Mindful Book Reviews By Eve: Gilly the Giraffe Self Esteem Activity Book by Dr. Karen Treisman

Gilly the Giraffe Self Esteem Activity Book: A Therapeutic Story With Creative Activities to Help Children Aged 5-10 by Dr. Karen Treisman

This book puts the B in Brave! Such a useful and accessible book. Just reading the book is inspiring and has helped me to focus on how I can facilitate a positive learning environment for the students and the teachers by incorporating the story and ideas into my in-school yoga classes. The story is one that flows well by adding yoga poses, breathing activities and short meditations and the added applied practices offer many useful ways of building self-esteem activities into the classroom.

Dr. Treisman brings another part of the world to many readers-with new words and ways. This is a great book about diversity. It is colorful, eye-opening and totally relateable. The story promotes creative problem solving, by offering a view from another angle. It is like a game of Statues, where one person sets themselves up as a statue; the next person walks around, looking at the shape from different angles, and then fits themselves into the structure, which is a fun way of promoting this way of thinking.

I highly recommend incorporating these activities throughout the day. Practicing increases personal growth and strength.

Anther great book by Dr. Triesman is Presley Pug, check out my review here.

Thank you to JK Publishing for sending me a copy of this book. All onions expressed are my own.

Kundalini Woman’s Set

Quiet meditation in rock pose 3min

Life Nerve Stretch L-D-B; L/R 3min

Camel var./ Camel pose 3min

Shoulder Stand L-D-B 3min

Archer L/R 5min

Baby 3min

Bow L-D-B 3min

Locust 3min

Cow L-D-B 3min

Cat L-D-B 3min

Stretch B-O-F 3min

Corpse 8-10min

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#flamenco #yoga #kundalini #dance #speedyyogini #inclusive #alwaysbedancing #alwaysbedancingflamenco #olenamaste #evecostarelli #natickma #smallbusiness #kundalinifusion #peacemoji #iameve #innerpeas #todayskriya

Mindful Book Reviews By Eve: Two Adorable Peppa Pig Stories Based on the TV Series Peppa Pig Created by Neville Astley and Mark Baker

Who doesn’t love Peppa? She is a sweet and caring pink piglet who is constantly surrounded by a menagerie of diverse animal friends and family members who show us a slice of life with humor, empathy and appreciation for the small things.

In Peppa Pig and the Career Day, the adult’s in the neighborhood come to school to share about their careers, ranging from everyday workers to artists to specialists, and there is even a sea captain (who everyone needs in their neighborhood!). The wide variety of jobs and careers offer a great outlay of possible aspirations for kids to explore in creative play and then possible what they might become as they grow older.

In Peppa Pig and the Silly Sniffles, offers a sneak peak into the funny ways that kids play and how easily they switch between creative play scenarios. Here they enact a scene when one of the friends is sick and has to go to the doctor’s office and they discover, even though they cannot cure the sniffles, they can make their friend feel much better just by being good friends.

Both books come with a awesome coloring poster that is hidden on the back of the book jacket.

These are lovely hardcover books and will make great gifts this holidays season! I know my granddaughter is going to love them! I highly recommend Peppa Pig: the stories offer great diversity in character and educate about self-esteem, empathy, compassion and acceptance. A wonderful entry into the beauty of all the varied people in this world! They belong in every preschool, home and library! Hooray for Peppa! She’s awesome!

¡Olé Namaste! Eve Costarelli

Thank you to Candlewick Press for sending me these books. All opinions expressed are my own.

For more information about my accessible mindfulness/yoga/dance program, please visit alwaysbedancing dot com.

Mindful Book Reviews By Eve: Mindfully Me 3-Pack (Mindfully Me Series) by Louise Shanagher and Rose Finerty

Mindfully Me Book One: It’s Always There A children’s meditation book for mindfulness, calm and happiness by Louise Shanagher and Rose Finerty is truly one of the best children’s mindfulness books that I have come across. The book is full of thoughts that pique the interest and understanding the art of mindfulness is easily accessible for children and is written into lovely, flowing rhyming sequences. The artwork is adorable. I love the textured painting juxtaposed onto photographic backgrounds and sprinkled with computer-generated flowers. It’s completely endearing!
I am excited to be able to offer a free copy of this book. Please head over to my Instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/mindful_boo… for the giveaway; shipping only available in the continental US. Giveaway Ends 12/10/18.

Mindfully Me Book Two: Where Is Happy? by Louise Shanagher and Rose Finerty. The Dynamic Duo Lou Lou Rose is back at it again. They have created a second book and once again have come up with a beautiful children’s mindfulness book, both through its words and its illustrations, that promotes self-compassion, self-confidence and self-esteem in a perfectly suited for children way. Where Is Happy? encourages children to seek inner peace rather than material gain through easily relatable content written into relaxing, flowing rhyming sequences. The book is full of extra content to help teachers and parents integrate the book and its message. This book is a great read and a great social-emotional learning tool for kids!

Mindfully Me Book 3: Look Who’s Here by Louise Shanagher and Rose Finerty. Book 3 of the Mindfully Me Series is another winning title from the creative minds of Lou Lou Rose. Look Who’s Here does a great job of universalizing feelings and emotions by reinforcing the message that everyone has them and if you can take a moment to just notice them in yourself that you will be ok because self knowledge is the key to inner peace. I loved the diverse names used in the book’s lilting rhymes, making for whole lot of fun word play. This book is full of positive ways to notice and address big feelings in an engaging and identifiable way.

This series would make a perfect gift for the holidays and every day. I really enjoyed all of the books and know I will use them in my kids yoga & mindfulness classes. They are very well crafted mindfulness books for kids. They are sweet, educational and totally relatable. I especially like the language used and appreciate that it is not syrupy or cutesy, but sincere words that kids will enjoy reading and will be able to ingest. I highly recommend the whole series!

Check out www.loulourose.net for awesome connected resources

¡Olé Namaste! Eve Costarelli

Thank you to Lou Lou Rose for sending me this book series. All opinions expressed are my own.

For more information about my accessible mindfulness/yoga/dance program, please visit alwaysbedancing.com.

Mindful Book Reviews By Eve: 3 Books by Florenza Lee

3 Books by Florenza Lee:

Barry Bear’s Very Best: Learning To Say No To Negative Influences by Florenza Lee; Illustrated by Michelle Wynn

This book addresses the very heavy and real life topics of drugs, bullying and bad choices through the very positive eyes of a young bear who is of strong conviction and knows that striving to be the best he can be is the way to live a happy, satisfying life. He is a wonderful role model and because of the deepness of the topics, it can be shared with children as well as pre-teens and up as well. It is a very accessible story highlighting goodness in oneself.

 

The Tail Of Max The Mindless Dog: A Children’s Book on Mindfulness by Florenza Lee; Illustrated by Michelle Wynn

I really like how the main character, the mindless dog, is an analogy to the way our thoughts run rampant in our heads, like a dog mindlessly chasing its tail. Relentless and mind numbing. This book does a great job introducing deep belly breathing and the use of chanting to bring focus and calm. The chant is cute and memorable. I really like the straight forward approach of this book and it can be shared not only with children but pre-teens and up as well.

 

Welcome Home Daddy Love, Lexi: “Hi, I am…” Book Series by Florenza Lee; Illustrated by Maria Guevara

This is a very deep, reflective and richly detailed story of a very important topic. It is beautifully written with such love and compassion and I am sure speaks truly of this sacrifice of the whole military family unit. It was hard to read without tearing up. This story highlights the courage and strength of these families

This dynamic trio of straight forward help book are full of positive characters who face adversity but are able to remain true to themselves and use self-determination, courage and self-respect to fight against the odds. These are strong books and they need to be heard! These are especially good for addressing trauma and for learning how to be strong and courageous!

Thank you to Florenza Lee for sending me these books. All opinions expressed are my own.

Mindful Book Reviews By Eve: Julián Is A Mermaid by Jessica Love

Today, I read Julián Is A Mermaid by Jessica Love (Candlewick) in my kids yoga classes today. The children range from age 2 1/2-almost 6 and one of their favorite activities is the Calming Rock meditation time. Each child gets a pile of colored glass rocks: some large and flat, some chunky, some blue, some green, some clear, some red, orange and yellow. They know that once the quiet music goes on, it is time to settle down and take on quiet bodies, mouths and minds. It is time to let their imaginations free and make designs or pictures or just enjoy the beautiful colors and textures of their rocks. After a full class practicing the skills of movement and stillness, I brought the rocks out, turned on some quiet music and the kids settled into the routine. I told them that I would be reading them a story and that some of the pages had words and pictures and some of the pages were only pictures. I explained that I would hold the book up and they had the choice to just listen, or they could look up and see the pictures as I would quietly alert them if the page had no words so they could see the pictures as I moved them slowly by.

I told them it was a story about mermaids and we immediately got into a discussion of other things that live in the sea and about the water and the waves. We decided our rocks reminded us of the ocean and we imagined a wave rolling in and messing up the sand beneath and then calming so the water becomes clear again. I started reading the beautiful simple prose and loved the peppering of a few Spanish words such as abuela grandmother mijo my dear; this is very endearing and has a feeling of love and safety. The children calmly listened to me and played with their rocks, and most eyes lifted as I passed the book by. I would watch their eyes take in the sequences of pictures and the special look that would come into their eyes when they got the story. To say I love this book is not enough. The message is one of hope, acceptance and authenticity and is accessible to the very young as well as the old. I am meeting with a local GSA today at a middle school and this book will be part of their yoga/mindfulness class as well. I cannot recommend this book enough. It should be in every school, every library, every home. It is a beautifully crafted message of love and the illustrations are fantastically expressive. This is a home run for this debut author-illustrator.

Even with young children as young as this, discussions happened around accepting other languages styles, choices, ways of being; accepting ourselves and that each individual person is really the only one who knows themselves and for them to nurture and love their inner self (of course I used a fun analogy of a tiny them inside themselves driving around them around like a giant ship.) I explained that even when that ship goes to school or is at home or is with friends, that the inner core them was always the same and they could feel safe, strong and grounded in that knowledge of who they really are. I was able to tell them that their really is a Mermaid Parade that happens in New York where everyone dresses like mermaids and parades together to the sea. https://www.coneyisland.com/programs/mermaid-parade

This book is about:

#acceptance #consciousness #diversity #character #love #courage #compassion #pride #empathy #support #lovingkindness #freetobeyou #freetobeme #freetobe #instalove #inclusion #strength #culture #community #comunidad #equality #mermaid #mermaidparade #coneyisland #Iam #satnam #authenticity #individuality

Mindful Book Reviews By Eve: The Tiptoeing Tiger by Philippa Leathers

I love this little tigers determination! This is a delightful story about believing in oneself. It’s a story about resilience, learning that where there’s a will there’s a way and and knowing when to laugh. The illustrations accompany the words wonderfully. The tiger is so sweet and is accompanied by a whole menagerie of other sweet wild animals. Above all this is a book about knowing it is good to be you. It is a great confidence building book for young children. I have already used it in my early education yoga classes and the kids took to it right away and it paired perfectly with yoga poses such as tiger, elephant, rock, snake, monkey and frog. Love it! Sweet message!

Thank you to Candlewick Press for sending me a cop of this book. All opinions expressed are my own.

Book Review by Eve: All Birds Have Anxiety by Kathy Hoopmann Jessica

 

The author, Kathy Hoopmann, has found a great vehicle in using photographs of the expressive faces of birds in partner with a short phrase describing the very real and very serious subject of anxiety. The fabulous photographs bring the words to life. Each description of a level of anxiety allows the reader to empathize with and feel compassion for the very stressed out “birds”. This is totally relatable to ones own perceptions of and connections to anxiety but it also gives insight into the world and people around us. The book presents many varied aspects of anxiety and how they negatively effect us physically, mentally and emotionally. After taking the reader through these very descriptive definitions of anxiety and it’s out-reach (or in-reach, as it were), I so appreciated the feeling of lightness and a belief that their can be relief from the pain and stress anxiety causes that was evident at the end of the book. The book offers various coping skills to allow a person to really hear what their inner self is saying and how to bring themselves out of fear such as learning to trust oneself, being brave, and taking action such as eating well, exercising, doing yoga, snuggling pets and caring for themselves and others (human, animal or plant); all of these leading to the initiation of the relaxation response to counteract the negative effects of the continual firing of the fight or flight response. And thereby, releasing a person from the grips of anxiety and arriving at a calmer place.

I recommend this book with its straight-forward prose and the beautiful and often comical photographs, to both children and adults. It is an extremely accessible tool for those who are experiencing anxiety. It should be available in schools, doctors offices, libraries and anywhere else people might find a little relief from their anxiety.

Full Disclosure: Kingsley Publishers (London & Philadelphia) sent me a copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

Mindful Teachings by Eve: How I will use this book:

A certain amount of stress is normal but an over production can lead to an anxiety disorder which can wreck havoc on a child physically, mentally, emotionally and energetically. Yoga is an accessible, adaptive and inclusive method to decrease anxiety and bring about a better state of mind and a stronger connection to oneself.

Yoga for anxious children creates opportunities for them to:

• Build self-esteem and confidence in a relaxed atmosphere while they improve their balance, coordination and proprioception.

• Practice independence in a safe, non-judgmental environment

• Experience a sense of community

• Learn how to focus on and use their breathing effectively (which has a direct effect on their vagus nerve and the multiple benefits of a fit vagus nerve. The vagus nerve is the longest of the cranial nerves (nerves in the brain). The word “vagus” means “wanders” and this nerve wanders all the way from the brain through the neck and into the abdomen. The vagus nerve is literally the captain of your inner nerve center—the parasympathetic nervous system, to be specific, which controls the relaxation response as a counteraction to the fight or flight response of the sympathetic nervous system. This “captain”. When well tines, will do a great job of navigating functions and impulses of the body.)

• Practice calming techniques such as visualization, meditation and physical movement.

In general, poses that bend forward are calming and poses and backward bending poses are uplifting. A forward bending pose has a long exhale (to calm) and a back-bend has a deeper inhale, to invigorate. If you are feeling depressed, do not practice too many forward folding poses as they will increase your feelings of melancholy, but a few can certainly make you feel safe, secure and quiet. Back-bending poses are great to amp-up energy, open the heart and to increase joy.

1. Yoga To Settle In and Calm Down (not necessarily feeling anxious):

• Belly Breath
• Twist
• 30 seconds to 1 minute of stillness in body, mind and energy
• ADD: Tree Pose
• ADD: Challenge: Tree to Dancer to Tree
• ADD Challenge: Partner Tree/Partner Dancer
• (FINAL POSE): 1-minute Exploration

2. Yoga To Energize (suggested use,after lunch):

• Trunk Breath
• Mt-Up Mt-Chair-Skier-Rock-Hang-Roll-up
• Balance poses
• Real or imaginary “Blow-A-Pinwheel” breath
• Mini Back Bends (energizing, invigorating, opening and warming)
• Warrior I-II-III sequence (add in awakening affirmations)
• Shake it out/Tap it out
• 1-minute Exploration

2. Yoga for an upset or anxious student:

• Belly Breath

• Child’s Pose (either on floor, standing, in chair or at desk)

• Possibly lay on belly, if that is available.

• Imaginary or Real “Blow-A-Pinwheel” breath

• Forward bends (calming, cooling, exhale poses)

• Back Drawing

• 1-Minute Exploration

 

Yogini Flamencini! ¡Olé Namaste!

Today’s yoga class explored the wonderful art of flamenco!  I am a flamenco dancer. I teach children and adults (of all abilities) to dance flamenco. I created a flamenco performance/workshop for schools (PreK-High school), colleges, senior living facilities and many other community events such as Farmer’s Markets and festivals. This performance is called ¡Olé Flamenco! and it explores the gypsies, the art of flamenco, and diversity. Dance is a form of communication that can be shared by everyone, whether you know the exact steps or not. Dance helps people come together, share the joy of movement, build confidence and coordinaton and feel happy! If you would like to experience the art of flamenco, you can hire my guitar player and I to come to your party or event  and we entertain you all! 

Class began by my playing my castañuelas or castanets. I create beautiful, rhythmic music with my hands. Then I danced and played my castanets to a Sevillana, which is a folk dance from Spain that the gypsies flamencoized. I had everyone clapping their hands and shouting ¡Olé! while I danced!

 

 

 

We read a wonderful folktale from Spain called The Beautiful Butterfly. Ask your little yogini about it! They all loved it! It is a wonderful story of compassion, friendship and has a good funny catch at the end. With each page, we did yoga poses that flowed along with the story. The kids loved listening and were all so attentive and focused and I let them decide what poses we would do, choosing from the lines of the story.

 

We then did one of our favorite partner dances “Happy Jio” which is actually a moving meditation but to them it is just fun, fun fun!

I gave each child a flamenco fan, turned on a fiery flamenco song, and we all waved our fans like butterfly wings, stomped our feet and danced! danced! danced!

¡Olé con olé!

 

 

Book Review: Classroom Yoga Breaks by Louise Goldberg

I am inspired by people who adapt yoga to fit into spaces not intended, such as classrooms, libraries, parks, locker rooms and especially to those who are dedicated to bringing yoga to children with special needs; to making yoga inclusive, adaptable and accessible. Louise Goldberg, author of Classroom Yoga Breaks and Yoga Therapy for Children With Special Needs, which has been an invaluable asset for my own working in the special needs community, is a prime example.

To say I was delighted to receive my copy of Classroom Yoga Breaks is an understatement. Firstly, the book is presented beautifully with its sturdy, text book like, cover; it is well organized, and there are a plethora of accompanying photographs that lend clarity to the instruction. The book starts right off with great documentation of yoga and its many benefits physically, mentally and energetically. It draws clear connections to how yoga can improve Social Emotional Learning (SEL), can benefit special needs groups specifically and also the school community as a whole and how yoga bolsters self regulation, resilience and the executive functions. Through her vision, Ms. Goldberg, shows how to bring yoga into classrooms. She shares various curriculum and illustrates how all postures can be modified to fit every person. Through bodywork, breath-work and mind/energy-work, she shows how you can take yoga off the mat and into the world.

The clarity and attention to detail makes this book an indispensable addition to every schools, community centers and library. It is a repository for everything yoga and how it fits into the classroom. I especially appreciated the section dedicated to teacher’s self-care. Learning how to take care of yourself will not only help to build your resilience, your ability to respond rather then react and your sense of self but it will in turn change the climate of your classroom opening up the channels for easier teaching and freer learning.

Disclaimer: The author sent me a copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

A little about Louise Goldberg: 

Louise Goldberg, ERYT 500,
is owner of Relaxation Now LLC and founder of CreativeRelaxation®. Her new book, Classroom Yoga Breaks will be published by Norton Books in Education on November 15, 2016. Her first book, Yoga Therapy for Children with Autism and Special Needs was published by Norton Professional Books in 2013. She is a co-author of S.T.O.P. and Relax, Your Special Needs Toolbox©2006, updated 2014. Her DVD Yoga for Children ©2004 features children on the autism spectrum.