Category: Kids Yoga

Make your own Lavender Spray

3/10/2017

Recently I have been spraying lavender mist in our yoga classes. The kids love the “lavender rain”, and right away it helps them to relax as we first start our class. I have been using the spray in my adult yoga classes as well, and the grown-ups love it just as much.
We are lucky to have a local farm nearby that grows organic lavender. They make a fantastic Lavender Stress Relief Mist. However, I teach a lot of classes and go through this stuff like water, so I started making my own. Thankfully, Keys Creek Lavender Farm also sells pure essential lavender oil, which I have been using for my personal mix. The kids and I have been talking about making our own spray.
So Mom and Dad, here is the recipe: in a spray bottle mix 1 cup of water with 10 or more drops of lavender oil. I use distilled water since it is more pure. You can use more or less essential oil depending how intense you’d like the scent to be. You may also experiment with mixing in a few drops of other essential oils. Recently, with all the colds going around I have been adding a few drops of eucalyptus oil.
Now mix away and enjoy a whiff of relaxation around your house — especially at bedtime!

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Yoga Rascals Wins Award

10/16/2016

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Yoga Rascals wins
Red Tricycle's Totally Awesome Award

Dear Families,
We are happy to announce that Yoga Rascals won Red Tricycle's Totally Awesome Award in the category Most Invigorating Fitness Program in SoCal. It wouldn't have happened without you! Thank you so much for taking the time to vote. We truly appreciate your support.
Namaste,
Sünje O'Clancy
Yoga Rascals Founder, MA, E-RYT, RCYT, RPYT

The winners of the eye pillow giveaway are Norma D., Christina G., and Petra P. Congratulations!

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How to clean your yoga mat

9/23/2016

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Fill a spray bottle with water and 1 - 2 tablespoons of white vinegar. Spray and wipe your mat with a soft cloth or towel. Instead of vinegar you can use a few drops of tea tree oil. Both vinegar and tea tree oil contain antibacterial and anti-fungal properties. Lavender oil works great,too. It is antibacterial, but not anti-fungal. Make sure your mat is completely dry before you roll it back up.

Alternatively, most mats can be washed in the washing machine with warm water and a little bit of laundry detergent. To balance the washing machine it's best to either wash a couple of yoga mats at the same time, or, if washing only one, add a few towels. Hang your mat over a chair to air dry. If you roll it up in a dry towel first, you can squeeze a lot of the water out before you hang it up. Make sure your mat is completely dry before you roll it back up.

Also read blog post "A cleaner way to roll up your yoga mat"

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How To Practice Yoga With Your Child At Home

6/10/2016

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First published on Red Tricycle
You love yoga. Your child wants to jump in when you roll out your mat. You’d like to share your yoga practice with her, but you know your primary series, or any other adult yoga routine for that matter, might not be the way to go. Here are a few tips on how to create a special yoga experience for you and your child at home.

Make time
Find a day and time when you can spend 30 minutes or so together without interruptions. Be considerate of meal times. In other words, don’t practice right after a big lunch when tummies are full, or too close to dinnertime when a growling stomach makes for a cranky yogi. For school-age children, weekends and school breaks are great times to get started.

Find a place
Unless you already have a designated yoga area, ask your child if he has any suggestions for a good yoga spot in your home. Talk about what qualities might be helpful. For example, enough room to not bump into furniture, the right temperature, a peaceful setting, appropriate lighting, etc. Decide on a place together, move furniture out of the way if necessary, and proudly roll out your mats. If you don’t have yoga mats, beach towels will do. Make your yoga spot even more special by placing a couple of meaningful objects next to you. This could be a rock, a seashell, your child’s favorite stuffed animal, or anything that makes you feel good.

Turn off distractions
Turn off your cell phone, and any other electronic devices. Better yet, leave them in another room, so you don’t get tempted to peak “real quick” at an incoming text. If you still own one, turn your home phone and answering machine down. Be ready to be offline, so you can connect with your child.

Ring a bell
Now it’s time to get started! Create an opening ritual like ringing a bell, a chime, or a singing bowl three times. Don’t worry if you have no musical instruments around. Improvise. Fill a wine glass with water and gently hit it with a spoon. Take turns making the sound while the other person is listening, hands on heart, eyes closed. Another lovely opening would be to chant OM three times together, if you feel comfortable doing so.

Breathe together
Get settled with a breathing exercise. Here are a couple of examples (choose one at a time): 1. Put your hands on your belly and blow up an imaginary balloon as you inhale, deflate it on the exhale. Ask your child what color her balloon is. Repeat a few times. 2. Sit across from each other and take a deep breath in while lifting your arms up overhead. Let the palms of your hands touch together. Hold the breath for a moment. Exhale slowly while your arms come back down by your side. Repeat a couple of times. You could also do these breathing exercises while sitting back to back so you can feel each other breathing.

Go on an imaginary adventure
Now it’s time to take off on a yoga adventure! Imagine you are going on a bike ride (lay on your back while pedaling your feet). Where are you going? Your child will have great ideas! Touch the soles of your feet together to ride your bikes in unison. What do you see along the way? Become a cat, a cow, a dog, a snake, or a mouse. If your child thinks of an animal that doesn’t have a corresponding yoga pose, make it up! Are you going to the beach? Add dolphin, turtle, and fish! Are you riding through the countryside? Be a butterfly, a bird, or a horse. Are you ready to get off your bike and hike up a mountain? Walk in place or stomp around the room! Do you see trees? Come into tree pose and ask your child what kind of tree he is. Let your child’s imagination guide you, and be creative. Make up a story and act it out! Compliment your child on her great ideas. Let her be free in doing the poses her way. Unless she is hurting herself, there is no need for correction. Your child learns easily by copying you, doing the poses to the best of her ability and the way it is appropriate for her development. Be encouraging, supportive and enthusiastic. You will have lots of fun together!
It might be helpful to have a look at a few kids’ yoga books and videos beforehand, so that you have a variety of kid friendly yoga poses up your sleeve.

Take a nap
Every great trip has to come to an end. When you’re ready to come back home, find the perfect spot to take a nap. Would it be underneath a tree? Or would you like to rest in the sand on the beach? Place an eye pillow over your eyes, and cover yourselves with a blanket. You may cuddle up with your child, or rest side by side. Play relaxation music or a track with nature sounds. Rest for a few minutes. When you are ready to come back, ring your bell again three times.

Namaste
Sit across from each other. Put your hands together in front of your heart. Explain the meaning of Namaste (The light in me sees the light in you) and talk about what it means to you. Bow to each other and say “namaste”. Thank your child and express how much fun it was practicing yoga together. Set a date for your next yoga session.

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A cleaner way to roll up your yoga mat

2/18/2016

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Your yoga mat might pick up a lot of dirt depending on the floor you put it on. When you roll it up at the end of class, you roll any dirt sticking to the bottom side right onto the top side. Besides cleaning your mat regularly, you might want to consider folding your mat in half before you roll it up. In other words, fold the top side onto itself, and when you roll up the folded mat, the bottom side will never touch the top side.