Seva is a Sanskrit word meaning selfless service. It means giving of ourselves to others, our time, energy, resources, love, attention, etc. and all without the expectation of anything in return.  Even though we are not expecting anything in return, there is so much joy and happiness we get when we give selflessly to others. Think about how it feels when someone gives something of themselves to you with no expectations that you do something in return. It might be their time, their money, or their help with something. When these things happen to me, I feel a warmth and happiness that radiates from the inside out and that spirit of freely giving to others is so contagious! When someone gives freely to me, it makes me want to give freely to others. What an awesome thing to put in motion, and a wonderful practice to pass on to our children.

One way to develop a Seva practice in your family, school or community is to create/organize/participate in community service projects. Here are 10 project ideas you can do with your children whether its just you and your kids or a community event that you put together.

1. Bake sale that benefits a charity or organization
2. Create cards for hospitalized children
3. Volunteer at a local pet shelter
4. Visit a nursing home and make a new friend!
5. Organize a town clean up day to pick up trash and clean your neighborhood
6. Organize a food drive for a local food bank
7. Do yard work for elderly community members
8. Create care packages for children in hospitals
9. Create cards or make treats for your towns first responders
10. Organize a clothing drive and donate to a local shelter

​Meet Jaclyn Becker, school teacher and 2018 Peace Play Graduate. Check out Jaclyn's video below to hear how her students are asking to stay in for recess to do yoga!

You asked, I answered! In my first Q&A video I answer the question, how can I do yoga at home with my kids? by telling you about some of my favorite kids yoga books that will help you to EASILY start an at home yoga practice with your little ones!

The changing of seasons is a great time to take your children outside and teach them about nature. When kids spend time playing outdoors, they can learn about plants and animals, explore everything that nature has to offer, and begin to understand their connection to the planet.  Here are some simple ways to add a little more nature time into every day. 

As adults, we are used to the symptoms that come from a lack of grounding, even if we don’t recognize that it’s a feeling of groundedness that we are lacking. You know how sometimes you let the busyness of your life take over and as a result you feel like you are out of control, running on autopilot, disconnected from friends and family, and disconnected from the Earth? Yup. That’s a lack of grounding.

Children can experience this as well. It happens when they get overwhelmed by those big emotions and lose their connection with their body and breath. It happens when they spend too much time sitting in a classroom or staring at an iPad, and not enough time moving their bodies. It happens then they are overscheduled with countless activities that leave them little or no time for free play. And it happens when they don’t spend enough time outside exploring nature.

Sometimes children need to touch the Earth, to hold a piece of it in their hands, in order to remember that they are a part of it, and to feel connected to it. When we help children to feel grounded, we are reminding them to return to their physical body, to pay attention to their breath, to recognize and remember that they are a part of the Earth, and that they are connected to everyone and everything on the planet.

Here is a simple and fun activity that you can do with your children to help them feel grounded, whether you are a parent, school teacher, therapist, children’s yoga teacher or anyone working with kids in some manner.

Grounding Activity for Children

1. Take your children outside to hunt for a special rock. This can be any kind of rock they are drawn to, as long as it isn’t too heavy and can fit in the palm of their hand. (You can skip this step and collect rocks in advance to hand out to the children if you are teaching a class and cannot take them outside.)
2. Once they have collected their rocks, find a quiet and peaceful place to sit, indoors or outdoors.
3. Have the children hold their rock in their hands and close their eyes. They can play with the rock, turn it over, feel its smooth or bumpy surface, and notice any qualities about the rock. This is a quiet moment for them to connect to a piece of the Earth.
4. After a few moments, direct the children’s attention to how hard and sturdy their rock is. Remind them how sturdy the Earth is as it holds and supports them.
5. Keeping eyes closed, recite this short mantra to the children line by line, and have them repeat it back to you.                               
               I am here. I feel my body.
              I hear my breath. I am part of the Earth.
6. Children can keep their rock in a special place or even carry it around with them so that whenever those feelings of upset and disconnect come over them, they can hold onto their rock and recite their mantra to help them feel calm, stable and grounded.

While November is all about giving thanks, ANY time of year is the right time to practice gratitude. Here are 15 gratitude activities you and your family can do together to start developing an attitude of gratitude! 

Sarah is a 1st grade teacher who completed the Peace Play Children's Yoga Teacher Training in March of 2016. Check out her video below about what she has been up to since completing the training and the awesome ways she is helping to bring more peace to the world by incorporating daily yoga into her classroom. 

~ Connect with Sarah via email ~

~ Want to learn more about what other Peace Play graduates are doing as Certified Children's Yoga Teachers? Check out this inspiring video from another amazing grad, Alyssa Cariani. ~

There are so many simple, every day things we can do to teach children compassion, to show that we are all connected and to demonstrate how we can take care of each other. Children learn from example, so for the month of February I challenge you to model compassion and kindness as often as possible. Invite your children to participate, too! Below is a kindness calendar that you and your family can do together. One random act of kindness for each day. Have fun and spread the kindness!

Hear what some of the Peace Play graduates are doing with their certifications and learn more about how this training can benefit you, whether you are looking to start a career working with children or want to incorporate yoga into the work you are already doing.  Below is a video from Peace Play graduate Alyssa Cariani on how becoming a Certified Children's Yoga Teacher has helped in her work as a Licensed Drug & Alcohol Counselor. 

Alyssa Cariani is a licensed professional counselor, a licensed clinical drug & alcohol counselor and a mental health and addictions advocate. You can learn more about Alyssa at her Psychology Today page, get in touch with her via email or follow her on Instagram @alyssacarianitherapy.

By: Teresa Robinson, R-CYT & Peace Play Graduate

​Vision boarding is a fun and creative way to teach children goal planning. A vision board is a collage of cutout pictures, words, and phrases that affirm or correlate to your goals, or anything you want to accomplish or acquire. Vision boards put the Law of Attraction in motion, which, simply put, is the ability to attract into our lives whatever we focus on. By creating a vision board, children create a daily visual reference to remind them of their goals and what they are working to achieve.  
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Though people of all ages benefit from having a vision board, this activity is especially beneficial to children because it teaches them how to look forward to what they want to accomplish, and provides a plan for them to succeed. Vision board parties provide a delightful atmosphere of bonding, self-reflection, and intention-setting. Having children create a vision board is a fun and creative way to get them thinking about and planning their future!
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What you will need:
·        poster board
·        blank paper
·        magazines
·        scissors
·        glue sticks
·        markers or colored pencils
·        other available arts & crafts supplies (stickers, glitter, etc).
 
To get started:
1.      Have children sit quietly for a few moments to center.
2.      Offer a brief introduction or explanation of the purpose of the vision board they will 
          make.
3.      Provide a sheet of paper for notes on what they want to accomplish this year.
4.      Search through magazines; cut out pictures, words, phrases, images, etc.
5.      Glue the cutouts to the board in any way desired. Be creative! This will be a daily
​          reminder of what you are working towards, so make it appealing to the eye!
6.      Next, it’s time to state those intentions out loud, for the Universe to hear! Offer the
​         option to present their boards to the group.
7.      Place vision board somewhere in the home where it will be seen every day (e.g.
​         hang/mount on bedroom wall, like a poster).

Vision boards are living documents and can be revisited/updated at any time, as needed/desired.
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