What I Learned From My Niece

While we try to teach our children all about life, our children teach us what life is all about. ~ Angela Schwindt

In short... enthusiasm, directness and fun. I'll explain. I've been meaning to write this for a while. Since the original lesson on Halloween night (pictured above), and the time that it took me to get around to writing this, my adorable little (20 month old) niece taught me a few other things. I also gained a second adorable niece in that time :) 

Before taking her out, she was well versed in Halloween phrases... Trick or Treat and Happy Halloween. However, when she was brought up to the first door, after being reminded what she was to say when the door opened, her exclamation was only "Candy!" This got some laughs. She was reminded again and again of what to say, but it continued to be expressed as "candy!" When a lady showed up to the door with no bowl of candy in her hands, her phrase evolved to "Where's the candy?" Again, laughter. At another door, she had a conversation with a man and had us all laughing again. Someone said to her, "You're awesome." To which she replied, "Ya, I'm awesome." lol. Eventually, her phrase evolved further to "Gimme candy." She knew exactly why she was there and probably didn't understand why we kept telling her to say Trick or Treat.

Besides the laughter and ab workout I received from it, I gained the simple insight of speaking up for what you want and being direct. The idea of getting right to the point also comes to mind and I was reminded again how enthusiasm rubs off. Like when I speak about Phoenix Rising Yoga Therapy or yoga.

The next insight she offered me was a few days before her baby sister was born. I went with her and my sister to the doctor and then the hospital to check on the belly dweller that was enjoying her stay. While mom was busy with the doctor, I watched Tiana play with the curtain that was blocking the open door to the room. She was having so much fun going around it and under it... letting it rub on her face and head as she played peek-a-boo with me. Her giggles and sometimes screams of enthusiasm had to be quelled with the statement that there may be babies sleeping nearby (of course then we had to go visit one lol). Who knew you could have so much fun with a hospital curtain lol. I later taught a Hatha class and brought the theme of play in from my life lesson with Tiana. We had fun with yoga, breath, music, our bodies, movement (inspired by Tiana) and of course Lion's face.

I loved the reminder of all this from my favourite little person. I love honouring the child within with play. Maybe why I love teaching kids yoga lol. It's great that other things can also be learned from watching those who have not forgotten how fun life can be and that it's great to speak your mind, be direct and enthusiastic. I'm off to play with Contact Yoga and see what kind of fun I can find as well as direct communication with a partner.

Core assests... have fun! Be direct. Play with enthusiasm.

What I Learned While Hiking

The invariable mark of wisdom is to see the miraculous in the common.

Ralph Waldo Emerson

What do you see when you look at the picture above? When you look at a tree? A leaf? A mountain? Yourself in the mirror? Life? Beauty? A cause for amazement? Miracles of nature? All of the above?
 

While hiking the trail in the above picture, I was amazed by the colours and life all around me. As I watched leaves falling from the trees I was struck by the idea that the tree does not decide when the leaf will fall. It does not decide the exact time to let go of something that is no longer serving it in some way. Sometimes the wind helps, sometimes the rain, sometimes neither. It seemed that the leaf did not decide either, but nature did. Of course it may be said that trees and leaves do not really have decision making qualities as such, but it served as an interesting metaphor and could possibly be up for debate ;)





As I sit here writing this, I am curious about what really happens to make a leaf fall off. It is true that the leaf no longer serves the tree in the colder, shorter days of winter. When I searched, I found a few different ideas. Some say the tree makes the choice, some say the leaf and others that nature and a type of "hibernation" causes the trees to shed their leaves. Since the leaves can no longer serve the purpose of bringing in food for the tree as efficiently as they do in spring and summer, they are no longer needed and would freeze and die if they stayed anyway.

What does all this have to do with yoga? To me it is a great reminder of letting go of what no longer serves me. As one example, in Corpse Pose - Savasana, when the exhale lengthens and a releasing of tension, air and anything else that is no longer needed happens, so too the trees go dormant and keep only what they need to survive. Sometimes I can decide when to let go, sometimes what is leaving decides and sometimes life decides for me.  

 

Core assets... once again seeing beauty in everything and knowing when to let go.