Annie Buckley

The Star pose offers a great, big stretch in every direction. You will reach through your arms and legs and lengthen your spine. You will feel a connection to earth and sky. But the important thing is that this pose starts at the center and moves outward. Imagine a bright light at your heart and let it reach through your body into the space around you.

This pose is no different for children or adults. I have heard very young students tell me what their star looked like – rainbow stars and glittery golden stars – and I have seen adult students literally seem to inhabit themselves in a new way, from the inside out. So take some calm breaths in and out in the Star pose, and shine your light through the day.

For parents and caregivers: At the close of a yoga class, we say, Namaste, essentially: “The light in me greets the light in you.” But in day-to-day life, it’s too easy to focus instead on our flaws and challenges instead of remembering to see the best in each of us. I recently read a wonderful book, Tattoos on the Heart, by Greg Boyle, priest and founder of Homeboy Industries. His stories, culled from work with gangs over the past 25 years, are a testament to unconditional love in even the most trying circumstances. They offer an inspiring reminder to see the best and brightest part of ourselves and of those around us.

Namaste
~Annie

For more information on Annie Buckley’s Kids Yoga Deck or Once Upon a Time: Creative Writing Fun for Kids, please see Chronicle Books.com or anniebuckley.com.