Je t'aime tojours!

Check out my friend's site: http://fgarciamesny.free.fr/

Ole! Namaste!

An Evening of World Jazz and Flamenco Inspired Tap Dance

RapAtaPtaP and All That Present an Evening of World Jazz with Flamenco Inspired Tap Dance
(Special Half Time Show: Presenting the advanced flamenco and tap students of Eve Agush)

Friday April 30, 2010
8:00PM (Doors open at 7:30PM)
Church of Our Saviour, 25 Monmouth Street, Brookline, MA
$15./Adults; $12/Seniors and Students; $8/Children
Free on street parking available
For information: CALL: 617-216-1643 or email AlwaysBDancing@live.com

Eve Agush…Flamenco and Tap Dance
Patrice Monahan…Tap Dance and Piano
Rick Stone…Saxophone and Flute
Charlotte Dumont…Bass
Miki Matsuki…Percussion
Karen Quatronomi…Guitar

Music To My Ears

At class yesterday, when I was telling the children that my family was moving out of town, one young girl looked at me and asked "Well who is going to be our yoga teacher then?".

What a great opportunity I have to reach these kids. They have come into my program with trust and I have shown them how yoga and life just go together. On numerous occasions, my students have come to me and related how they had spent some time with one of their siblings, teaching them yoga. Makes my heart sing!

I know I am on the right path. My journey is so blessed.

Ole! Namaste!

PS: Don't worry yogis and yoginis, I will not abandon you.

Yoga-Snack: Fairness/Decency

Today's Yoga Snack: Fairness/Decency After some deep belly filling calming breaths, we talked about fairness and decency. What is fairness? It is an adjective that means "free from favoritism, self-interest, or preference in judgment. Having or exhibiting a disposition that is free of favoritism or bias; impartial: a fair mediator. Just to all parties; equitable:". What is decency? It is a noun that means "the quality of being polite and respectable; reputability, respectability - honorableness by virtue of being respectable and having a good reputation".

I had just received a note from an old family friend, who was reminiscing about his childhood summers often spent with my family. He had just learned that my mother had passed away at the beginning of March and he was reaching out to send some kind thoughts on her.

I quote "My fondest memories of her are from the summers I spent in your home in my early teenage years. She treated me like just another member of the family and through her example she showed me that being a kind and decent person was something to strive for."

I too strive to be a kind, decent and fair person. I love to teach children and always treat them with respect for the wisdom they were born with, the wisdom they so desire to absorb and for the wise people they will become.

Ole Namaste!

Yoga Pretzel Cards

Today's class was based on the Yoga Pretzel card deck by Tara Gruber. Since it was so beautiful outside today, we headed outdoors to the grassy knoll by the side of the school and set our mats up in a sun burst pattern. After a silent and still mediation, we did a short series of warm ups and then out came the Yoga Pretzel cards. In turn, each child looked though the cards and chose which pose they wanted to lead. We had a lot of fun and I took some great pictures, some of which are posted here.