Coming Soon! Our Book!

The Impossible Dream

A Yoga Storytelling Adventure

Kids Yoga Story

Here's a sneak peek at the cover...

Annabel Jones is our amazing illustrator. She is a sweetheart; we couldn't have found a more perfect fit, a fellow librarian who conducts Storytime!

and a sneak peek at the back cover promo...

     Once upon a time...deep in the swamplands, a young man embarks on an extraordinary adventure. Night after night he has the same strange dream until he can no longer ignore it. Find out what he discovers on his daring journey.

     The Impossible Dream encourages kids to express themselves through story and yoga. This book intended for ages 5 to 10 includes a full description of yoga poses. Make the story come alive as you go on a yoga storytelling adventure!

and a sneak peek at what the professionals are saying...

"As a parent in a bilingual family, reading The Impossible Dream with its beautiful message to my children helped reinforce our French language skills. As a library director in a bilingual province, I'll be sure to carry The Impossible Dream on my shelves. As a yoga teacher, I'm very pleased to have this valuable resource available to teachers and parents to encourage children to develop their physical literacy skills while learning about Acadian history."

Jenn Carson, Director of the LP Fisher Public Library

creator of www.yogainthelibrary.com, author of Physical Literacy:Movement-Based Library Programs

"When you flex the mind and the body, everything is possible."

Johnette Downing, Louisiana Roots Music and Books for Children 

"Keeyaw WOW! Nothing is impossible! Educators and former librarians Kathe Hudson and Melanie Moyer awaken the power of storytelling with a Cajun retelling of a classic folktale. Learning becomes effortless play in this lively tale written in rich language. The body comes along too combining story with yoga to inspire us to follow our dreams on a joyous journey of self-discovery. HOORAY for The Impossible Dream!"

Sydney Solis, founder of Storytime Yoga®

"The authors of this delightful story have captured an old tale and wrapped it into a Cajun version that will entertain, for true. They certainly won my Cajun heart."

Cheryl Floyd

Speaker-Storyteller

Heal Your Life® Teacher/Coach

a sneak peek at our intention...

Through the magic of story and the wisdom of yoga it is our sincere hope that children everywhere will remember, "Nothing is Impossible!"

For more information visit us at www.moving-tale.com

Please "like" and "share"!

Mahalo, we serve.

Body Appreciation

We often complain or criticize our bodies when in fact our bodies are amazing creations. Your body produces 25 million new cells each second. Every 13 seconds, you produce more cells than there are people in the United States. If you stretched out the 300,000,000 capillaries in your lungs end to end, the line would extend from Seattle to San Diego or about 1,300 miles. With the 60,000 miles of blood vessels inside the average human body, you could circumnavigate earth two and a half times. Our muscles are actually incredibly more powerful than they appear to be. Human strength is limited to protect our tendons and muscles from harming themselves. This limitation can be removed during an adrenaline rush, during which some people have lifted boulders or even cars off themselves. 

"I am in awe of my body." - Henry David Thoreau

Your relationships with other people through out your lifetime - with your parents, spouses, children, friends, and teachers - will shift as time passes and situations change. As long as you are alive, however your body is always with you. You body is designed to guide you, keep you safe, and bring you full vitality. It has seen you through love and loss, pleasure and pain, challenge and growth. It is the vehicle through which you create and manifest your thoughts and dreams into reality. Your body deserves to be appreciated for every experience it has given you, and every way it has supported you. 

Our story this month is "I appreciate my body." We encourage you to ask, "How do I feel?" rather than "How do I look?" when practicing yoga. 

MM

Give these two Warrior poses a try, they are a gift to your body.

Warrior I: from mountain pose, take a big step back with the left foot; turn the back foot to a 45 degree angle. Square the shoulders and hips to the front of the mat. Inhale and lift the arms overhead, lengthening the spine. Soften the shoulders down. Exhale and bend the right knee. Make sure your knee is directly over your ankle not in front of the ankle; you should be able to see your toes. Come out of the pose by lowering the arms and straightening the front leg. Step back up into mountain and repeat on the opposite side. 

Warrior II: from mountain pose, step back with the left foot. Turn your back foot to a 90 degree angle by picking up the toes and pivoting on the heel. The shoulders and hips are square to the side of the mat. Inhale and lift the arms to shoulder height lengthening the spine, palms facing down reach out through the fingertips, exhale and bend the right knee, knee over the ankle. Gaze out over the fingertips of the right hand. Come out of the pose by lowering the arms and straightening the front leg. Step back up into mountain and repeat on the opposite side. 

Pranayama; Energy of the Breath

Pranayamas are yogic breathing exercises. Ancient yogis observed the power of the breath and its ability to increase one's life force. They developed these breathing techniques to increase life energy and maintain health as well as create a calm, clear state of mind. 

The word "prana" refers to energy and "yama" means regulation or control. Pranayama is often considered breath control. Prana is the breath yet more than the breath. It is the energy or life force that keeps us alive. Practiced correctly, pranayama brings health to body, mind and spirit. Here are a few of the many benefits to the practice of pranayama. 

• Calms and rejuvenates the body and mind
• Improves focus and concentration
• Increases energy
• Boosts the immune system and the nervous system
• Slows down the aging process

As we age we often become shallow breathers. Therefore, we always practice deep breathing with our Sassy Seniors. This month we took deep breaths in and deep breaths out as we blew on bright, sunny pinwheels...our story; Breath is Energy. 

Fifi and Mel

In order to breathe properly you need to breathe deeply into your abdomen, not just your chest. Breathing exercises should be deep, slow, rhythmic and through the nose. In yoga there are many forms of breath control. Here are a few yogic breath techniques to try and you won't even need a pinwheel!

Equal Breathing; this is just what it sounds like...a steady even breath where the inhale is equal to the exhale in duration. The breath is slow and steady. Begin regulating your breaths to three to four seconds in and three to four seconds out. Equal breathing calms the mind and brings a sense of balance to the body. 

Ujjayi; this is a form of breath control that is commonly practiced in yoga. Ujjayi is an audible breath. It is often called "ocean breath." Breathe in and out through the nose as you slightly constrict the throat. Again the breath is slow and steady, three to four seconds in, and three to four seconds out. Ujjayi tones the immune and nervous systems, improving focus and so much more. 

Alternate Nostril Breathing; this form of pranayama looks and feels funny but it has many benefits. Use your right hand to alternate closing off the nostrils. Lightly press the thumb on the outside of the right nostril, the index and middle fingers rest on your third eye, inhale through the left nostril only. Now close off the left nostril with your ring finger, release the thumb and exhale through the right nostril. Repeat the process inhaling through the right and exhaling through the left. This makes one round. Remember...slow and steady. Begin with three rounds and increase as you get comfortable with the practice. Alternate nostril breathing brings balance to the body and the mind; it lowers the heart rate and relieves stress. 

Happy Breathing!

Transformation

The practice of yoga is a deeply transformative experience that can change our life. If we decide to embark on the journey of yoga as a way of life, not simply as an exercise, transformation will materialize. Transformation can sometimes be difficult but the reward is unsurpassed. Yes we can transform our bodies by regular asana practice, but we can transform our entire life when we practice yoga off the mat every day. We can transform any limited belief about ourselves into awareness of our divine potential. By diligent awareness we can stay kind even in unpleasant situations, we can be considerate even when we feel harassed, and we can be truthful even when it hurts. This is living our yoga!

Transformation is not always difficult. Transformation can be a joy and a pleasure as natural as turning flour into mouthwatering bread or cake, raw vegetables in to a flavorful soup or turning dried tea leaves into an aromatic brew. 

Shirley stirs up a cake!

This month our Sassy Seniors transformed flour and sugar into cake. We sang as we stirred, "If I knew you were coming I'd have baked you a cake." I continue to learn a lot from these seniors. Every day is a new day for seniors with memory problems. Every moment is a new moment for them. While most of us struggle to stay "in the now" they quickly let go of the past. While some of us have a hard time forgiving they never seem to hold on to a grudge. While we may sometimes forget to be grateful they often smile and say thank you. - MM