Yoda, a four eared cat, has a rare congenital defect that made his earlobes split, which produced two normal ears and middles ones that look like horns. He is anything but a Satan, in fact quite a sweetie and adorable too. Check out the Yogic Yoda on You Tube.

I thought his was a wonderful YogaKids pose to teach children with, especially those with special needs. How can we recognize their specialness without trying to change the unchangeable, and accept what is. Love abounds everywhere….

So….how do you do the Devil Cat Pose and why? Here’s my take….

Instead of doing Cat and Cow like we normally do, back and forth with moos and meows….try this:

1.Show the children the picture of the kitty/gato named Yoda.
2. Let them express their opinions and discuss all their takes and viewpoints on the situation.
3. Then do the cat pose. Meow, purr, rub up against each other. Scratch each other behind the ears and under the neck. Make nice. Very nice. 30 seconds-1 minute.

THEN……

4. Give them the freedom to turn into the devil cat. Play it out…. howl, raw, scratch, snarl, etc. for just 30 seconds.
5. Go back to the Angel Cat. I see this technique as allowing them to express aggression, anger, let out yucky emotions and then come back to love.

Please share with me the responses you get and additional ideas you might have.

How can we do the Talking Turtle with 2 heads pose?

Purrfection in imperfection. Namaste.

We finally have new DVDs for the YogaKids who have grown up with Silly to Calm and the ABCs. They are fantastic. Fun, imaginative, easy to follow and definitely enhance the fitness, fun and feeling great that all youth need.

Check em out on this reel player link: HEREl

You can buy them at the YogaKids Store or on Amazon.

I’d love to hear from you, your children and students. Please let me know the favorite parts of your kids. Thanks. Namaste.

I find this concept wonderful for several reasons. Firstly: When I was growing up in Ridgefield, NJ, my older sister Gladys had a friend named Wayne Mellow. All of her friends in high school would constantly tease me. “If you marry Wayne Mellow” they would lovingly yet tauntingly say, “your name will be MarshaMellow, ha, ha, ha.” NOT. As a 7 year old, I would look downward with embarrasssment, and roll my eyes as I thought–not again.

So, as a yoga instructor and child advocate, I was delighted and amused to come across Kelsey Bowman, now 18, who invented a ‘marshmallow launcher’ at the age of 11, with the help of her mom Pat, to help increase the breath capacity of children with leukemia.

The 12 inch acrylic tube that Kelsey and her mom designed helped her and thousands of children, physically, emotionally and socially to receive the life giving gift of being able to strengthen their lung capacity by breathing mini-marshmellows through the tube, as a game, instead of one more therapy have to. To purchase one go to www.kelseyskids.org

Breathing fully and regularly is so crucial for everyone–from newborns to elders. The breath is literally under our nose, and yet, or maybe therefore, we don’t usually pay attention to this life giving sustenance. So when teaching yoga to children in hospitals, schools or at home, we use fun and playful techniques like “Bunny Breath”, “Dizzy’s Trumpet Breath” and “Peace Breath”.

Breathe in. Breath out. Blow out kisses and marshmellows. Enjoy this beautiful day.