Seeing Challenges as our Greatest Gifts!
Last night I taught my Family Yoga class at the YMCA. Each time I teach is another opportunity to see how I can view life as beautiful even while facing difficulty. I believe that why art and artistic expression so much more valuable and beautiful than we might at first see. We don’t have to paint a beautiful sunset to see the beauty in the world. A painting or a poem about something sad, or tragic, is equally beautiful, and it’s all life!
My Family Yoga class is small this time, it has two families. I have a family of five and they are so cute together! I see them coming into class with all of their stuff! A baby carrier, coats, toys, diaper bag…it is a big undertaking! There is a baby girl, just over a year old who doesn’t yet walk. She climbs on the others and tries to do what they are doing, she wants to be a part of everything. Now, we could see this as a distraction or an annoyance, but it is a gift. How to be open to allow her to do what she needs to do, and to be a part of what we are doing when she is able. Mom and Dad take turns caring for her if she needs to be fed or her diaper changed, and it works. They are a real team. There is an older sister who is about three, and an older brother who is eight. They interact in some interesting and fun ways. The three year old girl carries a pink “tea” basket around ( a tea set used to be inside) with her in her hand almost the entire time. She sets it down to do some of the poses. Every week, she does more and more of the poses. The eight-year-old boy loves yoga, knows all the answers to my questions, and is very energetic. My second family is a mother and daughter team. They are truly a team. The mother is positive, enthusiastic and accepting. Her daughter is a 4th-grader with Downs syndrome. Her mom brought her to the class so she could learn how to breathe and to try to control her anger better. Her mom is an inspiration to me, very accepting, and being able to see her daughter’s strengths. Here we have two families with considerable challenges just getting to class! I see how much they value their time together as a family, and I value them taking the time to be with me.
Last night I told the story of the Turnip. It is a Ukrainian tale that is about a poor family who faces the challenge of having enough to eat. They find a tiny seed and plant it, and it grows into a GIANT turnip! The entire family, including their pets have to work together to harvest their giant turnip! I believe they all saw a bit of themselves in that story! We did a fun and for me an adventurous art project. We created finger puppets! Wow, I wanted to see what it would be like to do it at the end of the yoga class. I simplified it a bit to make it work, and it did. The kids had a great time, and all were able to get involved in it. We all created our favorite animal. The youngest girl made a hippopatamus! The boy made a lion and another animal. I was so pleased their parents told them what a great job they did, and did not try to make the animals be ”perfect.” It was each child’s vision of their animal. The most fun part for me was that I created a bunny puppet for the little girl, and her older sister took it and “modified” it withher own creative touch. Believe it or not, it was better than what I had made. Dad liked it so much that he decided to take it to work with him for his desk! I was able to let go of my creation, being “MY” creation. When you give your art, your teaching, your gifts to another, they will take them and integrate them and make it a part of their artistic vision. Once it leaves our hands, it keeps something of us but it becomes something new and is reborn! The kids left the class saying how much they love yoga, and we were all smilng and laughing together.
Today I must spend the a part of my day preparing for an unexpected extra high school art class on Friday! At first I panicked. How could I teach an extra two-hour art class?! But I will! In fact I now see that something amazing will come from what at first appeared to be an insurmountable challenge. As the day has gone on I’ve become filled with ideas. I will be sharing those, as well as the results, whatever they may be!
Namaste and Happy April Fools Day! Stay Creative! Lisa
