When I was a first grade teacher working in the inner city in Brooklyn, teaching about Martin Luther King filled me with extreme emotion every time. I would always cry reading my favorite book – My Dream of Martin Luther King by Faith Ringgold. The kids would always ask me “Why are you crying Ms. Rosen?” Such an important life cut short, especially in the way that he died, just tore me apart. He lost his life to the violence that he was speaking out about. I would read this story to the children, knowing they were living in an environment that was as opposite of peace as it gets. They lived in a world filled with guns, drugs, violence & fear. It was one of my favorite lessons of the year. How can we become more peaceful in our thoughts, words & actions? That was over 12 years ago.… Read More »
Staying Present while Planning Ahead
As this year winds down, it’s completely necessary to start looking ahead to what my goals for Full of Joy Yoga are for 2011. It seems like a daunting task sometimes, especially when I am working so hard to stay in the present! But as a businesswoman, planning ahead, setting goals, getting work on the calendar, it’s all a necessary part of running a business. I have decided to do more teacher trainings in this upcoming year, more then I have ever done in the past. At this moment I have 1 a month all the way through June! I love facilitating teacher trainings. I have been doing them now for almost 5 years. What is so fulfilling about these trainings, is knowing that each person I train is going to go out there and use a little of what I taught them, and in turn, will positively affect the… Read More »
Partners Help us Grow
I love teaching partner poses. Partner work builds trust and promotes healthy and safe touch. Kids these days spend so much time alone playing their video games with little interaction it’s no wonder social skills are so different from when we were kids. They just don’t know how to play anymore. (doesn’t everyone who grew up in the 70’s say that?) Kids LOVE to do partner poses. I have kids who ask for it every time I teach them. It naturally builds communication and promotes a shared experience. “How does that feel?” or “Are you ok?” gets kids to feel empathetic and takes them out of their natural state of being egocentric. I usually start with the little ones and have them help each other do tree pose. With the older kids you can start playing with trust and poses that requires each partner to use each other like a wall.… Read More »
