Eve Costarelli’s Online Offerings: Groove and Flow Yoga and Dance Breaks (all ages; all abilities) May-June 2020

All of my online group offerings are being offered without a set fee to enable broader participation. I gratefully accept donations of any amount.If you are able to do so, please make a donation, through Venmo, PayPal or check (info included below)*

My Tween/Teen/Adult and my Tots+ classes will be continuing through June and I encourage you to take advantage of them. After-School Yoga will resume in September.

In addition to group classes, I am offering private sessions. I am a certified therapeutic yoga teacher with over three-decades of teaching experience. I am passionate in my love for yoga and dance and for making movement accessible and possible for all. I love designing personal practices that will enhance your quality of life. I would love for you to enjoy the experience of my yoga. My ideal clients are children, women and families for these private sessions. Please contact me at AdamAnt_Eve@gmail.com for private lesson rates.

Practitioners are welcome on a mat or in a chair. Rock, roll or stroll! . 

Wishing you all love, peace and hope! Eve Costarelli

Eve Costarelli’s Online Offerings

All of my online offerings are being offered without a set fee to enable broader participation. I gratefully accept donations of any amount. If you are able to do so, please make a donation, through Venmo, PayPal or check (info included below)*

For Kids:

After-school Groove & Flow Yoga (on hold until September)

Groove & Flow Yoga for Tots+ https://commonstreet.zoom.us/s/717933065 Thurs. 10:00-10:45AM (EDT)
What: Classes are imaginative, playful and vary from very active to quietly meditative. Children will explore yoga poses and relaxation techniques through stories, games, books and songs which help to develop their confidence, awareness, focus and their interactions with peers within a safe, supportive environment. Fun for all!

For Tweens, Teens & Adults:

Groove & Flow Yoga & Dance Break   https://commonstreet.zoom.us/j/953634210 Mon. 5:00-6:00PM (EDT)
Groove and Flow is a mix of yoga, dance and mindfulness that affords the participants the opportunity to explore and experience the joy of movement and freedom of expression within a supportive, creative environment, regardless of experience and/or abilities.

Groove & Flow Yoga  https://commonstreet.zoom.us/s/781560765 Thurs. 5:00-6:00PM (EDT)
Breathe, move, meditate then deeply relax. With a blend of styles, this yoga class aims to help you realize your true blissful self. This class designed to strengthen your body, mind, and spirit is balanced with relaxation and meditation. All levels welcomed for this one of a kind experience.

*I am holding space for everyone, with no expectations. I appreciate gratefully the donations of love I receive! *suggested donations $5-$20

• Venmo Eve-Costarelli; Paypal Adamant_Eve@hotmail.com
• Checks Eve Costarelli 16 Porter Road, Natick, MA 01760
• Contact Eve @ AdamAnt_Eve@hotmail.com for info.

**************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************Free fitness videos offered through the Natick Recreation & Parks YouTube channel. Videos are posted every day Monday-Friday at 11:00AM (EDT) with an active fitness class that is fully accessible and inclusive . Classes are taught at a level for tweens/teens but it available to all to join. 

Flamenco Monday taught by Eve Costarelli

Groove & Flow Yoga Wednesday taught by Eve Costarelli

(Fitness classes being offered Monday-Friday, please check them out!)

Eve Costarelli’s preliminary teaching and performing schedule for 2016-2017

Dear Students & Families: past, present and future,

Welcome to my preliminary teaching and performing schedule for 2016-2017. All programs are inclusive and are adaptable.

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1. This year, as lead youth/teen yoga and mindfulness instructor at Open Spirit Center, Framingham and their Nourishing Teachers, Strengthening Classrooms project, I am aiming to bring yoga and mindfulness to target populations of students and faculty at Framingham High School and Hoops and Homework, an award winning After School and Summer Program serving the most under privileged kids in Framingham, MA. *** My ability to reach these populations is determined by grants and private donations though the Open Spirit/ Nourishing Teachers, Strengthening Classrooms Project. For more information, please visit our donation page.
2. I will be at Mini Miracles Childcare Center with Eve’s Awesome Yoga for ages 15 months-6 Years. Classes here are only available for center enrollees. 
3. Anthony Tiriti Tran and I continue our educational program, ¡Olé Flamenco! with both Young Audiences of Massachusetts and Celebrity Series: Arts For All! We can come to your school or community gathering! All programs are inclusive and adaptable.
4. On the performance front, I will be dancing for the Boston Arts Consort and Song Caravan. On the stage, you will find me either dancing traditional flamenco or my beautiful creative gypsy-freestyle, which blends my life of dance into my own artistic expression.
5. I am available for *private and semi private work, site specific choreography, educational presentations and master classes. *My private lesson slots are filling fast.
6. This summer, I had the awesome opportunity to bring yoga to a BINA Farm/Warrior Thunder Foundation event and I hope to do more work with both organizations.
7. On Saturday September 24, 2016, I will be participating in Open Spirit Center’s Day of Spirit. Please join me for my gypsy-freestyle class and how mindful movement assists in freeing your artistic voice. Check Open Spirit Center/ Day of Spirit for more details
8. Just throwing this out there: I am looking to create a 11+ yoga boys class. If you are interested or know of anyone, please share my information with them.

Please contact me for more information. All programs can be tailored to fit your needs. 

Thank you and Remember to Always Be Dancing!

¡Olé Namaste!

Eve

 

 

Book Review: Master of Mindfulness: How to Be Your Own Superhero in Times of Stress by Laurie Grossman, Angelina Alvarez and Mr. Musumeci’s 5th Grade Class

This is book is the real deal…totally authentic…“the truth”…it is an honest, open-hearted expression of what it takes to really stop, take a moment and respond rather than react to things that are stressful and happening right now, in real time. These kids just tell it like it is and with their words and their beautiful art, they allow us to see how they are learning to come to grips with their humanness and how they have come to appreciate and respect the need to self-regulate. The staff and kids are 100% committed to this venture and that is evident from their honesty, bravery and creativity. I really appreciate how this book is presented, from the bright color schemes, the beautiful self-portraits, and the almost graphic novel-like approach, the book offers compelling examples from young people who are coping with stress by not hurting themselves or anyone else for that matter. Instead, they are willing to be calm, insightful, and kind. Masters of Mindfulness, written by Laurie Grossman, co-founder of Mindful Schools and Director of Program Development at Inner Explorer, and Mr. Musumeci’s 5th Grade Class at Reach Academy in Oakland, California, introduces examples of how to be mindful in a straight forward approach, user-friendly manner and since it is written by kids, it is thoroughly believable.

This book is a huge success and it belongs in homes, libraries and on every park bench, school desk and bedside table!

Here is a nice trailer for it! 

Full Disclosure: The publisher sent me a copy of this book. All opinions expressed are my own.

Book Review: Her Lost Year by Tabita Green w/ Rebecka Green

The full title of this book is Her Lost Year: A story of hope and a vision for optimizing children’s mental health.

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This book presents a disturbing narrative of a young girl and her family’s frightening journey through the pharmaceutical drug industry via mainstream psychiatry. I felt swallowed up into their journey as I struggled desperately right alongside, calling out “Beware of the side effects!” and hoping desperately for them to trust their instincts. I have long been shy of the pharmaceutical drug industry and this book walked me through the harrowing tale of a young girls descent into the madness brought on by a cocktail of medications and their side effects. I was so relieved when the parents finally were able to come to a clear understanding of how to help themselves and their daughter. They give a great plug for believing in your intuition! With this book, they share their struggles as a way to provide hope and enlightenment to people about medication and how it does not always have to be the answer. It is necessary to realize there is more than one way to do something and that there are practical, natural way to ensure stability in your life.

This book deserves a place alongside all the psychology, self-help and mindfulness books in every library. It is great for teens, parents and caregivers and every doctor should read it, to get a second opinion!

http://tabitagreen.com/her-lost-year-book/

Full Disclosure: The author provided me with a Kindle copy of Her Lost Year. All opinions expressed are my own.

Book Review: Cognitive Yoga: Mindful Stategies for Teachers by Lee Guerette

 

With school starting just around the corner, I was happy to be able to read and digest the wisdom imparted by Lee Guerette in her book Cognitive Yoga. Through exercises and insights that Lee has developed through her years of working with middle school students, she offers teachers ways to make their teaching more effective and students are made more aware of their own reactivity to themselves and to those around them. This leads to a well-nourished, more relaxed, thriving learning environment.

I loved the chapter about Setting Up A Serene Classroom that explains how subtle changes in the classroom’s physical environment can have huge results in creating a calming atmosphere where the teacher can spend her time teaching rather then controlling. Students do not even need to know that the elements are balanced in order for it to be effective. My other favorite part of the book, was her take on the Gunas, or the great states of energy, and how the interplay of these states of energy defines the character of someone or something. The three states which are sattva : goodness, constructive, harmonious and still, rajas: passionate, active, full of desire and restless, and tamas: dull, oblivious, negative and sluggish. All of these energies are present in each one of us and the purpose of identifying the different gunas is to help the students to be more aware of their own physical and mental states plus that of the surrounding environment. The coup de grâce is her likening each one of these energies to an animal personality: Satva= swan, Raja=tiger and tamas=sloth. Such a great teaching moment for kids and really so useful in my yoga classes in the public school environment.

Cognitive Yoga is focused on making school life accessible and successful for all students and teachers and on how to make life work constructively within the school environment. Ms. Guerrette shows her belief that all kids possess a gift for the world and by clearing the way for educators to do their jobs, the students will be able to grow, train and nourish this gift. Teachers in turn will find profound fulfillment. A phrase that comes to mind when I take in Ms. Guerette’s words is “Not knowing is different thany not knowing yet!”

I highly recommend this book for new and seasoned teachers alike and believe should be in every school library.

Full Disclosure: The author provided me with a copy of Cognitive Yoga. All opinions expressed are my own.

Book Review: Red Turban White Horse by Nadini Bajpai

I just finished reading the delightful debut YA novel “Red Turban White Horse” written by the local author Nandini Bajpai that is set in the Metrowest (of Boston) and is full of thinly disguised local references. For someone, like myself, living in the region, this is a tasty treat!

The heroine of the story (Padmini “Mini” Kapoor) is a resourceful, caring teen who comes in charge of orchestrating her older sisters wedding while at the same time a hurricane is barreling down the east coast. Mini is a generous soul and armed with the current know-how of how-to-get-things done, she sets about to get everything in order from location to caterer to finding their mother’s lehengas (a skirt that is long, embroidered and pleated) that have been packed away for many years so that her sister can have the fairy tale wedding she deserves.

Start with the rich descriptions of the beautiful fabrics of the lehengas, from the gold and cranberry to the raspberry and silver, add in the mouth-watering descriptions of the delicious aromatic curries, warm crusty garlic naans, fragrant rice and Tandoori chicken, and then sprinkle in sweet, youthful romance and strong family values and you have a little slice of swarg!

I highly recommend this YA novel! It is a fun romp through Indian-American culture, with strong, likable characters and lots of local flavor (I did reach out to the author and she indicated that the little takeaway that comes to Mini’s rescue is loosely based on a diner on Route 9 in Framingham called Welcome India. I can’t wait to try them sometime.)

Full disclosure: I stumbled upon this book at the LOCAL library book sale! All opinions expressed are my own.

Book Reveiw: Carla and Leo’s World of Dance by Agatha Relota/Illustrations by Thierry Perez

                                                                    

It is rare to find a book about ballroom dancing for children, but that is exactly what Carla and Leo’s World of Dance  by Agatha Relota delivers. This book is a guide to ballroom dancing that also explains about the places where the dances come from and how, in a very special way, that dance and music bring different cultures together. Throughout the book, the wonderful world of ballroom dance is told through the eyes of two eager students taking in the magic of the waltz, fox trot, swing, merengue, mambo, cha-cha, rumba, salsa, tango and samba.

The accompanying illustrations by Thierry Perez are very charming and are reminiscent of fashion sketches. I really appreciate the diverse color palette and the varied line strokes used to enliven the images. The illustrations really embody the unique quality of each dance style! As the children learn each dance style, we discover great cultural tips, music, history and art associated with each style. We are also taught the emotional quality of each dance, various language cues and descriptions of rhythmic timing and how the steps fall within the music.   

What I really enjoyed was how to the two lead characters worked together for a bigger purpose than just their relationship. I love that it shows kids willing to try something new and wanting to learn, even when it is not something that everyone else is doing. Through positive affirmations, clear explanations and fantastic details, I too felt I could learn these dances and how much fun it would be!

Three cheers for a well written and beautifully illustrated journey into the world of ballroom dance. I am sure this should be on the book shelf of every boy and girl who is determined to learn and explore.

Full Disclosure: The author provided me with a copy of Carla and Leo’s World of Dance. All opinions expressed are my own.

Book Review: The Autism Playbook For Teen by Irene McHenry PhD and Carol Moog PhD

I so gratefully received a copy of The Autism Playbook for Teens by Irene McHenry PhD and Carol Moog PhD months ago. I read it and immediately began implementing the strategies in it but it took me way too long to write this review. My deepest apologies to both the authors as this is a book worth having in your library, recommending to all your students and using for yourself.

What I like most about this book is its straight forward, practical approach to empowering special ability teens. We can all learn something from this book! Self control is not an easy thing and each time I learn one of the strategies to teach to my students, I teach myself.

In class, I introduce a mindfulness activity from the book to my students and then they practice with their families over the week. When we reconvene for our next lesson, we go over the past technique and when the right “teaching” moment presents itself, I introduce a new technique. Going about it this way, my hope is that as time goes on they will be able to draw forth these calming practices naturally to soothe themselves, build their self-confidence and help them interact more comfortably in social situations.

I love this book because it enables teens with special needs to take control of themselves. I think the strategies presented are accessible to them and I highly recommend this book to teens, adults and professionals alike. It is user-friendly and is full meaningful and practical ways to make the mindfulness connection for teens with special needs. I see this book as a necessary addition to libraries, to schools, to yoga teachers, to parents and to anyone who is or who works with teenagers with special needs.

Full Disclosure: The authors provided me with a copy of The Autism Playbook for Teens to review. All opinions expressed are my own.

Yoga Card Decks

One great tool I have found for my kids yoga classes is the number of fun and well made yoga cards. Each deck has a unique twist and the kids just love to use them.

1. Yoga Pretzels: 50 Fun Activities for Kids & Grownups by Tara Guber and Leah Kalish

2. Yoga Warrior Cards by Shakta Kaur Khalsa

3. The Kids’ Yoga Deck: 50 Poses and Games by Annie Buckley

4. Fun with Sun Yoga: Yoga Cards and Guidebook for Children’s Yoga by Dr. Jacqueline Koay

5. Yoga Planet Deck by Tara Guber, Leah Kalish, and Sophie Fatus

6. Yoga For Teens Card Deck by Mary Kaye Chryssicas

7. Yoga to the Rescue: Remedies for Real Girls (61 Card Deck) by Amy Luwis

8. Creative Yoga Games for Kids Volumes 1 & 2 by Yoga Education Resources

9. The ABCs of Yoga For Kids Learning Cards by Theresa Anne Power