Yoga for Youngsters

So, in an effort to revive my blog, I’m planning to focus more on library programming, services and advocacy…so without further ado, here’s my first post…Yoga for Youngsters!

In early 2013 I came across a very brief article in a professional journal I was reading about resources for a yoga program in the library, and I was ready! I love yoga anyway – I’ve attended classes, done videos at home, etc. and it’s something that’s always resonated with me. When I thought about sharing yoga with the little ones at the library, I was excited. It was just what I needed to mix things up a little bit. I planned and delivered the first Yoga for Youngsters in March of 2013, and now offer the program on a monthly basis. It is well attended, and participants (parents and children alike) love it!

Here’s a little run down on what we do:

Program Name: Yoga for Youngsters
Intended Audience: Children Ages Birth to Five Years and their Parents or Caregivers – We host this program as a drop-in program and hand out passes for each person (child and adult) that is coming into the room. We can comfortably fit about 30 people with the yoga mats/towels.
Length of Program: 30 Minutes

Introduction: I first ask participants to show by a raise of hands how many have ever done yoga before. I take a minute to explain that in our yoga class (I co-lead it with another librarian and yoga enthusiast, Miss Catherine) we like to have fun. I tell them that I’ve been to yoga classes that are very serious before, but that we don’t get too serious here. I encourage parents to use yoga at home – that it’s a great thing to use for relaxing, redirection, etc. I let folks know that they can practice on a yoga mat, a towel, or straight on the floor. I tell them to have fun with it.

Tips: I steal most of my tips from the book Little Yoga by Rebecca Whitford. There’s a great section at the end of the book that gives really great information – some tips I always make sure to mention: Make sure your kiddos are breathing, we all have a tendency to hold our breath when we’re concentrating, but we shouldn’t; and don’t let the little, little ones (under 2 years) put their weight on their head.

Namaste: At this point, I tell everyone that we’re ready to get started! I tell the kids to imagine that their hands are covered in glue, then clap them together and let them get stuck. Then we bring our hands in front of our chest and practice saying “Namaste.” I break it down by syllable first, then we say it all together.

Book: We usually start with a book – I’ve used a few that I like, they’re listed at the end. This is a good way to do a variety of poses and talk the kids and parents through the motions.

Songs: From here we move into the songs. We usually do 4-5 songs, always starting with Dance for the Sun and ending with Namaste Song. Both are from Dance for the Sun by Kira Willey. She’s great! She has a nice voice, and her songs have great melodies. She has another CD that we use as well called Kings & Queens of the Forest. Both of her CDs have two sets of tracks, the first is the track with music and song, and the second set has the track with music and song, but she voices instructions over it. They are a fantastic resource, because, while I love yoga, I am not a yoga instructor. We can all just follow along with her directions.

Namaste: After we finish the Namaste Song I tell everyone to stay put and take a couple more deep breaths. Then I tell them to very, very slowly open their eyes and take a few more deep breaths, then I tell them when they’re ready to very, very slowly sit up. Then I repeat the hands stuck like glue/Namaste exercise from the beginning. It’s so much fun to see everyone so calm and relaxed at the end!

 A couple of my favorite songs from Kira Willey: The Shimmy, Dancing Mountain, The Sound I Found, Tap My Drum. But really, they’re all great!

Books that work well:
Little Yoga by Rebecca Whitman
You are a Lion, and Other Fun Yoga Poses by Taeeun Yoo
Walk Like a Bear, Stand Like a Tree, Run Like the Wind by Carol Bassett (we just pick some poses from this one and share them)

I love, love, love doing this program. If you have any interest in it all, I encourage you to give it a try! You don’t have to be an expert – just share with joy what you love to do!

Namaste.

Blog Post #9 (of 30)

A Photo of the Last Item I Purchased

Caveat...The last things I have purchased are groceries, Christmas gifts, etc. So, I had taken a picture of a dress I purchased (in like October) to use for this post, but am just now getting to posting, but am still using this old purchase! :)

Sorry for the poor picture quality - the dress is super cute though (in my opinion!). :)

Hope to post again soon...so y'all don't think I've fallen off the face of the earth! :)

Blog Post #8 (of 30)

A Recipe

Shrimp with Mango & Basil (AKA - Yum!)

This was an easy post for me, hence the speed with which it has been posted! :) Let me start with a little story before I move into the recipe...

Jimmy and I have recently made some pretty big changes in our lives. With cuts to my hours/salary at work and Jimmy owning his own business, rather than getting a big salary from a firm, we've experienced a decrease in our income. I know most everyone is in the same boat with the state of our economy today. Luckily, Jimmy and I have been blessed with the ability to short sell our house and get out from under a financial burden that we could no longer carry. In doing so, we made the decision to move in with Jimmy's parents. They have a garage that's been converted into it's own little space, which is where we currently reside. It's been great to get away from some of the financial stresses, and focus on our debt repayment plan to get on top of things.

So, why the story? Well, since we've moved in I haven't really been cooking much. And I love to cook. I realized a week or so ago that cooking is something that makes me happy. I love to start with a variety of ingredients and turn them into something delicious that my friends and family can enjoy. I love the nurturing aspect of the cooking and social aspect of coming together for a meal. So, when I realized I'd been neglecting this thing that I love, I had a talk with my friend Tiffany (she's my go-to girlfriend). We made plans to get together this past Friday and make a meal (preceded of course by ice cream and shoe shopping).

After deciding to make a meal, I decided I wanted to try something new. I sent a couple of recipes to Tiffany for input and we decided on this yummy Shrimp with Mango and Basil. We decided to serve it over jasmine rice and accompany it with a yummy summer mango spritzer (mango sorbet with Asti Spumante). It was a delicious summertime meal that I am adding to my repertoire. I hope you'll add it to yours as well!

Without further ado, here's the recipe:

Shrimp with Mango & Basil

1 lb raw shrimp, peeled and deveined, tails left on

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

1 large ripe, firm mango peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes (see tip)

1 bunch scallions, green tops only, thinly sliced

1/4 cup firmly packed fresh basil leaves, finely chopped

Directions

1. Toss the shrimp with salt, cayenne (to taste), and turmeric in a medium bowl. Cover and refrigerate for about 30 minutes

2. Heat oil in large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Place the shrimp in a single layer and cook until the underside turns salmon pink, about one minute. Flip them over and cook for one minute more.

3. Add mango, scallion greens and basil. Cook, stirring, until the shrimp is just cooked and starts to barely curl, 1 - 2 minutes.

Tip - How to Cut a Mango:

1. Slice the top and bottom off the mango revealing the long slender seed inside.

2. Set the fruit upright on work surface and peel with a sharp knife.

3. With the seed perpendicular to you, slice the fruit from both sides of the fruit, yielding two large pieces.

4. Turn the seed parallel to you and slice the two smaller pieces from each side.

5. Cut the fruit into the desired size/shape.

Recipe taken from fitnessmagazine.com. (Recipe and nutrition information can be found at: http://www.fitnessmagazine.com/recipes/recipecomdetail.jsp?recipeId=25108685)

The directions above yield four servings. I doubled the recipe when I made it - three of us ate Friday night (Tiffany, Jimmy and I), with plenty of leftovers. We also eyeballed most ingredients as I couldn't find any measuring spoons! It turned out wonderfully though!

Enjoy!

Blog Post #7 (of 30)

A Song to Match My Mood and Why...

(Cheater Post)

Okay - so I'm selecting a song, but it doesn't really match my mood, just gets stuck in my head all the time lately! The reason I'm cheating on this post is because dang it, I can't seem to think of a song that matches my mood! :)

So, the frequently stuck in my head song is....

All These Things That I've Done by The Killers

See, I just got a Kia Soul a couple months ago. And, the refrain on the song goes "I've got soul, but I'm not a soldier." And I personalized my plates to say "IGTSOUL" - hence the always stuck in my head song! :)

Here's a picture of my Soul...

Every time I walk out to my car, I sing to myself "I've got soul, but I'm not a soldier!" And, now I'm just glad to have Post #7 done so I can stop thinking about what song could possibly match my mood! :)

Blog Post #6 (of 30)

A Photo of an Animal I'd Love to Keep as a Pet

I'd love to have a cutie-pie little monkey! I know they don't really make good pets, but if I could have any kind of animal and it would really be a good pet, I think I would pick a monkey. How can you say no to those precious eyes?

Blog Post #5 (of 30)

A Photo of Myself Two Years Ago

August 2009

Okay- this one was tougher than I thought! I don't have many pictures of myself. This one is one I took when I was playing around with a new toy - my remote control for my camera. :) Guess I need to get more photos with me in them! :)

Blog Post #4 (of 30)

20 Of My Favorite Things

1. Pedicures
2. Sleeping In
3. The Sound of Rain Falling
4. My Wednesday Night Bible Study
5. Sunday Afternoons
6. A Good Book
7. Trying a New Recipe that Turns Out Delicious
8. Family Get-Togethers
9. Road Trips
10. Barbecues
11. Weddings (Especially My Own)
12. Fall
13. Venti Iced Nonfact White Chocolate Mocha
14. Taking Pictures
15. Hair Day (i.e. - The Day I Get My Hair Done)
16. Ventano's
17. Finding the Perfect Book for a Patron
18. Dinner with Friends
19. A Good Workout
20. Spending Time with Jimmy - It Doesn't Matter What We're Doing, So Long As We're Doing It Together! :)