make yoga part of your (and your child's!) day

We can all use a little stretch and relaxation every now and then. Here are 3 easy yoga techniques you can do at a moment's notice to find peace and serenity (think George Costanza's dad saying, "Serenity now!") in the midst of a hectic day.

1. pranayama
This is a big word for "breathing." To be technical, Prana is the life force energy in air and Ayama is control. To benefit, become aware of your breathing. As you inhale, think inhale. As you exhale, think exhale. Repeat 4 or 5 times, pausing in between each inhalation and exhalation. Try to exhale a tad longer than you inhale. To take it a step further, aim to have your breath expand your belly rather than letting the breath stop at your chest.


2. meditation
Yoga followers talk about the "monkey brain." Some take it further and refer to our mind as "a drunken monkey stung by a scorpion." If you can picture what this might look like, relate that to the number of thoughts running through your mind at any given time. Meditation comes in to help calm the thoughts--it's the reset button we all need. Find 5 minutes, sit in a comfortable position, and stare at something, anything, for the count of 30. Now, close your eyes and focus on the image on the inside of your eyelids (the contrast, or negative image of what you were just looking at). Here's one such image at http://www.hereinreality.com/optical/optical7.html

3. lie down
Yep, it's that simple :) If you are overwhelmed, stressed, scared, worried, confused...you name it, take 5 minutes and lie down. Calm your body first before calming your mind. Lie on your back, in yoga this is the Savasana pose, or corpse pose. Yes, that sounds awful, but the idea is that you completely let go of this physical body and retreat to your mind, or your being. It sounds so simple, yet it is truly difficult to just relax, to just be. Don't be discouraged, lie down and you'll begin to feel its healing and restorative powers almost immediately.