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hOMe practices
because home is not just a place, it's a state of being
Do you feel the swirling of spring in the air? After a handful of snow falls and surprise arctic storms a great thaw is taking place. And not just in the weather. Throughout this pandemic we’ve all been in a hibernation of sorts: incubating ideas, pausing plans, cocooning with family, keeping things close to home. But now warmer temps have inspired a flurry of activity. I personally have experienced an awakening of my creative soul, and with renewed vigor have taken on a handful of projects that before existed only in my mind. Taking little actions every day to work on them has felt really good. Whereas before I had dreaded the work, now I meet the tasks with excitement and eagerness. There’s an ease to it, which I believe means I’m on the right path. But there’s always the danger of returning to the pre-pandemic pace: trying to fit in too much in one day, or juggling too many things at once. It’s easy to feel grounded when not much is going on. The real practice is cultivating a sense of calm and centeredness when everything else is quickening and swirling around us.
Practice with SoulShine Life Yoga for Kids videos online! – and please subscribe to my YouTube Channel
Below I’m sharing:
- Your superpower: controlling the weather…within.
- Feel the beauty of your bloom with Flower Pose.
- Superhero Breath to help calm and center.
- Calming family craft – glitter jar to help settle the swirling of feelings inside.
photos: LoganZillmerphotography.tumbler
April's Musings
We can't change the weather inside, but we do have some control on the weather within.
In the past weeks I went from having nothing on the calendar to having multiple appointments, calls, online classes – a full plate. The newfound buzz has been jarring. And upside to the COVID pandemic was having permission to not have to be anywhere or see anyone. Friends have remarked how they too have noticed the change. I wonder what things we’ll remember to take with us when things return back to “normal.” Before the pandemic, we were all running at such break-neck speeds. There was too much going on. Will we start being more intentional about what we put on our schedules, allowing for space to just be, sit and do nothing?
 On a particularly busy day I caught myself feeling overwhelmed. My heart was racing, my breath shallow, a tightening in the stomach just thinking about all the things I needed to do. Outside the winds were strong, whipping around our terrace lifting the stray dried leaves into a swirling fluttering. Nature’s reflection of my inner world, I thought to myself. I imagined myself to be like Storm, a character from the X-men comics, the mutant who can control the weather. I paused to close my eyes and focus on my breath. On my inhale I imagined making space- between the thoughts and to-do things on my list; and on the exhale, I pictured the settling of the wind and the leaves. The breaths were slow and deep. After a couple of minutes focusing solely on my breaths, I slowly opened my eyes. The wind was still howling, but the knots in my stomach had softened, my heartbeat was back to its regular pace, and my mind was less busy, clearer. I had settled my own storm.
 Changes in weather and circumstances are inevitable. Much of it is truly out of our control. But while we can’t change all the elements outside of ourselves, we can change our response to those changes. When stressful or anxious moments arise it’s essential to remember our innate superpower: The Breath. So simple, accessible, and free! As we enter the beauty and the buzzing of Spring, can we take some of the quiet from winter with us?
As the earth awakens from its winter slumber, I invite you to greet the Spring with an exhale (and inhale): Take the Befriend Your Breath Challenge
How is your relationship to your breath? Do you remember a time when the power of your breath came to the rescue? Please share with me your breath-memories at april@soulshinelife.com or on our SoulShine Life FB page.
Art/Photography:
TheWeatherInside by AudreyHawkinsnyc.com, "Different Weathers" Me.Facebook, "Nimbus-de-Toekomst" by Berndnaut Smilde
Pose of the Month: Flower Pose
 This fun balancing pose strengthens your belly muscles and opens the hips.
Follow the flowers beginning to poke their beauty through the soil. Sitting on your bottom with the soles of your feet together. Imagine “digging into the pot” of the space you made with your legs, like planting a new seed and scoop your hands under your ankles. On your next exhale, tuck your navel in and lift one foot and then the other leaning back to balance on your bottom. Smell the flower petals of your feet – taking in the scents of spring (or smelly socks!). Keeping heels together fan your toes open. What flower did you grow? Hold for three breaths, then bring your feet back down.
photo: April Cantor
Play-with-Me Poses: Partner Flower
 Start sitting, your feet together, facing your partner. Take hold of each other’s hands, or wrists. Connect the soles of one pair of feet—press the feet together stretching your legs out at an angle. Look at your partner’s eyes and share a smile. Tell your partner: “I’ve got you.” Connect the other pair of feet. Press feet firmly together (legs straight or slightly bent depending on your comfort). Keep holding tight to your partner’s hands, lifting your hearts up as your balance. Tell your partner your favorite flower. Breathe in their answer. Slowly take your feet back down. Complete this pose with a hug. Breathe in each other’s presence. Remember to thank your partner.
Photo: Barry Blumenfeld
Breathing Practice of the Month: Superhero Breath
 Stand in your power. Slow things down. Make space inside when you feel crammed with activity and thoughts. Breathing slowly and deeply activates our parasympathetic nervous system and short circuits our fight-flight response to stressful situations, giving us a chance to greet the next moment with calm, confidence and clarity.
Start by placing one hand on your belly and the other on your chest. Feel the flow of breath, going in and out. Notice if your breathing is fast or slow, deep or shallow. Consciously deepen the breath by exhaling completely, then invite breath in by inhaling into your belly, move air up expanding the ribs and then feel a slight lift in the collarbones as you move the air to the top of the lungs. Pause at the top – feel the space you’ve made inside. Then exhale from the top down: collarbones, ribs, belly. Draw navel in for a full exhalation. Pause for a moment, feeling that emptying out of stress. Then repeat: Inhale, belly, ribs, upper chest. Pause to feel the lift of your super-heart. Exhale: chest, ribs, belly. Take 3-5 slow, deep breaths experiencing your inner superhero at every pause at the top of the inhale.
 Check out this video for a closer look. Join the Befriend Your Breath Challenge. No better time than the present to try it!
Image: Storm/Marvel.com,
Family Mindfulness Practice: Mindful Glitter Jars
 This simple craft is fun for the whole family to make. I use this prop often to teach kids how to regulate emotions. I find the glitter jar a highly effective calming tool at any age! Repurpose an old mason jar, plastic bottle or baby food container – any container with a good seal. Keep the jar in a special corner of your classroom or home where one can take a breath-break to help settle the swirling of feelings inside.
When you’re feeling overwhelmed, angry, or over-excited – step out of the situation to shake the Glitter Jar, reminding yourself that the swirling of glitter inside is like the storm brewing within. Stop shaking the jar and hold it still. Watch and observe the change happening inside the jar. Breathe slow deep breaths (sometimes you need 3-5 breaths, or more) as you watch the glitter settle to the bottom of the jar, calming the storm inside. Stop.Watch.Breathe. As many times as you need, until you feel calm and ready to talk things out or to meet the next interaction with clarity.
There are many variations on this project on-line but I found this to be the most simple.
Materials needed:
Clear glass jar or plastic bottle (with tight-fitting lid)
Water
Glitter – preferably 2 kinds, multiple colors
Super-glue (optional)
Make sure your jar/bottle & lid have been cleaned with soap and water. Drop a scoop (about 1TB for small jar to ½ c for larger container) of glitter into your container. Mixing different colors and different sizes of glitter can produce a more mesmerizing effect. Fill the jar with tap water till full. Screw lid on tightly. You may want to apply superglue or a light, liquid adhesive around the rim of the jar to keep the lid secure (optional).
This one uses glue for a longer suspension affect.
Image: Parents.com
SoulShine Spotlight
Special people doing special things worth checking out
 Soul Fire Farm
I was introduced to this special organization through an online textiles conference focusing on sustainability. The diversity and inclusivity of their community gives me hope. Their mission statement expresses this main goal: We are training the next generation of activist-farmers and strengthening the movements for food sovereignty and community self-determination.
To be working so closely to the land. To be growing community. To be educating the public about the inequities of healthy food distribution and access & consulting public officials how to break that system – this is Spring in action. Please consider supporting their efforts.
Where's April and SoulShine Life this Spring?
Classes and events
 March – Teaching in-person yoga at a handful of preschools. Also offering virtual classes. Wrapping up Yoga Club for Middle Schoolers at Friends Seminary NYC. Soaking in the sun in Puerto Rico and FL for my family’s Spring Break.
April – Celebrating my birthday month by treating myself to learning a new skill which feeds my artistic-side ( Bonnie Christine’s Immersion course on Surface Design—like going back to school!)
 Need a kids yoga break now? Check out my YouTube Channel for kids yoga with stories and creative movement.
IG: @whataprilmakes – take a gander at what I’ve been making.
 If interested in continuing or starting kids’ yoga from the convenience of your home via Zoom please reach out to me about private lessons – for you, or a gather a group of friends together. Contact April at april@soulshinelife.com to set up a time.
We're proud to announce that SoulShine Life is bringing Kids Yoga Adventures to the following schools this year:
Brooklyn Preschool of Science
New Playground
Ladybug Daycares & Preschool
West Village Nursery School
Brooklyn Free Space
Friends Seminary NYC*
* - Recently added programs! Welcome to the SoulShine Life community.
If you’d like to see your child’s school on this list please contact me about getting a yoga program started there.
Thanks for taking the time to read this newsletter.
SoulShine Life hopes to help kids and parents connect to themselves, each other and the nature around them. I believe the spiritual evolution of this nation & our world depends on us raising healthy, happy and whole families that have found that right balance between work and play—no one else is going to do it for us.
You know that saying: “We teach what we most need to learn?” I certainly don’t pretend to know all the answers or even that I’ve mastered all the things I suggest. This is an invitation to take this learning journey with me. I thank you for staying connected not just with me, and not just with your family, but most importantly to yourselves.
Namaste - The Light in Me Sees the Light in You!
April Cantor, RYT has 20+ years of experience teaching yoga and exclusively to children for the past ten. Her company, SoulShine Life, not only provides Kids Yoga Adventures to local preschools and daycares but also helps families & parents reconnect to themselves, each other and nature through Family Yoga Hikes and Partner Yoga Workshops.
Please visit: www.soulshinelife.com to learn more.
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