BreathWorks With Joy

One of the biggest gifts in my life is teaching Yoga to Dewa and her Kindergarten class. Though it is usually i that learns from them. Tonight my gift is to our children, small and big, young and old. For as we know, no matter how old we become, our inner child is ever present and always in need of our love.

The below teachings have been complied and adapted by Sydney Solis of StoryTime Yoga.

Explain that every living being comes from the sun. All live comes

from the sun. We all have carbon in our bodies that was from inside the sun!

We pay our respects to the life-giving sun, of which without life on

earth would not exist.

Use the below chant (The Gayatri Mantra) which honors the Sun

again by slapping legs with hands, or for older kids,

hands clap, and then slap the lap. Put the syllables of the chant to

the rhythm of the words. You may need to do some triples and

adjust the rhythm for each line as you see appropriate. Have

children to call and response.

OM BU

BUVAHA

SWAHA

TAT SAVITUR

VARENYUM

BHARGO

DEVASYA

DHIMAHI

DYHIYO YO NA

PRACHODAYAT

Or make up a chant in English that embodies the meaning of the mantra:

The Sun of our Consciousness. We meditate on the glory of the Creator;

Who has created the Universe;

Who is worthy of Worship;

Who is the embodiment of Knowledge and Light;

Who is the remover of all Ignorance;

May He enlighten our Intellect.

A translation by S. Krishnamurthy is:

We meditate upon the radiant Divine Light of that adorable Sun

of Spiritual Consciousness; May it awaken our intuitional consciousness.

You could try

We sing to the Sun, to the Sun, to the Sun

We sing to the Sun, Life-Giving Sun

We sing to the Sun, Oh Wonderful Sun

Wake us up! Wake us up! Oh Sun, Wake us up!!

SUN SALUTATION – SURYA NAMASKAR

Have children repeat the chant back to you as you perform it.

The sun the sun, I salute the sun

I open my heart to everyone

Standing in mountain pose, tadasana, hands in heart space

breathing in reach arms overhead, bow down to standing forward

bend, uttanasana. Inhale half way up, exhale forward bend.

The sun rises, and the sun sets

The whole world in my heart rests

Left leg back into runner’s lunge. Bring right leg back into plank

pose. Lower knees down, then chest down to floor,

Again I arise, ready to live

Happy to try, ready to give

Inhale up cobra pose, bhujangasana, kids can hiss. Turn toes

under, downward dog, adho mukha svanasana, kids can bark.

The sun the sun, I salute the sun

I open my heart to everyone

Right leg forward in runner’s lunge, come to standing forward

bend, uttanasana, inhale half way up, exhale, flat back, bent at hips,

strong legs to pull arms and self all the way up overhead.

Kids like to give a clap when they come up with hands overhead.

Inhale hands back into heart space.

Namaste!