Monday, September 17, 2012

Yoga Jammin

I know how to golf.  Like for real.
My dad's a golfer and I grew up hanging out on the green with him during vacations.  I'd play in the sand traps, putt on the green, and eventually when I got older even drive the golf cart around and play the full 18 holes.

I stopped playing golf pretty much as soon as I turned old enough to not tag along with my dad places.
I don't miss it at all, I never found it exciting.  Golf's not really exciting.  I mean, driving the golf cart around was pretty awesome.  But hitting and chasing a ball from one spot to another, just doesn't really tickle me.

But, what was cool was how my dad shared his passions.  He brought me along to watch and participate, showing that kids and adult fun can exist in the same realm, and that I could be apart of his present identity.  He showed me what fun looked like to him, and this also forced me to see adults as individuals and not just as people out there to serve, feed and fertilize children.

As boring as golf seemed, I don't remember hating it.  I remember feeling engaged and a part of something vastly green and adult.  And peaceful on many levels.

And I'd like to share things like that with my kids.

Which is why I've been looking for kid friendly yoga events.  It's not simple, cause typically yoga practice is held in studios, where people need to be silent, so they can focus internally and hear their breath.  Just try to focus with a kid in the room, "mom, I need to go potty.  mom, i'm hungry.  mom, what's that pose called?"
So immediately after finding out about this kid-friendly yoga and music festival in Southern VA called Floyd Yoga Jam, I bat the eyelashes at Mari to go.  Surprisingly, he didn't take much convincing.  He seemed pretty stoked with the idea.

And when Friday morning departure time came, I heard him playing some weird new age Tibenan classical meditation karma music as he packed up the car.

Kaio and Nala came along because I sold it as a 'Yoga Festival' and they always have fun at festivals. But Kaio kept insisting their would be monster trucks there.  Not sure why, but his imagination does wish almost any truck on the road into a monster truck.  When I told him the name of the festival was Yoga Jam, well that got him really upset.  He thought we were taunting him about Monster Jam.
Anyway.

Although it seemed like a tough first day for them (they left Saturday morning to drive around town) after that they seemed to relax into the pace and freedom.  The kids loved staying up late dancing at the concerts.  They didn't really do any yoga.  Nala went to one class but sat on the mat the whole time playing with grass.  I loved seeing that they could exist for a couple days without TV or computers.






Kaio loved slacklining.  I'm thinking of setting something up in the back yard.






I liked slacking too.  The areal yoga was pretty impressive as well.


During Lotus Flow class a butterfly fluttered in and landed on this lady.  The butterfly stayed on her for a long set of poses.


The teacher took a moment to tell a story about butterflies and how the struggle from the cocoon gives them the strength to fly.  I loved this class.  Actually it was the funnest class I've ever taken, taught by Dana Trixie Flynn of Laughing Lotus, NYC.



Kaio playing with the other future yogis and areal yogis.  He only fell on his head once.  Nala wanted to climb to the top of this thing and one of the older girls said to her, "Aren't you scared?"  At that point she realized she should probably be scared and decided to climb down.


Playing in the crazy dome hammock contraption.  I'd also like to build one of these in my backyard.  Maybe then the kids wouldn't want to spend so much time watching tv.




Yay.  I love camping, music, yoga.  So much fun!

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