Grounded Blog

I have been working with Ken, this is true. I have found him to be a natural adept; I leave him seated, sometimes in the morning, I come back, he has not moved an inch - he is completely absorbed in the mantra. I asked him what his experience was like, and he just stared at me, said nothing: obviously it is beyond the ability to verbalize at the shtula level. Pure transcendence. I even at one point stuck a pin in his foot and held a BIC lighter to his head - he did not flinch. Incredible. He is an amazing meditator.

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We all have a limited, contracted, outer hard surface.  Yoga teaches us to dig deep into our center to know our true, authentic selves. Yoga Teacher Barbie was gifted to me on my birthday and I have chosen to Ground her and help her to expand her consciousness. All of my students are gifts; yet this is my first one who was born in Indonesia and had a non-existent childhood,. No wonder she has restricted knowledge.

Perhaps Barbie's obvious patterns of limitations can teach us how to observe our own stuff.   Barbie has offered her correspondence to her beloved, Ken for you all to witness her progress. I welcome advice on how to help her ground her feet!

Stay tuned for Ken's response...

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Grounded Rap By Carlos, 8th grade Spiritual Gangster Yoga is the best, so don't put it to the test.Yoga is better than the rest.It helps you breathe through your chest.Now just go wit da flow and don... Tags: Untagged

I want to share some experiences and some trial and errors to encourage teachers to continue with their mission, even when it seems like you’ve hit the wall, or run out of ideas, or question if you are making a difference. 

Yes, we all hit the wall.  If we didn’t, we wouldn’t know what’s on the other side. The climb over can be tough, but anything that’s easy is just that, easy.  Teaching children is a challenge.  Teachers need to be able to tap into their own light, with conviction, to put forth their best effort, class after class, year after year.  All teachers understand that, right?  But, what if you are teaching pre-school children? What if you are introducing them to something brand new and want them to love it so they will continue?  What if you were teaching them yoga?

Tags: Ages 3-6, Quest for Elevation, art, Pre-Grounded, Pre-School

It's summer break for College Heights Early Childhood Learning Center in Decatur where I've been teaching Pre-Grounded Yoga classes to the entire school, ages 1 - 4. Being the official yoga teacher is an honor, very rewarding, and a whole lot of work. Stephany Fair (co-creator of Pre-Grounded) and I agree that being the very first person to introduce yoga to someone is a priveledge we hope more people will experience. Here are some practical pointers based on my time teaching little ones to breathe, meditate and move their bodies in such a way that they are grounded, connected and peaceful. 

Tags: Ages 1-4, Pre-School, Pre-Grounded

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The Skin Horse had lived longer in the nursery than any of the others. He was so old that his brown coat was bald in patches and showed the seams underneath, and most of the hairs in his tail had been pulled out to string bead necklaces. He was wise, for he had seen a long succession of mechanical toys arrive to boast and swagger, and by-and-by break their mainsprings and pass away, and he knew that they were only toys, and would never turn into anything else. For nursery magic is very strange and wonderful, and only those playthings that are old and wise and experienced like the Skin Horse understand all about it.

"What is REAL?" asked the Rabbit one day, when they were lying side by side near the nursery fender, before Nana came to tidy the room. "Does it mean having things that buzz inside you and a stick-out handle?"

"Real isn't how you are made," said the Skin Horse. "It's a thing that happens to you. When a child loves you for a long, long time, not just to play with, but REALLY loves you, then you become Real."

"Does it hurt?" asked the Rabbit.

"Sometimes," said the Skin Horse, for he was always truthful. "When you are Real you don't mind being hurt."

"Does it happen all at once, like being wound up," he asked, "or bit by bit?"

"It doesn't happen all at once," said the Skin Horse. "You become. It takes a long time. That's why it doesn't happen often to people who break easily, or have sharp edges, or who have to be carefully kept. Generally, by the time you are Real, most of your hair has been loved off, and your eyes drop out and you get loose in the joints and very shabby. But these things don't matter at all, because once you are Real you can't be ugly, except to people who don't understand."

"I suppose you are real?" said the Rabbit. And then he wished he had not said it, for he thought the Skin Horse might be sensitive.

But the Skin Horse only smiled

-  From the Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams  -

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In celebrating Dr. Seuss' birthday we learned how to work our feet and our hands.  Just as Suess' Mr. Brown Can Moo!, Mrs. Cat can MEOW!   In "Mrs. Cat Can Meow! Can You?"  A Poem of Wacky, Wonderful Noises - While Clawing the Mat we allowed our inner animal out on the mat while paying close attention to our hands and feet. Are they wacky?  Are they flat?  Are they clawing the mat?  When practicing this wacky flow while making Suesserrific noises you too will learn the importance of clawing the mat.  In playing "Stop Foot, Go" (a zany spin on the all time favorite game, Musical Chairs) and studying the 4 corners of our feet we checked on our left foot and our right foot making sure they were fuzzy fur feet.  While "Roaring", "split - splatting" and "meowing" along with Mrs. Cat we learned that when our four paws are aligned we feel more steady, more grounded, and in balance with the universe.

Tags: No Table Yes, Do The Twist, Cat Scratch Fever, poetry, yoga flow, Dr. Seuss, Claw The Mat, Noises, Yoga with Sounds, Animals, Yoga Animals, I Am What I Am, Baby Got Back, Down Dog, Pride Plank

Last month I finally broke open my Pose Chips from Grounded Yoga. Okay, now how to use them, I thought. It just so happened that I was launching a new class that night called, "Girls Night Out" (8 - 12 years) and that I had a full house of 18 (some of which Iʼd never met). One of the main intentions for this new class was to create a space for girls to come together and connect. So, what a perfect opportunity to use the Pose Chips as a tool to do so. As the girls were arriving, I came around and placed a pose chip on their mat. I asked them to keep it safe for the whole night. Once everyone arrived, I introduced the "Pose Chip Icebreaker - Get To Know You Game" and hereʼs how it works:

Tags: party, dance, ice breaker, Get to know you, Poses, Game, Pose Chips

Tags: poetry, Shame, Anatomy, Self Expression