I was spaced out and tired, and in need of a bath when the man known as the legendary ‘A.D.’ reached out with one hand to take our luggage and with his other ‘paw’ to welcome us heartily to Nepal. A.D. is a Sherpa and the owner of Friends in High Places. This big, profound man, with a warm smile, an enormous heart and love of his country swiftly and efficiently alleviated us from our rolling REI duffle bags and placed 2 hot mugs of tea in our hands. Tea in this country is symbolic a gesture of sharing, camaraderie and warmth inside and out. In schools, business, homes and shops this offering is extended with gratitude an respect.

So we dutifully followed A.D. to the bus that would take us through jutted, rocky roads, dust flying, and into fierce negotiations of drivers and traffic on rickshaws, trucks, donkeys, motorcycles, cows, buses, taxis and bicycles navigating aggressively, yet smoothly, in a loud, dusty bustle of uniformity and order.

I was shocked and amazed to watch wide-eyed, and sometimes closed eyes, as all the vehicles and animals found a balance, and youth of 3-12 years old perched on the gas tanks of motor bikes moving slowly through foul air and dust.

The Nepali women generally sit side saddle on the back of the motorcycles, feet resting nonchalantly on the exhaust pipes with their posture perfect and their purses guarded tenderly, snuggled in their laps. No helmets on their head, just brilliantly colored shawls draped perfectly in all patterns and colors of the rainbow.

Regardless if the traffic is stopped, or in motion, the intense air of Katmandu is ever present. People are crammed into buses like sardines or just a limb or or clenched fingers hanging onto windows, bumpers or mirrors to catch a ride. Regardless though, their regalness and poise seems to be in their genes. They remain as stoic as statues even when they are untethered, hanging on to bumpers or doorways, just grateful to be transported.

The main purpose of our trip was to support the Madhav Ghimire Scholarship Foundation which was founded by Don’s cousin, Dr. Jeffrey Kottler, a professor at the University of California in Fullerton, author of over 70 books, and a psychologist and humanitarian.

We were a merry, mixed conglomerate of child focused professionals from Guam, New Zealand, Australia and America traveling together to various schools. Don and I were there to introduce yoga and YogaKids to the children and their teachers.

Our first stop was Bhaktapur, Nepal where we begun by consulting with local agencies, visiting with the school principal and staff and of course sharing YogaKids!

Did you know that bees are integrative and essential component for our food and environment?
Did you know that 1/3rd of the honeybee colonies in America died last winter?

What can we do?
1. Reduce the use of pesticides.
2. Control air pollution– Pollutants in the air can destroy the fragrance of flowers as well as curtail the bee’s ability to follow trails of scent.
3. Fruits, nuts, berries, almonds and watermelons depend on the pollination of honey bees. Researchers estimate that “one of every three bites of food rely upon the pollination of bees.”

Bees perform an important function of our food chain. Beekeeper VanEngelsdorp of Pennsylvania explains that a hive in his backyard that once held 12,000 bees dwindled to less that 100 in 3 weeks. “Bees are a vital and necessary part of the food chain and our environment. An ugly phenomonen called “Colony Collapse Disorder” has become a major concern of researchers nationwide.

Let the Bees Be. Please. Namaste.

Have you ever heard of aerial wolf hunting? It’s a brutal practice. Wolves are shot from low-flying aircraft or chased to exhaustion, then shot and killed at point-blank range.
Governor Sarah Palin, the Republican nominee for Vice President, promotes this barbaric practice, exploiting a loophole in the Federal Airborne Hunting Act to allow private wolf killers to shoot down wolves using aircraft. We have to get the word out about this!
Please watch this powerful video by Defenders of Wildlife Action Fund, and then share it with every wildlife lover and conservationist you know:
http://actionfund.defenders.org/palinvideo

From Stephanie Meyer’s bestselling serial novels for teens about a love triangle between 17 year old Bella, vampire Edward and Jacob the werewolf, to HBO’s latest foray from Six Feet Under’s darkly creative mastermind Alan Ball, True Blood, the sexy and macabre find homes in the hearts of our youth.

I was quite shocked to see this new series open with strong intimations of oral sex. Then go on to see the brilliant Anna Paquin of The Piano and other fame– a bold, brilliant , brilliant character whose psychic powers are a titillating contrast to the vampire who enters her restaurant on the first nite of this brilliant, yet disturbing debut.
Stay tuned to both.

Transfer to Transylvania and beyond.

Yumi Hasegawa is a certified YogaKids teacher, CYKT, who lives in Mayangon Township, Yangon, Myanmar. Upon the tragedy that struck this country recently, Yumi reached out to our YogaKids community for help. I want to thank all of our YogaKids International community effort who reached out to supply the demand of goods and services that are needed. We have been able to help through the generosity you have suppled.  There is still great urgency to help get food to the babies and children in her community. We couldn’t provide the services that Red Cross, UNICEF or the US government can but Yumi is there, right now and with our money she has been able to buy baby food, water and other staples to help the families in her community make it through. She now has support to get food  to children who she, her husband and friends can reach out to right now. She has money to buy supplies. YogaKids Bridge of Diamonds is sending everything we can raise.

Yumi’s yoga and YogaKids classes in her area is grateful to be able to bring relief to the children, their parents and neighbors to soothe body, mind, sould and hearts, just a little to break through the fear, upheaval and confusion to help provide a few moments of peace for those in her tragically torn community. Through the “YK Bridge of Diamonds” we have fortunately been able to offer food and clothing in a time of such great need. Our doing a little means a lot to the homeless children suffering in Myanmar today.

You can make a credit card contribution by visiting the YogaKids website www.yogakids.com and follow the “Help Yumi” link. You can send checks to YogaKids International, 1714 A street, LaPorte, Indiana USA payable to the YogaKids Bridge of Diamonds Foundation, side marked Myanmar.

The Bridge of Diamonds Foundation is a 501c3. Your donations will be tax deductible. Your contributions will go directly to help Yumi feed the children of Mayangon Township, Yangon, Myanmar and as far as her community can reach.

Please forward this appeal on to all of the yogis you know and any other friends or contacts who might be able to make a difference and help Yumi feed so many children.

May all be filled with loving-kindness
May all be healthy and strong.
May all be free from suffering.
May all be healthy and happy.
May all be filled with peace.

Thanks for bonding together to make a difference in the world.

Infinite Blessings…Thanks and love for your support

Don and Marsha Wenig
Please pass this email on…..
 
Address any questions to info@yogakids.com
calendar of events. Provide some general information about the events they will be viewing below. Build up the anticipation for what will be coming in the days, weeks, and months ahead.

The town of Garissa on the Tana River near the border of Somalia, Africa is home to the world’s only camel borne library. 12 camels and librarians move across arid, undeveloped land in temperatures above 100 degrees to spread a love of literature and bring the joy of reading to children and families. Books cannot feed the tummy, but can certainly warm the soul. This camel caravan brings awe and inspiration to people of all ages. Bringing books across borders to inspire new possibilities and bring hope. With knowledge and solutions that inspire ideas, possibilities and solutions. To donate to this special library go to camelbookdrive.wordpress.com.

I would love to hear from anyone who could possibly explain or justify the recent print ads that show a can of Diet Coke and call it a Yoga Class? It’s obviously not a joke, yet I find it laughable and depressing. I challenge their corporate executives and advertising agency to substantiate this claim……

Do you complain, yell, scream or put others down? Probably now and then. Some of us more than others. I feel very confident in saying that we’re never proud of it, nor does it ever really make us feel better.

Think about it for a minute….. Who are your targets or dumping grounds for the emotions of blame, anger, frustration, disappointment, etc?

Why is that when we don’t feel good emotionally, we want someone else to fix it. Does releasing anger and spouting negative words onto someone else ever really feel good? No, never.

Often times our spouses, loved ones or our children may be our ‘targets’. Maybe as the saying goes, familiarity (the family) breeds contempt. If someone is really close to us and we love them, we release our ’stuff’ on them because we can? Does that make sense? No.

Are we just magnifying onto others and the outside world what we feel inside? When we point a finger at someone else and tell them what’s wrong with them perhaps we can stop, take a breath and remember that we have 4 other fingers pointing back to ourselves.

So the truth seems to be that what we pick on or rant against in others is really about ourselves. When I point out your faults perhaps the truth is that the mirror is really closer than I think. In fact, it’s right in front of me. I can only realize them in you if I already feel it in me. Polish up the mirrors and reflect your light. “Untainted happiness is the inner journey and it is that inner journey that really matters. Yoga takes you there.” 
BKS Iyengar

This holiday season let’s clear our thoughts, gut reactions, souls and make our time together sweet. What goes around comes around. The laws of karma.

Relationships provide a powerful and immediate mirror that invite us to see ourselves more clearly. In fact when we are observant and reflective, we increase our potential of self awareness and reflection. Breathe before you speak. Keep it high. Make it loving. Enjoy each other and all our blessings.

The latest research on children with autism shows that this diagnosis is more prevalent in boys than girls by a 4 to 1 ratio.

According to People Magazine, “1 in 150 childen are effected with serious problems in communications and social relations.” Statistics reported in a January 2007 segment on The View stated that twenty years ago statistics were more like 1 out of 10,000.

Temple Grandin has shed some needed light and understanding with her books, teachings and appearances.

I have always been an animal lover and a supporter of PETA since their inception in 1980. For as long as I can remember, my kinship with our furry and feathered friends has been a lifesaving solace. Grandin’s connection and relationship to fostering a humane treatment of animals has helped her and the animals heal too. Says this amazing woman… “some autistic kids can understand what animals are thinking and feeling because, like them, they can’t rely on language to communicate. Their world is based on pictures and sounds, smells, tastes and touch.”

For more information go to Autismspeaks.

Just a reminder that you can post comments, questions or requests to any of our blog entries at any time. I look forward to seeing our blog become more interactive.
Thanks for your readership and views.

Gratefully,
Marsha Wenig
President and Founder
YogaKids International