Category Archives: We Can Do This

Basic Yoga Pose Has Many Benefits

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The most calming and restorative pose in Yoga is called Child’s Pose or Balasana.  It is a resting pose and looks a little bit like being in a fetal position.  It is wonderful for relieving back, shoulder and neck tightness, exactly where the majority of us carry our day to day stresses and anxiety.  As you sink down into Balasana you immediately feel the relief from any physical or mental ailments you may be holding on to.

During a yoga class, Child’s Pose is used to “take a rest”.  This pose can be helpful for your child during stressful moments or as a restorative pose before bedtime. Child’s Pose stretches the hips, lower back and thighs to bring calm into the central nervous system.

To get into the pose, simply begin on your hands and knees. With knees apart, sit back on your heels and rest your chest between your thighs. Stretch your arms out in front or placed them by your side. Breath slowly and deeply.  Relax.

The Benefits of Child’s Pose:

  • Releases tension in the back, shoulders and chest
  • Helps alleviate stress and anxiety
  • Flexes the body’s internal organs
  • It lengthens and stretches the spine
  • It gently stretches the hips, thighs and ankles
  • Normalizes circulation throughout the body
  • It stretches muscles, tendons and ligaments in the knee
  • Calms the mind and body
Childs Pose

Deb Murray, C.O.O. & Yoga Alliance Certified Instructor

Joy Kids Universe offers other ways to help relieve stress, if yoga is not your thing.  Take a look at our digital Joy Break Inspirational Programs for positive people on the go!

 

It Takes A Village

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It takes a village.

Give me five minutes with a child and I can tell you what the mindset of his or her parents is focused upon.

My daughter, now a teenager, used to say I was crazy for making this statement. These days, she understands that the mindset of a child will be very similar to that mother_sonof their parents. Because of this fact, it is extremely important to teach a child about being grateful from an early age. Entitlement is not an acceptable manner of living. Too often parents teach their children from infancy, that it is ok to whine and cry until they receive whatever it is they are seeking. Holidays and birthdays are overstuffed with presents and the credit card debt consumes the parents, but the child is happy. Hmmm, not a great lesson to teach a child.

Then the child grows up and as a teenager the negative behaviors are magnified and the parents wonder why they are dealing with the drama of an out of control teenager. Guess what? I will say, it is the parent’s fault. They taught the child that it was ok to behave like a brat and now they are all suffering the consequences.

The positive part of this problem is that it can be easily rectified by those who choose to take responsibility for themselves and for the lessons they are teaching their children.

There was once a time when people said please and thank you for everything. Families sat down at the dinner table and gave thanks, in whatever manner they felt drawn, took the time to appreciate others and be aware and grateful that there was a hot plate of food on the table. Somewhere along the line, the habit of saying please and thank you, of being appreciative, of smiling and taking in fresh air, the birds, nature, and reading a good book, all disappeared into video games, overpriced clothing, fast food, a life of busy-ness, all with a sense of entitlement.

It’s now time to return to living a happy and gratitude filled life. As adults, as parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles and teachers of all kinds, it is imperative that we take responsibility for reminding ourselves to be actively thankful daily. And to teach this to the next generation. How do we do this?

Here are a few simple steps to redirect you to a path of gratitude:

  1. Smile at others.
  2. Say please and thank you.
  3. Ask questions kindly.  Listen to the answers.  Be respectful.
  4. Be sincere in compliments, choose positive reinforcement.
  5. Say kind things about others, even when they are not present.
  6. Appreciate the little things.
  7. Send a handwritten note. Holiday card, birthday card, thank you note. Use snail mail once a week to let someone know you are thinking of them.
  8. Shake hands and make eye contact.
  9. Read books with positive messages and share them! The library is full of books to help uplift and encourage.
  10. Take time to be with family & friends. Enjoy the company of others.
  11. Leave the gossip and drama at the door. Choose to focus on the good stuff.
  12. And most importantly, remember the Golden Rule. Treat others in the same manner in which you’d like to be treated.

Life is too short to walk in the negative. Focus on the positive, laugh, smile and be happy!

Author Bio:

Caryn FitzGerald is a Business Strategist, Author, Speaker & Leadership Coach. Caryn hosts the international talk show, “Coffee and Coaching with Caryn.” She believes in collaborating, creating and monetizing your passions. headshot1-150x150She specializes in assisting people who are at a cross-roads in life or business, to shift their mindset and actions, creating a pathway to continue on their journey towards attaining their goals and bringing their dreams to life!

Connect with her at: www.CarynFitzGerald.com
Or on Facebook at: www.Facebook.com/TheManifestingQueen

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Teaching Your Child Teamwork

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As Casey Rose and the Joybug know, everyone needs to learn teamwork, and childhood is the best time to start. Many activities have been devised to teach children teamwork and make it fun in the process. These activities are easily accessible online for free. One good source is http://ethemes.missouri.edu/themes/1045. In general, these team building activities fall into these categories.  daily_joytip_16

  • Games for children, as individuals or in groups are a great way to share the joy together. They highlight the benefits of teamwork through play, and demonstrate that in order to succeed, you must work together.
  • Arts and crafts projects is the Joybug’s favorite category. These activities encourage children to use their artistic skills as a team, in order to produce items like T-shirts, pictograms, quilts, and other things that require cooperative efforts.
  • Literary projects. Creating stories, poems, posters and other items through group effort is used to teach children how to cooperate with each other in achieving creative results.
  • Problem-solving exercises. This type of activity involves getting children to create and solve problems, and develop critical thinking. Coming up with options and solutions through teamwork is an important part of activities in this category.

While most team building activities for children are done in school, many of these can be used at home, or in the neighborhood to foster cooperation among children, and reinforce what they learn in the classroom.

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