Rainbow Dreams and Art Blog

Another session of Family Yoga just ended, and although I am enjoying the short break, I can’t wait for the next one to begin. I love how Storytime Yoga methods have helped me reach out to touch families through yoga and story.
It was wonderful to see how the parents and the kids seemed to look forward to class each week. The girls in one family chose yoga class over a birthday party at a pizza place. They didn’t want to miss a yoga class, which made it even more of a privilege to teach them.
One of my favorite poses each week, was Community Boat, where all of us gathered in a big circle and held hands, and attempted to assist each other in getting all of our connected feet off the floor at once, as we laughed and breathed together.
One of my favorite story themes, was “The Roar of the Awakening,” when one five year old girl did Lion’s Breath pose and roared playfully another Dad. It was so cute, and we all laughed together. The sense of community, and the warmth of our hearts when we were together each week was something I will cherish for a long time.
I look forward to sharing Storytime Yoga with many, many more families in the days to come!

Tags: Art, Health, Storytelling, Storytime Yoga, Yoga by Lisa
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Welcome to January 2010!  I hope that it is a healthy, happy one for us all!

Like most everyone, I have made my own personal list of resolutions for the New Year, and I have created a list of favorite things, and of course this includes resources related to health and fitness, art, and storytelling. These are all things and people I feel passionate about and that are helping me get off to a great start this January.

Eischens Yoga

especially my teachers Lynn Shuck

and Kari Tomashik

Storytime Yoga - Sydney Solis!

Arbonne Shakes (great for nutrition and weight loss)

Arbonne Detox Tea

Arbonne Natural Hormones

Skechers Shape ups (exercise shoes) – they have been great for my knees and help me use the whole back of my body…calves, hamstrings, etc.

Alternative Medicine Solutions

Health and Healing Chiropractic -  in Rochester

North Oakland Family YMCA – a great place to work out!

Auburn Hills Community Center - a great place to work out!

Woolynns – fiber artist Lynn Shuck…beautiful scarves

Beyond Barbie – beautiful, figurative work by a beautiful artist

Please note, these are all resources that I have had a great experience with, your mileage may vary!

Tags: Art, Creative Writing, Health, Storytelling, Yoga by Lisa
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This past week or so, I have enjoyed experiencing my world beginning to thaw. Everywhere are signs of spring, which begins tomorrow. As I drove to the YMCA to work, I was excited to see a pasture full of sheep grazing, and amongst the sheep were these little, white lambs, with their mothers. They were so cute. I heard the sounds of the ice melting and breaking up on the lake at Stony Creek Park…it looked like giant glaciers melting. The little pond on my way to work had ice melting too, and yesterday I heard the peepers for the first time this spring.

On Sunday, my daughter and I ran in the 4-mile St. Patrick’s Day race in Detroit. Celebrating St. Patrick’s Day, and seeing all the green, reminded me that spring was even closer than I’d realized. The day was so warm and the sun so bright, that we even had sun burned cheeks! It felt so good to run in my first race ever. I felt like celebrating, as I had spent so much time frozen with the pain in my knee, and then to be able to run, free of pain, was like the first day of spring.

My classes schedule is busy, and I am looking forward to new experiences in the spring and the summer. My new yoga classes with Fill in the Blanks workshops in Ferndale, have gone well, and I am beginning another session of family yoga classes in a couple of weeks. There have been many ups and downs, but it seems as though the kids really do enjoy yoga, even more than I’d expected. I love working with kids and seeing them try new things and learn to listen to their bodies.

Tags: Articles, Creative Writing, Personal Storytelling, Yoga by Lisa
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This has been a very cold winter so far, and my entire world is buried in the icy January snow, with more on the way!  I’ve certainly been particularly busy lately, and it seems I need to spend some time on my blog here!  I figure if I am going to get up to date here, what better time to do it then my birthday, which is in a few days (February 1st!)!

This New Year, 2009, has brought about many changes in my schedule and activities.  Every day seems to bring a new opportunity or idea.  I am most excited about a month-long series of Storytime Yoga workshops that I will be teaching in Ferndale, for a home school group of gifted children.  These are called Fill in the Blank Workshops; what a cool and creative idea!  I am very excited about this prospect and will begin teaching on February 11th.

I am now teaching two senior (age 50+) yoga classes at the North Oakland YMCA, held on Monday and Wednesday, and I truly enjoy working with my new students.  I truly enjoy their insight, enthusiasm, and joy at learning yoga, and I love seeing the positive changes taking place in each of my students.  One of my senior yoga students just gave me a beautiful hand-knit scarf as a gift, and she even noticed how I love hot pink, and this is the color scarf she knit for me.  I love it and have worn it every day since.

Beginning this week, I now teach two yoga classes at the Auburn Hills Community Center on Monday nights, at 6pm and 7pm.  I love teaching in the community center; the students are friendly and appreciative; the staff is very friendly and helpful.  The building supervisor even helps me carry my gear to my car!  I love being around positive, helpful co-workers.

I am most excited about my beautiful birthday gift that I am going to very much enjoy playing, and that is my new mandolin!  I thoroughly enjoy being artistic, and this is another way for me to dive deeper into my creative side.  I am looking forward to learning to play, and I plan to play my mandolin during my Storytime Yoga classes!  I can’t wait.

I will post more often, as I adjust to my new teaching schedule.  I also plan to include more of my artwork on my site.  My latest work involves sunflowers!

Happy Birthday to me and to my brother, who shares my birthday with me!

Lisa

Tags: Art, Creative Writing, Eischens Yoga, Storytime Yoga, Yoga by Lisa
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