** I have no affiliate relationships with any of the below, and receive no compensation of any kind for endorsing them. These are resources that I use myself as a parent and children's yoga teacher and because they are so amazing I want to share them with all of you.

Janet Lansbury
Janet Lansbury is my go-to for all things parenting. Her gentle, respectful and positive approach to raising children resonates deep in my heart. I listen to her podcast, Unruffled, in the car after dropping my daughter off at school in the morning. There is no subject she doesn't cover as she answers a different email question in each episode. Her advice on how parents should discipline is always coming from a place of curiosity, respect and love, and never from a place of punishing, shaming or harming in any way. I have learned SO MUCH from her podcasts, including how to be more understanding of where my child is coming from and what she is experiencing. Ever heard the saying, "My child isn't giving me a hard time, she is HAVING a hard time?" Well it's true, and Janet has helped me to see this and respond accordingly. When I implement what I learn from her in our daily home life, I notice a positive change every single time. 
In addition to her podcast she also has two books, Elevating Childcare; a Guide to Respectful Parenting and No Bad Kids; Toddler Discipline Without Shame. Check out her website and follow her on Facebook for all her latest.

Dr. Laura Markham
I was first introduced to Dr. Laura Markham when an acquaintance recommended her positive parenting workshop several years ago. I saw her in person and loved everything that she had to say. Her approach to handling conflict with children was different then anything had ever seen before. During a role-play exercise, she demonstrated how she would respond to two fighting siblings, one of which had just hit the other. I was shocked to see her responding to the hitter with as much love, compassion and comforting as she did the one who had been hit. It wasn't that she was condoning or allowing the physical behavior, but she was compassionate for what the hitter felt and experienced, causing them to act that way. It immediately felt right to me and I knew I had found someone whose advice I could trust. In addition to in person workshops and lectures, Dr. Laura Markham has books, articles, videos and many free resources you can check out on her website, Aha! Parenting. For all her latest, follow her on Facebook!


Taking Back Childhood, by Nancy Carlsson-Paige
I discovered this book completely by mistake when I stumbled upon it in my library. There are not many books in the parenting section of my library that fit a positive parenting philosophy, so this one jumped right out at me. Within the first few pages, I knew this book would change the way I parent. I may have been a child once myself, but it doesn't mean I understand what it's like to be one anymore. Taking Back Childhood changed that for me. It offered me a window into the social and emotional development of children, taught me about different ways to look at and interpret my child's behavior, and how I can better interact with her to best meet her needs. The information in this book allowed me to understand my daughter better. That. Is. Amazing.
After beginning this book I felt a deep sense of sadness that every parent out there wasn't privy to this information. It made me realize how badly we misinterpret and misunderstand our children, and as a result, react instead of respond, which is not at all what they need. I felt so grateful that I found it, but at the same time couldn't help but think about all the other parents out there who have not read this book, and would not ever read it.  
This book also delves deeply into the issues that are harming our kids today, including too much screen time and the violence they are exposed to in shows, movies and video games.  There was no way I could return this book to the library and never read it again so I immediately bought it on Amazon and have since marked up the whole book with highlighted sections, notes in the margins and dog-eared pages that I don't want to forget about. I have even bought copies of this book to give to other parents as gifts. Do yourself and your children a favor -- read this book!!

Zen Mama; Walking the Crooked Path of Motherhood, by Karen Maezen-Miller 
A friend mentioned this book to me one day, back when my daughter was still a baby and the way she spoke so highly of it made me run out and buy it right away. It was totally worth it and quickly became another book that I would buy copies of to give to other moms as gifts. Being a first time mom is full of love, joy and happiness … but lets be honest, its also confusing, scary, depressing, frustrating and exhausting. The author combines her own experience as a parent with her years of experience with Zen meditation to offer advice and bits of wisdom that are easy to take with you and remember long after the book is closed.  What I love most about this book is that you don't have to read it cover to cover in order to benefit from the information. You can read a chapter if that's all you have time for, and not pick it up again for months. Heck, you can read just one page if that's all you have time for. You can even read the chapters out of order and it doesn't even matter. The material is presented in a way that can work for you however you chose to take it in. And you know what's really cool? No matter what stage of parenting I'm in at the time I pick this book up, whatever chapter I chose to read seems to apply to what's happening, and speaks to what I need help with, or need reassurance about. Snag your copy here.

Breathe Mama, Breathe: 5-Minute Mindfulness for Busy Moms by Shonda Moralis
I found this book while at Michaels buying yarn. Random, right? I didn't even know Michaels sold books. But this one was staring me in the face as I turned the corner, and interestingly enough, was experiencing a lot of stress at that time in my life so the Universe must have known I needed it! This book is awesome because it introduces meditation and mindfulness in a way that is easy and comfortable. I think a lot of people don't meditate because of all their preconceived ideas of what meditation is supposed to be. But this book shows that meditation doesn't have to be hours of sitting still in silence -- who has time for that with little kids running around?? -- it can be two minutes in your closet where you take some deep breaths before returning to whatever sent you in there in the first place. It can be taking the time to give yourself some positive reinforcement and it can be slowing down just long enough to recognize what's happening in your physical body when your stressed.
The best mindfulness activity I learned from this book is the Triangle Meditation. This meditation involves looking at three different aspects of yourself when your upset: your thoughts, your emotions and your physical sensations. The idea is that if you are aware of them, and can change ONE, it will in turn change the others as well. For example, being late for things really stresses me out. So when I find myself being triggered by a late start in the morning, I try to stop and notice what my thoughts are (we are going to be late...I have to rush now...my whole day will be off because of this...) what my emotions are (frustration...concern...anxiety...) and what physical sensations I notice (tense muscles...tight jaw...hunched shoulders...fast heart rate...) I then pick the one that is easiest for me to access and change, which is my physical sensations. I unclench my jaw, I relax my muscles, I take deep breaths to slow my heart rate. Then the miracle happens --> My thoughts and my emotions begin to change as well. I start to recognize that being late for school drop off  this morning is small potatoes and my emotions change from anxiety and frustration to calm and acceptance. It's pretty wild!
Whether you have 1 hour or 1 minute, you can carry out the mindfulness activities in this book, trust me. Grab it here.

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.