Asana of the Week: Shark Pose

Last Saturday was the last class of my Yogi Junior classes until the end of June. I love teaching kids, and it's so rewarding when they tell me they have used breathing techniques in school or before a game or they use a flow at home. It makes it even more rewarding. Yogi Junior is a 6 week series on Saturday afternoons from 12:30-1:15 at East Bank Yoga (8th & Railroad Center) offered on a rotating basis (see the calendar for more details
http://eastbankyoga8thandrr.blogspot.com/p/calendarfees.html?m=1).
Over the course of the class, we spent time learning a variety of poses, starting with basics and graduating to more difficult poses in a fun, safe environment. Each week we have a theme-on the farm, outer space, under the sea and more. We start with a story, then we do breathing exercises, warm ups, play a few games and then get down to business with our flow. Afterwards the kids get a takeaway (stickers or whatnot) based on the theme.
It's so much fun, and yoga is such a great life skill for kids. They learn to focus, stretch muscles and build strength and develop stress management skills. I've seen the difference yoga has made in Little Man's life. For our home practice, we use the Yoga Pretzels deck, which is so much fun to play with!
One of my favorite poses is from our under the sea adventure: shark pose.

To do it, you need to lie on your stomach. Raise your chest and legs off the mat (locust pose) and reach hands behind you. If you can grab them perfect! Hold for at least 2 breaths.

Thank You

It's teacher appreciation week, and in our neck of the woods, the last full week of school. In my world, it's also the world of making treats and gifts for those charged with making a difference in Children's lives.
I saw something on Pinterest that was a great idea.

 I clicked and landed at www.littlepumpkingrace.com, and a few hours and a bit of a shopping trip later, I had what I needed to make this year's thank you gift.
What you need:

Cardstock (a variety to layer)
Ribbon
Glue
Mason jar
Smarties
Markers

Put the smarties and markers in the jar.
Tie ribbon around the neck of the jar.
Layer the cardstock. Write on there:

Thank you for marking my life and making me a smartie!

I decorated the gift bag with some giant felt stickers that were in butterfly and dragonfly shapes, and added colored tissue paper.