Turning Tables @ LLA

We had a wonderful time as exhibitors at the Louisiana Library Association Conference held at the Riverfront Conference Center in Alexandria. As former librarians we've been attendees at the LLA conferences in the past, sitting in on seminars and browsing the exhibits. This year we turned the tables and became exhibitors; offering a fun, fresh "novel" idea, filled with creative energy ...Moving-Tale!

The theme of the conference this year was "Wisdom and Wonder @ Louisiana Libraries." Sounds like yoga and story to us! One of the first books we found and utilized in our yoga storytelling was a compliation of folktales by Hugh Lipton titled "Tales of Wisdom and Wonder." A coincidence one might say but we thought it uniqely fitting for our first experience as exhibitors. 

We spend two days seeking and practicing wisdom and wonder while enjoying meeting colleagues in a relaxed atmosphere. Our bookmarks, flyers, and postcards were handed out with information on our yoga storytelling presentations. We held a fun drawing for a free copy of The Impossible Dream; A Yoga Storytelling Adventure, as we let attendees know that the book is available from Ingram/Baker and Taylor for school and library orders. Sweet sounds of the gong rang thoughout the convention center reminding us, NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE! 

JoDee was the winner!

Our intention for exhibiting at the conference was to connect to the community and connect we did. We had a great time talking to the librarians and other exhibitors, answering questions and sharing ideas. Moving-Tale offers new possibilities for public and school libraries and we look forward to sharing story and yoga with everyone we met. For more info on our yoga storytelling presentations visit us at www.moving-tale.com or email us at movingtale@gmail.com

Mahalo, we serve. 

Sthira sukham asanam.

Yoga Sutra 2.46 

This aphorism is often translated as, stable (sthira) comfortable (sukham) posture (asanam). It tells us that a yoga posture is intended to express the balance between effort and ease.

Sthira means stable. Stability takes effort.

Sukham means comfortable. A feeling of ease.

Asanam means seat. Posture or presence.

Whenever you practice yoga you're trying to find a balance between these aspects. We like to say, “feel the stretch, without the strain.” Let’s consider what it feels like to cultivate these two qualities of sthira and sukha in our asana practice. Sthira is the ability to be steady in body, mind, and breath. The muscles are engaged, the mind notices what is arising, and the breath is rhythmic. Sukha is the comfort that comes when the joints and bones are aligned and the muscles are free from tension or strain, the mind is spacious and aware, and the breath flows with ease.

We can balance effort and ease in our daily lives through routine. Sthira and sukha flow from establishing a routine. Waking up, eating, and going to bed at approximately the same time each day all contribute to steadiness and comfort. Life is relationships. We are in a constant relationship with our environment and the people around us. How might your relationships change if you consciously cultivated being present, steady, and comfortable? 

I love this quote by Judith Hanson, "Yoga is not about touching your toes, its about what you learn on the way down." Therefore, the point of the practice of yoga is not to achieve certain postures, but to learn to move through our lives with steadiness and comfort. Cultivating sthira suham asanam helps us find a balance between effort and ease. It is a process that extends beyond the edge of our yoga mat, it takes us into every aspect of our daily lives and this is what yoga is all about!

Our story this month; I find balance between effort and ease. We practiced balancing poses, of course! Here are couple you might like to try.

Reclining Vishnu Pose

Begin by lying on your back, roll over onto your right side and bend the right arm bringing the hand to support your head, fingers reaching towards the spine. Your entire right side from elbow to heel is in a straight line. Bend the left knee and place the foot in front of the body, take hold of the big toe with your left hand. Straighten and lift the leg towards the sky for your comfort level.  Keep the feet flexed. Balance without rolling. Balance comes from your center.  Release the toe hold and gently come onto your back. Repeat on the opposite side then rest on your back for a few breaths.

You can modify this pose by looping a strap around the foot before lifting the leg. For wrist or shoulder issues you can place your forearm on the floor and align your elbow under the shoulder. Spread your fingers wide. 

Dancer Pose

Begin in mountain, feet hip distance apart, bend the right leg bringing the foot towards the backside, the knee should be pointing toward the floor, hold the foot, ankle or the big toe with the right hand and balance, now lift and stretch the leg behind you as you gently lean forward, lift the left hand reaching out in front. Gaze just past your hand. Release and repeat on the other side.

Happiness and health,

KH

Our book is now available at Ingram/Baker and Taylor for school and library orders! Yay!

We had a blast at Milton Elementary School's literacy night. We sold and signed copies of The Impossible Dream; A Yoga Storytelling Adventure! Several teachers who made a purchase were excited to use the yoga storytelling adventure method in their classrooms. Woohoo! 

Our table was set up in a sweet spot near the entrance/exit.  Kids stopped by and practiced yoga with us throughout the event. The school chose "camping" as a theme. We decided to introduce the children to Warrior II pose and everyone experienced feeling "strong and courageous." Each yogi got one of our fun bookmarks and enjoyed ringing the gong before moving along to their next adventure.

We thought we'd share a few of our thoughts on how storytelling and yoga enhance literacy skills. Storytelling enhances language, listening and critical thinking skills and yoga enhances mind and body awareness. These twin arts increase balance, strength, and flexibility in both body and mind. Children develop not only language but also emotional and physical literacy as well.  

Storytelling is extremely valuable in developing young listener's imagination and yoga brings the story alive; it is both interactive and theatrical. Storytelling and yoga unite the logical and creative sides of the brain. Integrating left brain and right brain activity strengthens neural pathways responsible for memory, imagination, and learning. We know children absorb and process information through listening, seeing, and moving and storytelling and yoga engage the whole child honoring all the ways in which they learn. This increased engagement promotes deep learning. Including yoga along with storytelling stimulates the imagination as well as visualization abilities. By visually acting out the story with yoga postures children learn to transfer images into words and the visual images of the yoga postures enhance children's recall. They are now a part of the story and able to recall/retell in detail. Comprehension success!

Two of the many yogi's who practiced with us.

If you'd like to introduce a child to yoga through storytelling please see the sidebar and click on the Amazon link to order a copy of The Impossible Dream; A Yoga Storytelling Adventure. For author visits and presentations contact us at www.movingtale@gmail.com or www.moving-tale.com

Through the magic of story and the wisdom of yoga let the adventure begin!

Giving and Receiving

The universe operates through the energetic exchange of giving and receiving. Giving and receiving go together. They are the same thing, just different aspects of the flow of energy in the universe.  Naturally, the intention behind your giving and receiving is important. Our intention should be to offer happiness and health!

As you give, you open the gate to receive. Whatever you offer to someone else, the energy of the universe works to bring the same to you. Many of us find it easier to give than to receive but it is just as important to be open to receiving, receiving requires grace.

Our bodies and minds are continuously interacting with the universe. When the life force is flowing freely through your body and mind, you are open to the generosity and grace of the universe. Certainly, balance is key to a generous and gracious life. In order to be healthy, we must develop a balance between giving and receiving. When we give too much we can become depleted.  However, when we receive without giving back we often become self-absorbed.

Giving and receiving is alive in every breath we take. With each inhale and exhale there is an energetic exchange. Take a deep breath and hold it. After a moment or two you will notice how uncomfortable you begin to feel because you are holding onto something that is meant to be released. Exhale completely and hold the breath with empty lungs. Once again, you will feel uncomfortable since you are resisting receiving something you need.

During your yoga practice it is important to maintain breath awareness, allowing the inflow and outflow of your breath to be an effortless exchange of energy. Tune in to the life force that flows through your body as move into and out of postures. Enjoy the sensations as your body expands and contracts, giving and receiving. Be aware of the needs of the body, giving it time to receive what you are offering. You just may find that challenging postures are more easily achieved!

We invite you find the balance between giving and receiving, and as you do so consider what you might like to receive and begin to give it, be it affection, appreciation, abundance….

Our story this month; I open the gate to giving and receiving.  

Gate Pose

Gate Pose is a side bend that stretches the entire side body and is suitable for students of all levels.

Caution; knee injury

Kneel tall, bring the left foot out in front with the knee bent at 90 degrees, pause. Then bring the foot out to the side opening the hip, the knee remains bent at 90 degrees, pause. Now extend the left leg out straight to the side, place the sole of the foot on the ground toes pointing away, keep shoulders and hips square to the front. Inhale lifting arms to shoulder height and rotate the right palm upward, exhale as you reach overhead and towards the left, place the left hand gently on the left leg. Gaze upward toward your right hand. Hold the pose for several breaths. To release inhale and bring both arms to shoulder height, exhale and lower them as you come back to kneeling tall. Repeat on the other side. 

Mahalo, we serve.

KH

Sutra 1.14

Sutra 1.14

Perfection in practice comes when one continues to practice with sincerity and respect for a long period of time without any interruption.

Welcome to 2018!  Have you come up with a New Year's Resolution?  You may want to base your resolution this year on Sutra 1.14, to develop a consistent yoga practice.  Some days you will find a million excuses not to show up to your mat.  Show up anyway. Some days you may feel you are too busy to practice, practice for five minutes; do a few sun salutations or sit for a five-minute meditation.  Some days you will have more time, and your practice will last longer.  More than anything, your commitment to come back to your mat regularly is what will make the most difference.  Our story this month is "A consistent yoga practice will bring strength to both the body and the mind".

You may even want to set an intention for 2018 rather than making a resolution.  Like a new year's resolution, an intention names something you're seeking to attain for yourself, but unlike resolutions, intention-setting focuses less on goals and more on the journey which leads to certain outcomes.  Intentions focus more on internal power and long-term change, whereas resolutions focus more on external and sometimes, short-lived rewards.  Make your intention for 2018 to improve your practice through consistency and remember to enjoy the journey:)

This  month's physical focus is a strength building practice.  One such pose, Crescent Lunge is a dynamic standing pose that utilizes and integrates the muscles in your entire body.  It stretches and strengthens the lower and upper body, while creating stability and balance.  Considered a balance pose and a backbend, Crescent Lunge helps the front of the body to expand, which increases energy and reduces fatigue.  Do not practice Crescent Lunge if you are currently experiencing high blood pressure or heart problems.  Also, avoid this pose if you have a knee or spinal injury.  Always work within your own range of limits and abilities.

Instructions:  Fold forward, bend your knees and bring your hands to the mat.  Step the right foot back.  Bend your front knee to 90 degrees, aligning your knee directly over the heel of your front foot.  Come on to the ball of your back foot, lifting your heel.  Straighten your back leg completely.  Inhale, ground your front foot and engage your abs as you lift up to standing.  With your back leg strong and active, gently draw your right hip forward as you press your left hip back, squaring your hips to the front of your mat.  Sweep your arms overhead with palms facing.  Draw your tailbone toward the floor.  Gaze is up between the hands.  Engage the abs to help stabilize your core.  Draw your shoulder blades back.  If you have a shoulder issue rest your hands on your hips.  Hold for up to one minute.  Release your hands back to the mat, step your right foot up between your hands and slowly rise to standing.  Repeat on opposite side.

Kathe in Crescent Lunge

                              

Crescent Lunge can be a powerful way to build strength, balance, and concentration.  As you practice this pose on a regular basis, you'll breathe equanimity in all areas of your life.  Finding ease in Crescent Lunge will allow you to establish the qualities of balance, grace, and power, even off the mat!  Bring it on 2018!!!

MM

Sutra 1.2

Sutra 1.2
Yoga is the process of calming down the mind's constant chatter.  

In the western world, most people think of yoga as exercise. One small part of yoga is called asana or physical postures which in and of itself is much much more than just exercise. If you are practicing asana with focus you are effectively practicing yoga, however, if you are practicing asana and thinking about what you will be cooking for dinner, then you are not practicing yoga; you are basically exercising These physical postures can lead one to want to uncover the true purpose of yoga. This is precisely how it happened for me. 

Calming down the mind chatter does not mean we stop our thoughts or reject them or avoid them, rather it is simply not letting our thoughts take over our mind. A thought will come into your mind which then leads to another thought and so on until you are no longer in the present moment, instead you are "living in thought." A thought may come into your mind and then you begin to identify with that thought even if it has no bearing on what's real and once again you are "living in thought world." Learning to focus our mind can convey what is truly happening instead of being wrapped up in false thought patterns. If you have ever been so involved in a project or an activity where you were completely focused on what you were doing, your mind is calm and intent on the task, you could say you were practicing yoga. Athletes call it "being int he zone", martial artists call it "being in the flow" and yogis call it "yoga." The Yoga Sutras or The Eight Limbs of Yoga provide tools to help you arrive at this place of "being" in everyday life. 

This, my friends, is the secret to happiness. I know that is a bold statement, but I stand by it. When we get caught up in our thoughts and begin to identify with them it can lead to delusion, infatuation or obsession. When we come to realize we are not our thoughts we then begin to see the world around us with more clarity. 

Our sassy seniors now living in assisted living facilities come to understand this process a bit easier than those of us still living in the fast-paced material world. We don't have to wait until we are living in a quieter place before we begin to grasp this essential concept. We can begin right now. Our story this month is: "Yoga is the process of calming down the mind's constant chatter."

MM

Inner Peace

Happy holidays ... time for festivity and spending time with loved ones! However, all the hustle and bustle can cause many of us to experience anxiety and stress. Our healthy habits and inner peace get misplaced. Fortunately, we can find refuge in the ancient wisdom of yoga. The goal of yoga is tranquility; a centered, calm place of peace where we can let go of the stresses of the day. 

Peace is not a place where there is no noise, trouble or hard work. Inner peace is the ability to stay mentally, emotionally, and physically steady even in the midst of turmoil. Maintaining inner peace can be challenging during the holidays. Yet it is essential to our well-being so that we can interact with our loved ones and the community in a healthy way. 

Here are a few thoughts on how to remain centered and calm during the flurry of the season.

• Tune in; take a few moments before you begin the day for quiet contemplation. You can follow this with gentle yoga poses that circulate a healthy energy flow in the body. 
• Remember the reason for the season; no matter what big business says the most important gifts come from the heart. Spending time with loved ones is a gift itself!
• Create comfort; transform your space into a warm place where others feel welcome. Relaxing music, candles, soft pillows all set a stage. 
• Eat well; but be mindful of what you consume. There is no need to deprive yourself just remember to make healthy choices. 
• Take time for you; when you feel good you give off good vibrations. Practice yoga, go for a walk, soak in the tub...

Our story this month; I am centered and calm. 

We begin our practice with child's pose. Child's pose is often used as a resting pose, a place where you can take a break between challenging poses. It's also a great pose for beginning a practice, it allows us to connect with our "center" that calm place of inner peace. 

Child's pose 

Begin on your hands and knees and bring the big toes to touch, then sit back on your heels. Inhale and lengthen the spine, exhale and fold forward allowing the chest to rest on your thighs. Extend your arms with the palms facing down, forearms and forehead touch the ground. Lengthen from your hips to your shoulders and out through your fingertips. Let the upper back broaden as the lower back softens, tension melts away from the shoulders, arms, and neck. Keep the eyes closed and focus on the breath. Inhale and notice the back of the body opening as the lungs expand, exhale and the front of the body releases. Connect with your center, stay here for a couple of minutes. To release the pose gently walk your hands back until you are sitting upright. 

     

Child's pose centers,  calms, and soothes the brain, relieving stress. Since child's pose is a resting pose it is important to make whatever modifications you need to feel comfortable. Here are a few suggestions:

• If you have difficulty sitting back on your heels, place a folded blanket between the back of the thighs and calves. 
• Bring the knees wide apart.
• Rest your forehead on a block or blanket. 
• For a more restorative pose, rest your arms alongside your thighs with the palms facing up.   

Cautions; do not practice child's pose if you have a knee injury. Pregnant women should only practice the wide knee version. 

May you have a happy, healthy holiday season!

KH