Bikram yoga

ShareFor February break, I decided to enroll my kids in a multi-arts camp in Amherst, Massachusetts.  It’s a non-stop arts fest: creating monologues and their own props for their unique plays, creating puppets, learning hip-hop and flamenco dance, producing innovative artistic and musical compositions, and a little yoga with yours truly to end the day.… Continue reading »

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Happy Valentine’s Day!

ShareTraditionally today in some parts of the world, it’s Valentines day.  According to Wikipedia, Valentine’s Day was first established by Pope Gelasius I in 496 AD, honoring the early Christian martyrs, Valentinus.  In the High Middle Ages, this day became associated with romantic love, thanks to Geoffrey Chaucer and the tradition of courtly love.  By… Continue reading »

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Robbie’s question

ShareOn Saturday morning, we were packing up the car and readying ourselves for a weekend away. As we were tying our shoes, our son Robbie looked at my husband and I and said, “Why is life worth living if we are just going to die?” Just a minute prior he was telling us Calvin and… Continue reading »

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An invitation…welcome in some yoga

ShareThis past weekend, I participated in a yoga training, unlike any other I’ve experienced. Led by Street Yoga, a non-profit organization, whose mission is to: teach yoga, mindful breathing and compassionate communication to families and youth that are struggling with homelessness, poverty, abuse, addiction, trauma and behavioral challenges so they can grow stronger, heal from… Continue reading »

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IMG_2372

Hula Hoops + Yoga = fun!

ShareAfter taking a class in aerial yoga last week, I have been drawn to continue a quest to find more ways to connect with our inner strength through play. I found one.  Yoga with hula hoops! But first, I needed to get some. I didn’t want the dollar store kind. I wanted to find smaller, shiny… Continue reading »

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Bikram yoga Happy Valentine’s Day! Robbie’s question An invitation…welcome in some yoga Hula Hoops + Yoga = fun!

Feb
21

Bikram yoga

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For February break, I decided to enroll my kids in a multi-arts camp in Amherst, Massachusetts.  It’s a non-stop arts fest: creating monologues and their own props for their unique plays, creating puppets, learning hip-hop and flamenco dance, producing innovative artistic and musical compositions, and a little yoga with yours truly to end the day.

The best part of being in Western Massachusetts is the endless list of local, organic eateries and yoga classes galore.  As the kids enjoy camp, I am left with a window before I teach, to enjoy the fresh, local and organic eateries or a yoga class.  To begin the week, I decided to take a Bikram class, to detoxify and ready for the week.

I have taken Bikram yoga before in the same location, years ago. Since then, new owners have bought the studio, applied a fresh coat of paint and a new look and feel to the classes.

Or should I say directive to classes?

Bikram yoga is practiced in a one hundred and five degree room with forty percent humidity. A beginning Bikram class is exactly ninety minutes, where a series of twenty-six asanas (postures) and two pranayamas (breathing exercises) are taught to scientifically warm and stretch the muscles, ligaments and tendons, in the order in which they should be stretched, according to Bikram Choudhury, the founder of Bikram yoga.   According to Choudhury, many people only use up to 50 percent of their lung capacity and thus the lungs must be stretched in order to withstand holding more oxygen. More oxygenated blood to each organ and fiber restores all systems to healthy working order, as Nature intended, as stated on their website.  Proper weight, muscle tone, vibrant good health, and a sense of well-being will automatically follow and leads to better health.

Guess we should all be doing Bikram.

First note about classes: the instructor, Jennifer, wore a microphone. In previous classes, they would call out the asanas from a small stage.  Jennifer cheerfully explained that this class was accessible to all levels (and there were some very large people in the room in their skivvies)  We could do all the postures, skip some of the postures, or just take a 90 minute nap in a warm room.

Then class began.

Her instructions were fast and fluid.  Her rapid directives provided detailed instructions to extend every muscle, ligament and tendon in my body in precise order. And she pushed us – hard.  Numerous times throughout class as we reached the pinnacle of an asana, say a back bending one for example, she would instruct to: push yourself. So much it will hurt. Your back may hurt but its ok, keep pushing. When it hurts its good.

Did I hear her correctly? Yoga is supposed to hurt in class. After class you feel so much better, no?

Wow. I was wondering if they read the article about yoga in the New York Times a few weeks ago.

There were times when she would say its ok to rest, but for the majority of the class, the message was to push until it hurts. I did not do this, and I think she noticed because she then said that even if you have injuries, keep pushing, this will only make you better.

I did finish the class, but did not over extend myself.  The heat made my muscles pliable and fluid to obtain most of the postures, but I was cautious not to overdo it.  I did feel completely detoxified and wonderful as I left the class, but I really worked hard not to listen to everything Jennifer was saying, and to really focus on the postures and how they felt in my body. It was challenging: the room was brightly lit with florescent lighting, and her instructions raced at you non-stop for 90 minutes.

Bikram yoga is practiced by many, including stars like Madonna, David Beckam, Ashton Kutcher, Kobe Bryan, Charles Barkley, Jennifer Farely and Lady Gaga and others. Benefits of Bikram yoga include: speeding up the breakdown of glucose and fatty acids; less injury since warmed muscles are less prone to injury than cold one, and your coordination is improved (if you are not slipping on your own sweaty body.

There is also other ways of looking at this practice.  There are many regional and national Bikram yoga competitions. Some therapist have stated that performing the asanas in a room over one hundred degrees is not, since it may increase the risk of overstretching and damaging muscles and cartildge.

Just something to think about

Namaste,

Elisha Fernandes Simpson CKYT, RYT, aka laughing hearts yoga  teaches family, mommy and me, kids (ages 7 -18) yoga and organizes free bi-weekly yoga classes for people with breast cancer. Become a friend on Facebook‘s laughing hearts yoga page.

NEW tween, mommy and me and family classes beginning in Peekskill at Pilates on Hudson  March 5th Gorgeous, huge space, 18 foot ceilings and gorgeous views!  Contact info@laughingheartsyoga.com – preregistration required!

 

Feb
14

Happy Valentine’s Day!

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Traditionally today in some parts of the world, it’s Valentines day.  According to Wikipedia, Valentine’s Day was first established by Pope Gelasius I in 496 AD, honoring the early Christian martyrs, Valentinus.  In the High Middle Ages, this day became associated with romantic love, thanks to Geoffrey Chaucer and the tradition of courtly love.  By the 15th century, entrepreneurship embarked, and lovers expressed their strong feelings for one another by presenting flowers, sweets and sending out greeting cards – valentines.

Today, this tradition has blossomed, and is expressed in so many ways.  Writing songs and poems for a loved one, giving chocolate hearts, streaming live videos, wedding proposals. Then there are the real go-getters, who try to top the previous year’s valentine’s gift they presented to their loved one with something even more dynamic. This morning I read how a man left a trail of roses leading to a diamond bracelet and I wondered to myself..what is he going to do next year?

Another expression of love is to recognize the love that you have for yourself. And its challenging to everyone. Every day, remember how truly magnificent each one of us are.  Once you see this, it’s so easy to to spread your love and compassion to others around you.

Tap into this expression by practicing back bends. The back bend doesn’t have to be as deep as mermaid pose. A simple yawn and stretch will do the trick.

Try one.

Yawn and stretch back.  Let your body freely move instead of stifling the yawn.  Observe how your body opens up, and notice how delicious it feels to have that space open up.  Let it go, and release whatever it is inside of your heart with a sigh of sheer delight.

If you are sitting and want to deepen the sensation, continue to rock back and forth on your sitz bones.  Inhale as you move forward, and exhale as you rock backward. Bring the arms into the movement. Move them in a circular gesture in front of you as if you are hugging a big round ball when you inhale. As you exhale, joyfully release that ball and smile as you open your arms to the sides.  If it feels right in your body, arch back and look up to the sky.

Recognize how much love you have for yourself, and open yourself up to truly be present. See with new eyes what is happening around you. See each moment compassionately, openly and honestly. Tap into your bright, inner light and love.

Take the time to reach up, stretch your body up towards the sky and open up to the space and love you have inside!

Namaste and have a beautiful day!

Elisha Fernandes Simpson CKYT, RYT, aka laughing hearts yoga  teaches family, mommy and me, kids (ages 7 -18) yoga and organizes free bi-weekly yoga classes for people with breast cancer. Become a friend on Facebook‘s laughing hearts yoga page.

New classes:  laughing hearts yoga is coming to Peekskill!! New classes for tweens, mommy and me and family begin week of March 6th at the beautiful Pilates on Hudson. Contact Elisha at info@laughingheartsyoga.com or 914 319 4010 for registration and suggestions about her blog

 

Feb
07

Robbie’s question

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On Saturday morning, we were packing up the car and readying ourselves for a weekend away. As we were tying our shoes, our son Robbie looked at my husband and I and said, “Why is life worth living if we are just going to die?”

Just a minute prior he was telling us Calvin and Hobbes’ adventures then out comes this profound question. My son never ceases to amaze me.   The first thing that spurts out of one of our mouths was “well, you can’t do anything if you are dead.”  He didn’t find that funny.  His eyes told me that he was yearning for a deeper, more tangible response.

We began talking to him about how life is about living in the present, and that everything we do or say is about enjoying the moment.  Visiting family, reading Calvin and Hobbes, playing basketball with his friends.  All these wonderful things you can do and experience while you are living.  And you can learn so much more while you are living.

“But you are just going to die anyway,” he said.  “I don’t get it.”

Now, “I don’t get it” has been his response to just about everything we explain to him. Its his way of not listening. Partially engaged in the conversation.  Not attempting to explore what is being said to him and let it develop into an understanding in his seven – year old mind. Or, its just his way to successfully drive his parents insane.

So we tried again: Was it love? Balance? Family? His Wii????

The question of why we are living is pondered by many throughout life. Its given as midterm exams/assignments in college, at a time when one’s life is just beginning. One is openly exposed to the world with only your own defenses, learning about the concepts of life, not quite having personally experienced them to completely understand the affects of the consequences. Answering Robbie’s question is a delicate, delightful yet complex question to be answered.

Life isn’t simply a project to be completed; it is an unknowable landscape to be explored.  And there are so many different ways to see how one would begin their path: One could admire the lone free agent who creates new worlds, or one could dissolve their independence, and become part of a larger purpose to propel that larger cause. One could practice yoga to connect to their deepest truth, and follow the path laid before them.

Just what IS life for?

Any answers to Robbie’s question put in a friendly manner for a seven-year old mind are welcome.

Elisha Fernandes Simpson CKYT, RYT, aka laughing hearts yoga  teaches family, mommy and me, kids (ages 7 -18) yoga and organizes free bi-weekly yoga classes for people with breast cancer. Become a friend on Facebook‘s laughing hearts yoga page.

New classes:  laughing hearts yoga is going to Peekskill!! New classes for tweens, mommy and me and family begin week of March 6th at the beautiful Pilates on Hudson. Contact Elisha at info@laughingheartsyoga.com or 914 319 4010 for registration and suggestions about her blog

Jan
31

An invitation…welcome in some yoga

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This past weekend, I participated in a yoga training, unlike any other I’ve experienced. Led by Street Yoga, a non-profit organization, whose mission is to: teach yoga, mindful breathing and compassionate communication to families and youth that are struggling with homelessness, poverty, abuse, addiction, trauma and behavioral challenges so they can grow stronger, heal from past traumas, and create for themselves a life that is inspired, safe, and joyful.

For years I have been following this organization, watching them grow. Based in Portland, Oregon, they have over 25 partner sites, two located in New York city.  Participating in this training cultivated my awareness of the core needs, behaviors and emotional boundaries that affect these struggling communities.  Although I haven’t targeted these particular groups in my own personal teaching experience, my work at Open Door with under-served communities has been extremely rejuvenating and personally rewarding.

Street Yoga targets communities that are so grateful for their teachings. Not only is it in class, but they use it every day, off the mat. At Casa de los Amigos, a residential home to unaccompanied youth ages 12 – 17 in Seattle, there was a story about an amazing young man who had been at Casa for over six months, never knowing if he’s going to be deported or not. Every week he comes to yoga class, participates fully and is the last to wake from Savasana. Although teased about it from his peers, it doesn’t bother him. Others admire his kick-ass handstands and tommy-touches (picking up one hand at a time to touch a shoulder while in hand stand) In a recent survey, this young man reported practicing yoga on his own almost every day, and using some kind of breathing or relaxation technique 2-6 times a week. This is far and above the amount reported by other boys. Yoga (and his positive, persevering attitude) seems to truly be assisting this young man get through his stay at Casa.

What is key for these kids, and ALL kids, is the healing practices of yoga to help get grounded.  To be happy. To enjoy the moment, right now, this day.  Empowerment. We all need to know how to get grounded. Life moves to fast, and sometimes you get caught up in it, make the wrong turn, and have to face the consequences. When practicing yoga and breath work, it can help create a sense of true home in our bodies and minds.  It can create an opening, an invitation, to a better life with better choices for yourself and those in your life.

Namaste.

image via Global Mala

Elisha Fernandes Simpson CKYT, RYT, aka laughing hearts yoga  teaches prenatal, mommy and me, kids (ages 7 -18) yoga and organizes free bi-weekly yoga classes for people with breast cancer. Become a friend on Facebook‘s laughing hearts yoga page.

New classes:  Teen class begins Feb 6th; Family Yoga Feb 12 and March 4th at Hudson Yoga, Croton on Hudson, NY.  Contact Elisha at info@laughingheartsyoga.com or 914 319 4010 for registration and suggestions about her blog


Jan
24

Hula Hoops + Yoga = fun!

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After taking a class in aerial yoga last week, I have been drawn to continue a quest to find more ways to connect with our inner strength through play. I found one.  Yoga with hula hoops!

But first, I needed to get some.

I didn’t want the dollar store kind. I wanted to find smaller, shiny colorful ones that you see in the circus or in the specialty stores. Ones that kids could easily manipulate and do some fun poses and games with.  I called up a friend of mine from my YogaKids training, Marsha, and we set a date to create.

Fortunately for me, Marsha lives in Nyack, not to far away from me. After playing the scheduling game, we set a time, got our supplies and prepared for hoop making.  Two weeks prior to the date, I gently reminded my husband that I was meeting a friend to make hoops, and I needed him home earlier than later so we could do this.  I have to say, my husband thought I was a little off my rocker….

When I met up with Marsha, we laid our supplies on the table and admired our finds. We then went to the hoop making source- our Canadian friend Joanne and watched her how-to video to make hula hoops. She made it look so easy, and we dove right in.

We learned how to wrap the straight tape around a curved figure. This took patience, and became exactly what Joanne had mentioned a meditative practice. Once you start, its hard to stop wrapping the tape around until you are complete with the hoop for two reasons – its hard to re-align the tape and it look so much better when they are done.

We took a few shortcuts, but lo and behold, we got them done! And how wonderful they came out!

Elisha Fernandes Simpson CKYT, RYT, aka laughing hearts yoga  teaches prenatal, mommy and me, kids (ages 7 -18) yoga and organizes free bi-weekly yoga classes for people with breast cancer. Become a friend on Facebook‘s laughing hearts yoga page.

New classes: Family Yoga: Jan 29, Feb 12 and March 4th; Teen class begins Feb 6th, both at Hudson Yoga, Croton on Hudson, NY.   Classes for 7 – 12 years on Wednesdays at Josie’s International Dance in Ossining, NY.  Contact Elisha at info@laughingheartsyoga.com or 914 319 4010 for registration and suggestions about her blog

Jan
17

Aerial Yoga

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Last week, I let go of one of my many fears by attending an aerial yoga class.  Aerial yoga is a unique combination of circus art form of Tissu/Silks and yoga postures.

I am afraid of heights, and I do not like the playground swings.  They make me sick. But this class was a whole new way to look at yoga, and a way to let myself TRULY feel like a kid again.

Emily in Upavistha (in the air) Konasana

I entered the studio and my eyes opened wide as I saw huge, billowing, red pieces of silk material hanging from the ceiling – fabric trapezees. I felt as if I entered a circus tent.  The instructor, Emily, entered hugging her regular, familiar students. She had broad shoulders and a strong little body, a wide smile and lots of energy.  After her intimate greetings, she flitted around the room and jumped up to release some of the knotted silk swags from the ceiling as she warmly greeted the rest of the class.  She opened class with detailed instructions on how to safely use the silk swags in the aerial yoga postures.  Class began withe the basics: entering, moving your body around, and stretches in the cocoon-like silk.

Unnata -the Sanskrit word for elevated- in both spirit and physically – was how I felt for the rest of the class. We began with simple one legged stretches using the fabric trapezee, challenging my balance while simultaneously releasing deep muscles. Then we moved into balances on the arch of one foot, standing on the fabric trapeze, and moving into Warrior postures, backbends, and other heart opening poses.

Then the fun began – inversions.  As my bodyweight was completely supported on the swing, I flowed with proper alignment into an inverted Baddha Konasana, Natarajasana and Handstands (or no hands!) Each pose was so much easier to achieve, as I was moving without as much effort or strain, in relaxation. Once in the postures, I felt more relaxed and peaceful.

My back could lengthen easily, my shoulders didn’t feel the stress, but my core-oh boy-did THAT feel the work. Strengthening the core without compressing the spine…not a bad idea.

Now, if I can just figure out how to do this in Croton…….

inverted Natarajasana (Lord of the Dance Pose)

Namaste.

By the way, if you didn’t catch this last week, a few days after my post  there was a follow up interview with Glenn Black in the Huffington Post in regards to his comments included in the New York Times article .

Elisha Fernandes Simpson CKYT, RYT, aka laughing hearts yoga  teaches prenatal, mommy and me, kids (ages 7 -18) yoga and organizes free bi-weekly yoga classes for people with breast cancer. Become a friend on Facebook‘s laughing hearts yoga page.

New classes: 7 – 12 years begins on Jan 18th at Josie’s dance.  Teens begins Feb 6th at Hudson Yoga Contact Elisha/laughing hearts yoga at info@laughingheartsyoga.com or 914 319 4010 for suggestions about her blog

 

Jan
10

Yoga – good or bad for the body?

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Last week, I received an email from my husband, with the subject line: “How Yoga Can Wreck Your Body.”

Now, my husband is an avid New York Times reader, and loves to forward me articles.  I am never sure if he actually reads the articles, or if he just sees something that seems “yoga-ish” and sends it off to me.  When I opened the link, I had to laugh at the three “yogis” at the top of the article, especially George Salzar’s expression as he comically attempted to unravel himself into extended-hand-to-big-toe pose Utthita Hasta Padagustasana. Just loved their retro yoga clothes, too.

As I read the article, I was brought into the world of Glenn Black, a yoga teacher of nearly four decades. A fountain of knowledge and dry wit, he has taught celebrities, superstar gurus and common folk in Manhattan and Omega Institute. His approach to teaching is to hold a few simple poses, to omit inversions like headstand and shoulder stands, and to create an awareness of each posture instead of pushing through as many as possible in a class.  As I continued to read the article, it wasn’t the emphasis on yoga’s  potential to inflict blinding pain or the gruesome details of the injuries experienced by some people that drew my attention.  It was Black’s belief, a celebrated and legendary yogi, in people that now practice yoga:

(Black) has come to believe that “the vast majority of people” should give up yoga altogether. It’s simply too likely to cause harm...Yoga is for people in good physical condition. Or it can be used therapeutically. It’s controversial to say, but it really shouldn’t be used for a general class.

A smile spread across my face as I read this line. Black is a true yogi.  Despite all the marketing, superstar yogis, new clothing lines and products that have created the yogi culture, Black is bringing it all to screeching halt. Look at the statistics:  In 2001, 4 million Americans were doing yoga.  The estimate in 2011 was 20 million.

So in ten years, 10 million more people are “doing” yoga. Does that mean that suddenly, yogis have crawled out of their ashrams and opened their practice to the public?  Not really – everyone is “doing” yoga. This doesn’t mean they are necessarily practicing yoga in their everyday lives, letting go of their egos, and connecting with themselves on and off the mat. It just means there are a lot of people that are now doing yoga, for various reasons – to help them, because its the new “trend” as a friend of mine mentioned, or because everyone else is doing it.

I am not saying yoga is bad.  I am living proof that there are proven benefits with yoga, and I passionately agree that it can help others – to become more calm, to energize, to strengthen and even cure some ailments.  It can lower your blood pressure, help with depression, create a safe place in a world that constantly moving.

It’s cool to do yoga.

There are an abundance of studios where many teachers lack the deeper training necessary to recognize when students are headed toward injury.

But it’s cool to do yoga in a safe space. Where there are experienced teachers who have been practicing and teaching for decades, like Kate Graham at Hudson Yoga  She is a certified Iyengar yoga instructor with training in yoga and anatomy, and continues to study at the Iyengar Institute in New York City. Other teachers at the studio-Chris Glover, Suzanna Johnson, Andrea Naitove are deep into their practice, reflected when you first meet them by their graceful postures, compassion, manner of communicating with every person they meet, and teaching styles.

Read this article. When you read it, put aside all judgement. Before your mind starts to whisper to you,”I knew yoga was bad for you, look at what happen to these people.” Just read the article and ask questions.  How did these people approach each posture? Did they go into the posture being aware of how their body felt that day? Every day your body will feel different, depending on what you ate, how you slept and what is going on in your life.  Maybe today your body wasn’t asking for a backbend and you should of opted for doing bridge, resting in Savasana, or meditating.

Or, did they look around the room and let their ego decide?

The article concludes with Black’s message that he took to a recent conference at the Omega Institute:

Asana (yoga postures)  is not a panacea or a cure-all. In fact, if you do it with ego or obsession, you’ll end up causing problems.  A lot of people don’t like to hear that.

Kudos to you Black. And thank you.

My husband continues to send me articles.  The next one I found in my inbox was about Kira Willey’s new kids yoga music release Kings and Queens of the Forest-composed to enlighten your little ones to play yoga.

Namaste

Elisha Fernandes Simpson CKYT, RYT, aka laughing hearts yoga  teaches family, mommy and me, kids (ages 7 -18) yoga and organizes free bi-weekly yoga classes for people with breast cancer. Become a friend on Facebook‘s laughing hearts yoga page.

New classes for tweens and teens begin this week. New class for 7 – 12 years begins on Jan 18th at Josie’s dance.  Contact her at info@laughingheartsyoga.com or 914 319 4010 for suggestions about her blog

Jan
04

Making space for 2012

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It’s 2012.  On New Year’s Eve, my family gathered with friends in front of a blazing fire to reminisce, share a delicious meal and welcome in 2012.  As we watched the ball drop in Times Square on TV, we celebrated with a toast to celebrate our friendship, accomplishments and good things to come.

Many have the tradition of moving into a new year with resolutions and healthful changes. The Chinese clean their homes, buy new clothes, get new haircuts and welcome in the new year with optimism and hope. Others make new resolutions, resolving to break bad habits and start fresh.  I for one, love to clean out all the papers and things I accumulated over the year, and re-assess my goals and dreams.

The new year can also bring new promises and opportunities.  In all of this, its easy to get overwhelmed with the idea of having to do so much in so little time.

Stop.

There is enough time to do exactly what you want to do, in the exact moment, at the perfect time and place.

Determining what you really think you need to do can be found by taking a moment of self reflection.  Observe yourself, the priorities you have set for yourself, and determine those things that you may no longer need.  What can you let go of? Once you have let them go, this carves out a new space for new commitments to reside.

It could be something material, emotional or just plain excess baggage.  Don’t rush yourself into selecting what could be let go of. Ask yourself questions.  There may have been some challenges that you would like to forget. If so, ask yourself, what did I learn from that experience? It may be a lesson in that challenge that helped you grow into a better person.

To start, just select one thing to let go of.  Let it go by inhaling through your nose with your mouth closed into your lungs deeply, visualizing that you are filling them up from the bottom to the top.  Exhale it out.  Do this three times.  Then resume your regular breathe into that space.  After 1 minute, take “sips” of inhales through your nose- sip for 2 seconds, hold for 2 seconds, sip for 2 seconds more, hold for 2 seconds. Continue this until your lungs are completely full.  Hold your breath at the top of your full inhale for 2 seconds.  Softly exhale and release. Try not to explode on the release, but to gently let the air out of your nose, slow and long. Savor each moment. Try not to over-exaggerate the breath, but go back to your regular breath. Empty completely. Sit for 10 seconds.   Continue with this five times and see how your body feels. Observe your space for your new commitment. Whatever that may be, you are truly a beautiful person for taking a moment to take care of you.

Namaste

Become a friend on Facebook‘s laughing hearts yoga page.  New classes for tweens and teens begin this week. New class for 7 – 12 years begins on Jan 18th at Josie’s dance.  Contact her at info@laughingheartsyoga.com or 914 319 4010 for suggestions about her blog

Elisha Fernandes Simpson CKYT, RYT, aka laughing hearts yoga  teaches kids (ages 7 -18), mommy and me yoga and organizes free yoga classes for people with breast cancer.


Dec
27

Holidays and travel

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Every holiday brings great excitement to our home, as we look forward to gathering with our extended family living in Massachusetts.   The questions from my kids begin: how long will we get to our cousins? Are we going to Mimi’s or Grandma’s first? What day are we playing with our cousins? When are we leaving??!   It is pure joy to experience their excitement, and sharing their admiration and love they have for their extended family.  The one factor they omit, which is a relief on my behalf, yet physically exhausting to my husband and myself, is the time we spend traveling.

Holidays carve out an entire new definition of travel for us. It has become a part of our lives, as we are the family that lives far away enough but close enough to everyone else to share the holidays and extended weekends by driving to Massachusetts to see friends and family.  On Christmas day, we load up the car with a suitcase usually over packed with clothes, (80% of which we never wear), gifts for loved ones, movies and food for the ride, and extra boots and outer gear just in case it snows.  We are usually set an ambitious embarking time, that ends up begin delayed by last minute preparations, or the kids just at the critical stage of hunger (my son’s new description of his state of hunger) and we have to pull over to get something to eat.  I refuse to hit a fast food joint, much to my kids dismay, and after some resistance, we will journey off our route a bit to find a healthier option.

When we arrive to our destination, Aliyah and Robbie are sometimes asleep from the trip. But this never seems to be an issue, no matter what time of day or night we arrive.  They are easily roused, and quickly awake, jump out of the car and run to grandma’s door to a warm reception of hugs, food and smiling faces. As my husband and I drag in the stuffed suitcase and gifts, the beginning of the migration from house to house begins. Sleep in one house one night, another the next.  Just call us the happy nomads.

The highlight of the traveling is spending some quality time with family and the appreciation they have for our journey. Sitting and reminiscing, sharing good food, laughter and stories.  Not only does the family time hold a special place in my heart, but these travels offer a time to rejuvenate my practice by delving into innovative yoga classes offered in and neighboring areas our families’ home towns.  Northampton, Massachusetts, home to Smith College is abound with artistic, eclectic and organic shops, and various yoga studios cram packed within a 5 mile radius.  My hometown is just 30 minutes from Boston, Massachusetts, where the famous Patricia Walden, Baron Baptist among others have studios.

But I think the best part about traveling is waking up, finding breakfast already made, the kids are happily entertained, and I don’t have to worry about cooking all week.

Happy Trails!

Dec
20

Power of meditation during the holidays

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This past weekend, our family went to see the Nutcracker, presented by the American Ballet Theater. For years, we have attempted to establish attending the Nutcracker as a family ritual, although my seven year-old son would rather be elsewhere.

The production was unique and brilliantly choreographed by Artistic Director Alexei Ratmansky, an artist known for his satire, drama, poetry and storytelling.  It was a theatrical production of the Nutcracker, unlike any other we’ve ever seen.

Robbie, meditating in front of the Christmas tree at Rockefeller Center

When the first curtain rises, the scene is set in the kitchen. A small mouse catches your eye as he moves about under the table, enjoying his time in the kitchen.  The mouse startles the house staff, and a whimsical pursuit ensues as he escapes the room.

Ratmansky follows the framework of the Nutcracker story, and enhances it with adding scenes filled with the magic of Clara’s godfather Drosselmayer the toymaker, and fanciful interpretations of the beloved Land of the Sugar Plum Fairy and the dances from around the world.  Throughout the production, we were completely enraptured in Clara’s dream.

That is, except my son. The first act was of some interest to him-he liked the boys teasing the girls and the battle of the Nutcracker- which was entertaining for all.  Act Two in the Land of the Sugar Plum Fairy was another story.  But I have to admit, my son is resourceful, patient and observes his yoga practice on a daily basis.  To remain calm for the remainder of the 119 minute production – he used his meditative practice and counted the snowflakes that “mistakenly” fell during the global dances in honor of Clara. He counted 57.

Even our kids can practice yoga anywhere.

Happy Holidays!

New classes for tweens and teens begin the first week of January! Register at laughingheartsyoga.com  Elisha Fernandes Simpson CKYT, RYT, aka laughing hearts yoga  teaches prenatal, mommy and me, kids (ages 7 -18) yoga and organizes free yoga classes for people with breast cancer. Elisha just completed her certification as a Certified Kids Yoga Teacher (CKYT) and is the only one in Westchester county, highlighted in the Westchester December edition of Natural Awakenings  (pg 14). Become a friend on Facebook‘s laughing hearts yoga page. 

Do you have suggestions for her blog? Contact her at info@laughingheartsyoga.com or 914 319 4010

 

 

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