Peace Mandala & Om Schooled, Part ll...

I have been away from the blog for a while.This is a good thing as I have been working with many children, teaching them Yoga techniques, art, etc.  There are some photos from a local Youth Peace Summit I participated in at 'Greenshire Arts Consortium'  in Quakertown, PA. We created a community 'Peace Mandala' made from rice. This technique was introduced to me by my dear friend Ritu who designs and creates the most beautiful Mandalas, and Indian Rangoli & Batik art I have ever seen! Pictured at left is the completed piece. (to see photos of the piece in progress you can click this link to:  BodyLogique on Facebook

I also had the pleasure of conducting Yoga classes for 80 enthusiastic Girl Scouts, ages 5-16 last Saturday, at Camp Green Lane, also near Quakertown, PA. The photo shows the girls resting, like peaceful starfish, safe and quiet at the bottom of the ocean....( a common but well loved theme in my classes for kids AND adults!!)

I also have been continuing the 'Creative Movement  Project' (Adaptive Yoga) in the autism support class at the Perkiomen Valley School. The students are now "in training" for a Special Olympics event a t a local High School this month. Yoga is taking on a special meaning for them, because now I have had an opportunity & have been able to show them how Yoga works to help them practice for their events. Each athlete has been choosing their own Yoga sets -about 5-6 a week from a list of 20 that they have learned since October. I have shown them breathing  techniques for releasing stress, for increasing Power, and for calming. They have also learned Imagery techniques that help them imagine themselves  completing their event, solving a problem or resting quietly and calmly, (like Starfish at the bottom of the ocean...) Partner poses and interactive games are a favorite, emphasising social skills, working together and of course, that learning is so much fun! They have all made great progress in understanding and applying these methods and I am so proud of them!

I have to say my proudest moment was today, when one of the young men, (who is non-verbal and uses a special electronic box to communicate ) without prompting or warning walked up to me before class today, looked me directly in the eye, smiled and gave me a "high 5" !! Then, he walked over to his mat and sat down.  Moments like this is exactly why I teach. The boys rested this afternoon after yoga for a total of 10 minutes, breathing quietly, without a sound or a word! Way to go guys! Keep up the fantastic work! Namaste!

I will be doing a special and expanded 4 week ESY class for this class in July. Looking forward to using some art techniques and to some outdoor yoga! Stay tuned for updates!

I want to thank Lisa Mitchell for referring us to this school, the staff, the OT, and Mr. Hoffner for their support in working with the boys and the 'Perkiomen Vally School Foundation', for awarding us the grant that made this all possible & for having so much enthusiasm about this program! With the help of Mr. Hoffner and Kathy, the dedicated OT, I hope to be able to expand this Adaptive Yoga Program in the fall and offer it to more young men and women in the district, as well as add a class for teachers & staff.

And finally, I have been asked several times in the past few months if I still do children's parties. So, after realizing how much I miss it, and after a bit of planning, I have decided to offer them again on a limited basis for now. The website is in progress but is up, so you can view it here: "Parti-Gini Creative Parties for Kids!"

For a full schedule of workshops, events & classes please visit  BodyLogique Creative Fitness.

Until next time,
Love & Laughter

Barbara

Read More about the Creative Movement Project Here




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