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YogaKids Poses to the Rescue

Is your child feeling angry? We have a pose for that Is your child feeling anxious, we have poses, breathing exercises and techniques for that! Are you kids fighting with each other, we have a pose for that! YogaKids has tools for all of life’s challenges, and when used regularly, yoga can help you and your child find joy, good health and peace!

Confidence

If your child does poorly on a test, misses the goal in a soccer game or is upset about getting braces, they may lack confidence which can lead to low self-esteem, feelings of worthlessness or lack. Reach for the Sun is a YogaKids pose that would be a great way to start the day, or can be used after a disappointment or challenging situation. This pose brings energy to the solar plexus which is our area of personal power. It also includes a slight back bend which will improve mood, and help to build joy, optimism and confidence.

Reach for the Sun – Begin in Open Mountain pose. Breathe in and reach up. grab a piece of sunshine and pull the power into your solar plexus-your inner sun. Exhale with a “HAH” breath. Repeat with the other arm. Repeat ten times.

Bullying

When peers are critical, judgmental or just plain mean, kids can be left feeling helpless and sad. Sun salutations help to bring positive energy into the heart, are energizing and uplifting. Practice before or after school for a jolt of joy.

Sun Salutations – From Mountain, raise arms overhead and stretch upward. Fold forward into Ragdoll. Step back with right leg into a lunge. Step back with left leg to Lizard. Slowly come down to the floor with your knees, chest and chin. Bring your hips down to the floor, and lift up into S is for Snake. Curl your toes under and stretch into Down Dog. Step forward with right leg into a lunge. Step forward with left leg into Ragdoll. Stretch arms outward and return to standing. Raise arms overhead and stretch upward. Repeat cycle, leading with the opposite leg. Repeat one to ten times.

Anger

Kids often have a hard time dealing with life’s challenges and have not developed the skills to cope with disappointments, disagreements or not getting what they want. If anger is kept inside, it can lead to much suffering, and affect long-term health. Volcano is a pose designed to discharge feelings of anger in a healthy way.

Volcano – From Mountain pose; bring the fingertips together at the heart. Jump the feet apart. Watch your hands as you raise them over head. Breathe out as you explode your arms outward. Lower them to your sides and return your hands to heart. Erupt and release again and again. Make big, exploding volcano noises. Jump your feet back together when you’re finished erupting. Repeat ten times.

Fear

Staying in the present moment is often a great antidote to fear. Fear is often a product of worrying about some future perceived threat. Peace Breath is a way for kids to stop and notice how they feel in the present moment. They focus on their breath and notice the softness of their own lips as the say “peace” or feel the gentle rise and fall of their belly.

Peace Breath – Close eyes and relax the face muscles. Let your skin drape over your bones like a soft blanket. Breathe in. Breathe out and whisper the word “peace.” As you say the word, feel the peace inside you. Send peace to the animals, trees and plants. Send peace to your family and friends. Send peace to countries in the world that are at war. Send peace to all the people you love. Repeat 3-10 times.

Grief

Grieving is an important part of accepting that a loved one, pet or friend has died. When feelings of grief become overwhelming or don’t dissipate over time, yoga can help kids feel happy, uplifted and joyous. Direction breath is a children’s version of a pose called the Breath of Joy, it brings awareness and light to the heart.

Direction Breath – Stand in mountain, inhale and stretch arms forward, out to the side and overhead. Exhale and bend forward into Rag Doll. Repeat about 10 times.

Anxiety

Worrying about school, friends, sports or life’s challenges can cause anxiety. When feelings of anxiety distract kids from being able to enjoy life, Eyes Around the Clock is a technique that can help kids learn to focus attention on the present moment instead of living in possibility of a future problem.

Eyes Around the Clock – Imagine a clock hanging in front of your eyes. Move your eyes from 12 to 6 and back to again. Look right to left from 3 to 9 and back. Look diagonally from 1 to 7 and back, then 11 to 5. Now start at twelve o’clock and look at each number around the face of the clock. Then start again at twelve o’clock and move in the opposite direction. Try to keep your head still and move only your eyes.

Sadness

Opening the chest, and taking in a full inhale has been found to improve mood, confidence and our outlook on life. Dromedary Delight is a back-bend that can help kids feel open to the magic of life. Warm up the spine before doing this pose, and encourage kids to pause during the day for a gentle version for quick pick-me-ups. This can be done seated at a desk, or standing with hands gently clasped behind the back. Pause in the pose for several breaths.

Dromedary Delight – Kneel on the floor with your legs and knees hip width apart. Press the tops of your feet into the floor, push your thighs forward, bring your hands to your lower back, fingers pointing upward, and lift your chest. Breathe evenly in and out as you extend your rib cage and broaden your chest. Continue to lift your chest with each breath as you curl your toes forward and bring your hands to your heels to imitate a camel’s hump. Delight in the dromedary for ten seconds. Rest in child’s pose after each back-bend. Repeat. Increase the duration and repetitions of the pose as your spine and chest become more flexible.

Learn ALL the YogaKids poses and their benefits as a Certified YogaKids Teacher!

Spinning Senses Game

by Luraine Maduro

At YogaKids, we LOVE games where WE ALL WIN! These are sometimes called “cooperative” games — because they strengthen our cooperation skills. Here’s an example created by one of our Certified YogaKids Teachers called Spinning Senses. She created while going through our program and we love it so much!

Here’s how to play…

Cut a piece of cardboard into a circle and divide into sections labeled with all the 5 senses: hear, see, small, taste and touch. Put a bottle in the center. Gather items that have a strong scent (essential oils are perfect), taste-able items (sour, bitter, salty, sweet), and touch-able items (examples: sand paper, velvet, plastic, wood).

Everyone takes a turn spinning the bottle. On your turn, play out as follows:

Hear: Close your eyes. The person on your right makes a sound. Guess what the sound is.
See: The person on your right chooses an object in view. Guess what the object is.
Smell: Close your eyes. The person on our right chooses something for you to smell. Smell it and guess what it is.
Taste: Close your eyes. The person on your right chooses something for you to taste. Taste it and guess what it is.
Touch: Close your eyes. The person on your right chooses something for you to touch. Touch it and guess what it is.

What a great way to strengthen our senses!

Create and teach your own Great Ideas as a Certified YogaKids Teacher!

Coffee Filter Flowers

by Jessica McNeil

Coffee Filter Flowers are easy to make and very pretty!

Coffee filters are made of a very porous type of paper — porous is an adjective used to describe things that have many tiny holes that allow water and air to pass through them. Rocks, fabric, and papers are a few of the things that can be porous.

Coffee filters have to be porous because the water needs to pass over the ground-up coffee beans, taking away only flavor and color, into the coffee pot below. The same thing happens with rainwater as it flows through many layers of porous rocks and dirt, which slowly filter out little particles until the rainwater reaches underground aquifers, where the water pools inside the earth, purified after many years.

Porous paper is really fun for making water-based color crafts, because we can see the color travel through the porous surfaces. Sometimes we get unexpected results, and we can see mixed colors separate into different colors! For instance, green is made using a combination of the colors yellow and blue, so if you allow green inks to separate on a coffee filter, in some cases you will be able see both the yellow and blue colors pull apart as they travel over the porous surface of the paper.

Materials

White paper coffee filters
Food colors*
Thin floral wire, strong string, or yarn (to attach the blooms to the stems)
Wax paper, a drop cloth, or some other protective surface to work on
Sticks, heavy straws, strong wire, or thin dowels (to use for stems)
Cup of clean water
Four small containers for holding the colors, and cotton swabs to use as applicators

Instructions

Set up: pour a couple Tablespoons of water into your four containers, then add a couple drops of food coloring to each.
Fold your coffee filter in half, then in half again. (You may fold again, if you please!)
One side of your folded coffee filter will be a point. You must not cut into or cut off this point — this is the center of your future flower, and you must be able to pinch it together to tie it onto the stem. At the other side of your folded coffee filter is the wide, rounded side of the triangle. You will cut points and rounded edges into this side to make petal shapes.
Cut as many coffee filters as you want.

Adding color (Two Ways)

Now: you may either touch the cotton swabs with color on them directly onto the coffee filters, or you may first use the clean water to wet your coffee filter before adding the color.

If you add the color to dry filters, the color will be more saturated, and will not separate as much. The filters should dry fairly quickly, unless you really put a lot of color on.

If you add the color to wet filters, it takes less color to “travel” over the surface of the paper. The filters will dry much more slowly, and may need to be set on a plate in a sunny window. If you live in a very dry place, the water will evaporate more quickly than if you live in a place with high humidity.

Finishing Up

Let the filters dry completely. Open them up and see your beautiful flowers!

Now, pinch the flower together at the center of each filter and tie it off tightly, using your yarn, string, or floral wire. Make sure you leave long enough ends on your fastening material so you can tie them onto the stems you’ve chosen.

Try putting two or three coffee filters together to make beautiful, multicolored flowers.

Now, give your pretty filter flowers to a friend, to brighten his or her day!

*PARENT PRO-TIP! Go to a store that carries food service supplies (like Smart & Final, Cash & Carry, etc.), to get big bottles of food coloring for about the same price you’d pay for the four-pack of tiny squeeze bottles at a normal grocery store. I got 16 oz. bottles of red, yellow, blue, and green, for about $2.75/each, a quantity that will last roughly three human lifetimes.

Warning: The food coloring WILL stain your clothes, work surfaces, fingers, etc. Make sure you plan and work accordingly.

Create and teach your own Great Ideas as a Certified YogaKids Teacher!

Yoga for Kids with Anxiety

by Julie Pate

During a 900-hour yoga therapy training, I learned many techniques to help adults and kids with anxiety. Over and over again, I would realize that specific yoga tools presented were actually YogaKids poses or techniques. YogaKids founder Marsha Wenig had incredible vision and insight into how to help children, and her program has helped thousands of children and families since she first began teaching over thirty years ago. Marsha once shared with me that she met with a gifted intuitive who told her she would have thousands of children. his prediction came to fruition as Marsha has helped so many children and families with her life-changing techniques and tools to move through life with not only ease, but abundant joy.

“I am so stressed” is a common phrase heard daily from kids grade school to college as children deal with demanding schedules, pressure to excel and are bombarded with social media and technology. The National Institute of Mental Health estimates that over 30% of adolescents have experienced some kind of anxiety disorder and an estimated 8.3% have had severe impairment. Symptoms and signs of anxiety can include fatigue, muscle tension, sadness, restlessness, loss of interest, agitation, tiredness, feeling nervous, disturbance in sleep or appetite, increased breathing rate, excessive worry and restlessness. Causes of anxiety include: school demands and frustrations, negative thinking, changes in body, problems with friends, not enough sleep, taking on too many activities, unsafe living environment, and past trauma.

Anxiety is closely related to fear which is a response to a perceived or real immediate threat. Anxiety is linked to the fight or flight response which stimulates the sympathetic nervous system (SNS). Stimulation of the SNS can be constructive such as improving sports or test performance or public speaking. Problems arise when the SNS response is too strong, turned on too easily or not turned off when danger is absent.

Behaviors and Techniques to Decrease Stress

Move or exercise regularly. Exercise helps to release endorphins that reduce feelings of anxiety. Cortisol, the stress hormone, is highest in the morning – so scheduling movement first thing in the morning will help to decrease stress.

Eat regularly. “Hangry” is a new term used to describe what may happen when we are hungry. Children, when hungry, may get agitated or angry. A healthy diet should include fresh foods, warm foods, warm water and little or no stimulants like caffeine — especially in the AM. Make eating healthy fun! Check out the YogaKids Bendy Blog for fun and easy recipes that your kids will love like snowman skewers.

Decrease negative self-talk. Negative words have been found to release a stress response. Encourage kids to practice gratitude. A gratitude talk is a great way to end every day, having your kids share or write down experiences from their day that they are thankful for.

YogaKids AM Sequence for Anxiety

This morning sequence starts with energizing poses to discharge anxious energy, and includes a few poses that take a lot of focus to keep students in the present moment. It ends with nurturing calming poses to set them up for a peaceful day.

Volcano – From Mountain pose, bring the fingertips together at the chest. Jump feet apart. With palms together at the heart, breathe in. Watch your hands as you raise them over head. Breathe out as you explode arms outward. Lower arms to your sides and return hands to heart. Erupt and release again and again and make loud volcano sounds. Repeat at least 4 times.

Brave Warrior (Virabhadrasana II) – Stand with feet wide apart, arms parallel to the floor, and front foot at 90 degrees with knee bent over the ankle. Keep the back foot turned slightly in. Say, “I am brave!”

Bold Warrior (Virabhadrasana I) – From Brave Warrior, turn your hips toward the front leg, keeping the leg bent. Raise arms straight above the head and say, “I am bold!”

Powerful Warrior (Virabhadrasana III) – From Bold Warrior, shift weight onto the front leg, pick up the back foot and leg and stretch it behind you. Keep both legs as straight and strong as possible. Stretch arms forward and say, “My own power I can hold!” Repeat the Warrior series the opposite side.

Shake Like Jelly – Shake like jelly. Shake all over. Go crazy. Jiggle, wiggle, and giggle.

Ragdoll Ann and Ragdoll Andy – Hang out in a forward bend. Breathe in and feel your whole body lighten. Breathe out and fold yourself in half, bending from the hips. Loosen your neck and let your head and arms hang down. To come up, place your hands on your tailbone and inch your fingers up your spine, feeling the bumpy vertebrae as you slowly straighten back up to standing. Repeat at least 4 times.

Eyes Around the Clock – Imagine a clock hanging in front of your eyes. Move your eyes from 12 to 6 and back to again. Look right to left from 3 to 9 and back. Look diagonally from 1 to 7 and back, then 11 to 5. Now start at twelve o’clock and look at each number around the face of the clock. Then start again at twelve o’clock and move in the opposite direction. Try to keep your head still and move only your eyes.

Child’s Pose – From heel-sitting pose, open knees a little, so the belly relaxes between the thighs. Bend at the hips and fold forward, letting the shoulders drop down and the arms lie back along the sides of the legs with open palms facing upward. Place forehead on the floor. Rock back and forth. Take at least 5 breaths.

Peace Breath – Close your eyes. Relax your face muscles. Let your skin drape over your bones like a soft blanket. Breathe in. Breathe out and whisper the word “peace.” Do this 3 to 6 times. As you say the word, feel the peace inside you. Send peace to the animals, trees and plants. Send peace to your family and friends. Send peace to countries in the world that are at war. Send peace to all the people you love.

O is for OM – Sing the sound “Ommm.” Feel the Om dance throughout your body and throat, bringing a sense of happiness and peace. Repeat at least 3 times.

YogaKids Bedtime Sequence for Anxiety

This evening sequence releases tension in the spine, calms the nervous system and ends with a gentle technique to leave children feeling focused but very calm.

Sunrise Sunset – From kneeling, interlace the fingers above the head and stretch the palms up. Exhale and drop your hips to the right as the arms drop left like the sun setting. Inhale and arc the arms overhead like the rising sun and drop them to the right as the hips sit left like the sun setting. Repeat 4 times.

Moo and Meow – From all 4’s, arch the spine to the sky and inhale, exhale and round the back as you meow. Repeat at least 4 times.

Child’s Pose – From heel Sitting pose, open knees a little, so the belly relaxes between the thighs. Bend at the hips and fold forward, letting the shoulders drop down and the arms lie back along the sides of the legs with open palms facing upward. Place forehead on the floor. Rock back and forth. Take at least 5 breaths.

Swim Ducky Swim – Lie down on your back. Place a rubber ducky on your belly. Breathe gently in (your belly button rises) and out (your belly button sinks down.) Give your ducky a slow and gentle ride with your breathing. Keep the focus on the exhale breath, and try to lengthen it gently. Continue for 2-5 minutes.

Create and teach your own Great Ideas as a Certified YogaKids Teacher!

Balloon Squeeze Balls

by YogaKids Team

About Stress

The word “stress” has many meanings. It can be a noun — emotional and physical pressure you experience. (“Homework is such a major stress!”) It can also be a verb — emotional and physical reactions in your body as a result of the pressure. (“Homework is totally stressing me out!”) Stress can also be subjective, meaning it can be good or bad depending on the person experiencing it. (Maybe you love doing homework!)

Nevertheless, when people talk about stress, they’re usually talking about negative stress. This is the bad kind — and it’s important to know how to recognize and deal with it. When you feel negative stress, you also often feel anxious, frustrated or angry. It can also show up in your body — with a stomachache or headache.

So what can you do when you’re feeling negative stress? One GREAT thing is… (surprise!) yoga. Another great thing to do is to use a stress ball — a squishy toy you can squeeze when life gets challenging.

Balloon Squeeze Balls

Create these super-cute Balloon Squeeze Balls for yourself — or for someone special!

Supplies:

Balloons
Flour
Funnel
Permanent Markers

Instructions:

Blow up the balloons, then release them — to stretch them out.
Use the funnel to fill the balloons with flour.
Tie the ends of the balloons. (Get a grown-up for help!)
Draw faces on the balloons with a permanent marker.

Create and teach your own Great Ideas as a Certified YogaKids Teacher!

“Sugar-free” Crustless Apple Pie

by Jessica McNeil

No sugar, no crust…is this even pie?

I guess it’s not technically pie, but it has all the right flavors and it’s delicious!

Apples have lots and lots of natural sugars, like most fruits. Along with bananas, apples have some of the highest natural sugar content of any fruit. Sometimes apples and apple juice are even used as sweeteners, instead of processed sugar, for organic and natural desserts.

What does processed mean when we’re talking about sugar? The white granular sugar you may see in your home is usually made from these two plants:

Sugar cane is a type of grass that is packed full of natural sugar. Sugar beets are beet plants with very sugary roots. When they are processed, the cloudy brown, sugary juices are squeezed out of the plants by machines. The water from the juice evaporates, and brownish sugar crystals are left over. Sometimes these brown sugar crystals are sold as sweeteners. Sometimes, they are cleaned even more, pulling out all the minerals and vitamins and leftover microscopic bits of plant matter, until it is sparkling and white, leaving only the sugar behind. This is what we call table sugar. It is as pure as sugar gets.

It’s OK to have this type of sugar in moderation, meaning sometimes, and in small quantities. But it’s better for your body if you can enjoy sweets in their natural form, like eating a whole apple or banana.

We’re going to make a delicious apple-pie-like dessert, with only the sweetness of the apples themselves for sugar!

Ingredients:

Four large sweet apples, cored, skinned (optional), and sliced thinly. (Try Pink Lady, Gala, Fuji, Jonagold type apples)
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 Tablespoon flour or gluten-free flour
1/4 cup water
3 Tablespoons of slightly melted butter or margarine (don’t get it too hot, or it will burn you!) *

Instructions:

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

Put all the dry ingredients into a mixing bowl and combine well. Melt the butter in the microwave for 10-15 seconds. Add the apples and toss them into the mixture to lightly cover them with the spices and flour. Now add the water and melted butter, and smoosh it all around with your fingers until all the apples are covered with the spices and flour mixture. Spread everything out evenly in an 8×8″ baking pan and bake for about 40 minutes, stirring the apples every 10-15 minutes.

What you will end up with is an ooey-gooey apple pie filling that you can eat just like it is for a healthy snack or dessert, put on top of ice cream, or add to a bowl of granola. Yum!

* Vegan Option: Replace butter with coconut oil.

Create and teach your own Great Ideas as a Certified YogaKids Teacher!

Animal Hand-tlers

by Jessica McNeil

An easy craft for the season! Create Animal Hand-tlers to wear while you celebrate the holidays!

Supplies:

Two pieces of card stock or construction paper per pair
Scissors
Writing utensil
Stapler and/or glue
Optional: coloring tools, paints, sequins, and other “flair” for decorating

Instructions:

Fold construction paper in half (short way) and trace hand on one half. Cut out both at the same time.
Fold other piece of construction paper in half, longways, and then each half in half. Cut along the lines. This will make one (with a left over paper strip) big head band or two small headbands.
Staple or glue the ends of the strips together to make them longer and measure the band around your head. If it’s not long enough, add a third strip to extend and cut to fit. Do not staple or glue them together to make the band yet.
The antlers will be laid out with the thumbs facing inward. Decorate or color them if you want to. Decorate or color the band if you want to.
Find the center of the band, and staple or glue the hand shapes to the inside, so the bottom of the palm is under the band.
Finally, close the band where it fits your head by stapling it together in the back, and then cutting off any parts that are too long.
Wear and make animal noises! What does a reindeer sound like? How about a moose?

Create and teach your own Great Ideas as a Certified YogaKids Teacher!

Pita Holiday Trees

by Jessica McNeil

The holidays are filled with sugary-sweet snacks… from Christmas cookies to candy canes to delicious homemade pies. That’s one reason we LOVE this healthy kid-friendly snack… that’s simple enough for kids to put together without help!

Total time: 30m or less

Ingredients:

Package of pita bread
Green Garden Dip* or other green and white dip – like tzatziki, spinach dip
Brightly colored veggies (tiny cherry tomatoes, red, yellow, and green peppers, black olive slices, etc.)
Optional: fresh dill

Instructions:

Cut each pita round like a pie, into eight triangles, and place on a serving platter, points up.
Spoon green dip onto each pita
Put little bits of fresh dill on top to look like pine branches
Chop the vegetables and decorate the “trees.”
Serve and eat! YUM!

GREEN GARDEN DIP RECIPE

Ingredients:

Large or mid-size container of Greek yogurt (not single serve)
Bundles of fresh leafy green herbs, like: dill, parsley, mint, basil, and tarragon.
2-4 green onions. Use the whole thing, just cut off roots and any brown leaves
One clove fresh garlic, or a ½ Tablespoon of powdered garlic
½ Tablespoon sea salt
½ Tablespoon ground black pepper
Juice of ½ lemon
*optional – 2-3 Persian cucumbers, 1/2lb of spinach, water chestnuts, etc.

Instructions:

I use the two-pound size of Greek yogurt, because this green dip is SO delicious, you’ll want lots left over for veggie dip, sandwiches, dressing…you’ll be evaluating everything in the fridge as a possible vehicle for this yummy green goodness. If you want to make a smaller batch, just scale down until you get the herb-to-yogurt density you like. Drain the extra fluid/whey from the container of yogurt before you start. If you want to make a vegan version of this dressing, you can use coconut yogurt, but you might want to add some chickpeas, soft tofu, white beans, or pureed cashews to thicken the mixture.

Clean and leaf the herbs. Discard the stems or save them for flavoring stock. Chop the cucumbers into slices. Throw all the ingredients in a food processor and blend until herbs are ground small and dip is uniform. The more herbs you add, the thicker the dip will be. If you want to add a little more mass to the dip, throw in a Persian cucumber or two, or perhaps some spinach. If you use water chestnuts, drain well and dice small, and add them after the rest of the mixture is pureed.

The dip may be a little runny when you make it, but will thicken a little once it’s been refrigerated overnight. It’s fine to use right away for the pita trees, though.

Create and teach your own Great Ideas as a Certified YogaKids Teacher!

Holiday Stress Busters for Parents

by YogaKids Team

The holidays are upon us and as rich, wonderful and filled with love as the holidays might be we sometimes find ourselves surrounded by stress. But why choose that when you can choose something much more fun instead?

Use The Energy of Asking to make your YogaKids holidays the most stress free ever.

“Ask and you shall receive.” The great thing about the energy of asking is that you’re not looking for an answer. In fact, the point is simply to ask a question and then let it go. Easy! Not getting attached to the results of our actions is a core idea of yoga. Sit back and let the universe provide and dazzle you.

Here are 3 tools any parent can use in just seconds to stay cool as a breeze through the holidays

Question #1: Have you noticed how many people around you appear stressed out? Friends, family and even people on the street you don’t even know, right? What if the stress you’re experiencing is just picking up on everybody else’s stuff? What if that stress isn’t even yours?

So if you start feeling a little stressed, try asking the question, “Who does this belong to? Wait, is it really even mine?” Maybe just asking the question will help you feel a little lighter, a little more peaceful and relaxed. If asking the question brings even a twinge of a smile to your face, then you can say, “Return to sender.” Whatever ‘it’ is — just return it to sender, back to wherever it might have come from. You don’t have to know or try to figure it out! That part is not your job! Just pack it up and let it go.

Question #2: Having a holiday multitasking overload? Is rushing around making you crazy (see tool #1)? What if you can get everything you’d love to get done in a fun, centered, grounded way?

Your kids have learned to Take Five, how about you?

Take a moment, ground your feet to connect with the earth and and bring your awareness out of your head and into your heart. You can close your eyes if you like. Put one hand on your belly and use the other to take in a slow, five count inhalation. Exhale just as long or longer. Try doing this five times, although even once will work wonders.

You can do this anywhere and anytime. Sitting, standing or even laying down. If you’re in the middle of a store or at an auction you might want to keep your hand down!

Question #3: If you are shuddering at the thought of an upcoming holiday, gathering this simple question might just make all the difference in the world.

Simply ask, “How can this turn out far greater and more amazing than anything I could possibly imagine?” Remember you’re not looking for an answer, or a way to figure it out. Just ask the question and let it go. If your brain had the answer, you would have figured it out already! Ask the universe to show you something amazing and have fun seeing what happens!

Being in The Asking Energy allows the universe to do her stuff and show up for you in unpredictable and unexpected ways. Ask and let go of your expectations. One of the great lessons shared in YogaKids is that more joy and laughter serves us in the most magical of ways. Would you like to have some more of that? Just ask and and see what shows up!

Snowman Glitter Shaker

by Jessica McNeil

GLITTER! What a great addition to a snow shaker! Your YogaKids will love this winter craft idea of a Snowman Glitter Shaker.

Supplies

One jar with a screw on lid (like a pasta sauce jar)
One 12”x12” piece of felt for the hat
Hot glue
Glycerin
A ribbon or other piece of fabric for the scarf
A pipe cleaner for the hat
A small piece of orange paper, cut into a triangle, for the carrot nose
A black sharpie for eyes and buttons
Other decorations, like jingle bells and pom-poms for the hat, or buttons for the eyes, mouth
Water
Plastic glitter in large and small sizes.

Instructions:

You may adjust the glycerin-to-water ratio for the size of your jar – I am using a 24 oz. jar in the example.

Remove the label and scrape off any leftover glue. Make sure the jar is completely dry.
Begin by tying the scarf onto the jar and adding a dot of hot glue to the front and back, between the ribbon or fabric and jar, to hold the scarf in place.
Glue on button eyes or draw on black circles for eyes, mouth, and buttons. Glue on the nose.
Trace a circle onto the felt using a bowl, and cut it out. Note: Using the lid of your jar as a guide, you should have no less than 1” extra fabric all around. I have about 1.5” margins on mine.
The larger the circle, the floppier the hat.
Add ¼ cup of glycerin and about 1 cup water. Put the lid on the jar and shake until mixture is homogeneous.
Put a maximum of 2 Tablespoons of plastic glitter into the jar, then fill until about 1” from the top of the jar. Put the lid on and make sure you like the consistency of the water and glitter. If you want to add more glycerin to make the glitter move more slowly, add it now and mix well.
Once you’re happy with the water viscosity, fill the last remaining space up to the brim and put the lid on. Dry any water spots that may have leaked out, and hot glue around the base of the lid.
Center the circle of felt on the lid and hot glue it in place.
Crimp the felt as needed to get the shape of hat you want, and wrap the pipe cleaner tightly under the base of the lid, twisting the ends to hold it together. You will probably need more than one set of hands for this step! Add decorations, like pom-poms, silk flowers, or a bow) over the place where you twist the pipe cleaner closed.
Let it snow!

Create and teach your own Great Ideas as a Certified YogaKids Teacher!