Blog Archives

One Good Thing

4/4/2020

Each night before you go to bed, stop to reflect on ONE GOOD THING that happened that day

Consider the best thing that happened to you, the best thing you did or something you're grateful for

Some days when anger, fear or sadness seem to crowd out the positive, it may be hard to see even one good thing but keep it simple – birds singing, a cup of hot chocolate, a smile, flowers blooming, the ability to run and play

Take time to notice or perhaps search something out, especially when it seems most difficult to do so

In Buddha’s Brain, (R. Hanson, PH.D; R Mendius MD), it states that it takes 5 positive experiences to counteract one negative. The brain holds on to the negative like Velcro and let’s go of the positive like Teflon.

Especially in times of stress, it is important to find the "good" for mental, emotional and physical health. This is not the time to allow fear to repress our immune systems, to cloud our sense of joy, to hijack our innate need to be kind. It s a time to reach out (from a distance) to others, to practice positive self-talk and to be grateful.

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Sending Best Wishes to the World (and yourself)

4/3/2020

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Loving-Kindness (Metta) has been scientifically proven to boost emotional wellbeing, compassion, positive thoughts, better sleep, a sense of peace and calm among many other benefits. Traditionally there is a set of suggestions in which Loving-Kindness or kind wishes are sent to 1. yourself 2. a benefactor 3. an acquaintance 4. a difficult person 5. all beings, each of whom is sent kindness for several days before moving onto the next. There are also particular thoughts of safety, health, happiness and ease of care generated toward them.

For children there are no hard and fast rules except to use phrases that are meaningful to them to be sent to themselves and others, some of whom they may know but also to everyone in general. Beginning with the traditional "May I (or you or name)", an example of Loving-Kindness Meditation may look like the following:

Sitting comfortably, drawing a picture in your mind's eye, imagine sending kind wishes to yourself or others. Feel the kindness being sent and received. Any loving thought may be sent, not just or only the ones suggested. But always send the wishes to yourself first.

May I be safe
May I be healthy
May I be happy
May I be (brave, kind, helpful, caring, or anything that feels right to you)
May I be peaceful and calm

You may want to include thoughts like
May I ace my test. May I be a good friend. I wish my mom and dad would get along. May I do my best.
Choose 2 or 3 or more thoughts to send to yourself and others. After yourself, you might want to say
1. May my family be safe; may my family be healthy, etc.
2. May my friends be safe, etc.
3. May the bus driver (or the crossing guard or anyone you've seen but don't know well.)
This is a nice gesture but you may not feel you are ready to send to these people. That's OK.
4. May (name a person who you find really difficult) be safe, etc.
This is a really, really, really tough thing to do. You might not be ready to send kindness to someone who has been really mean to you. But let's think about this. As long as we send mean thoughts to the people who have hurt us in some way, we are surrounding them with even more negative energy. I don't know that this will work in our favour. It might even give that person more power. So maybe, if it's possible, we could find one thing that is good about that person or maybe we could find one thought we feel that we can honestly send someone. We know that bullies are people who are insecure. They do not feel good about themselves even when they are bragging that they are the best. We know that people who hurt are people who are hurting. So knowing they need to take our light, our goodness to help them feel more powerful, we could maybe could really wish:
May (name) find happiness. May (name) be kind. May (name) find peace
5. May all beings be safe, etc.
You might also like to send to your pets, anyone, any place. Always send to yourself first but once you are ready, that day, the next day or the next week, whenever you're ready, you can add someone else.
If sending to so many different people sounds too challenging, send to yourself and bit by bit add someone else or not! But do try it. This can have a wonderfully calming effect.
FOR ADULTS
A traditional example
May I be safe from inner and outer harm (May I be safe)
May I be healthy in body, mind and spirit (May I be healthy)
May I be happy in mind and spirit (May I be happy)
May I take care of myself easily (May be peaceful and calm)
Then add over time
1. Benefactor (loved one) 2 neutral person 3. difficult person 4. all beings

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Be the Pose

4/2/2020

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I am strong. I am confident. I ROCK!

I feel grounded. I am important.

I am Brave

I am Bold

My Own Power I Can Hold

I am cozy, cuddly and content.

I am loyal. I am a good friend.

Many years ago Sages, who are very wise people, looked around their environment and began imitating what they saw by moving their body into similar positions. Yoga helped them connect to their surroundings, to nature, to each other and to themselves.

This practice helps stretch and relax the body, the mind and the heart (spirit), offering many benefits to people of all ages.

Children PLAY yoga by imagining they ARE aspects of nature. They are encouraged to bark like dogs, hiss like snakes and roar like lions. They are encouraged to imagine what it would be like to be animals, stars, waves on the ocean or the qualities or characteristics of most anything and everything. They are encouraged to be mindful of where the pose is working in their body and how it feels. They are encouraged to BE THE POSE. They can take on the strength of a mountain, the balance and importance of a tree, the freedom of a cloud. They can set the quality in their mind by affirming the feeling. I am confident. I am kind. I do my best. Draw or write about it.

I AM TREE. I AM FREE. I AM ME. I JUST BE.

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Forward>>

In 2020, it is almost 20 years since, the Children's Garden began bringing yoga to children and their families. Jennifer and Barb (Yoga Barb) Westgate, were the first 2 in Ontario and the 4th and 5th in Canada to be certified children's yoga facilitators, through YogaKids. Since that time they have both studied under many other renown experts in the field of children's yoga, health and well-being. Jennifer, a speech and language pathologist, a certified reflexology and Reiki practitioner and a student of Sonia Sumar (Yoga for the Special Child), brings a well rounded experience to all children, but especially to those with different abilities. Yoga Barb offers Metamorphosis, Reiki and Emotional Support through her private yoga programmes and during group classes upon request. Her background in behavioural sciences, mother, child care provider, certified parent educator, and now "Gran" to 4, have enhanced her natural ability to provide a nurturing environment to all who seek her guidance.