Heal The World
Sometimes we may feel powerless against all of the changes that are happening around us and the suffering in the world.
We may feel helpless in what we can do to help.
But there is always a way to help...
If we can’t help with our hands, we can help with our words. If we can’t be of service with words, maybe our intentions can be of assistance.
Sometimes staying away and doing nothing can be helpful too.
But above all, helping ourselves, always helps others.
If we are stable and solid, we can be of better service to others. If we are uplifted, we uplift everyone around us.
Today, as most of us are made to be isolated at home because of the Coronavirus, at least as much to protect others as to protect ourselves, let’s take some inner action to both care for ourselves and to send love and healing to the world!
This class is made again in a way that is also easy to teach to your students online... Have fun with it!
Bring: Candle, Lighter, Paper, Pen/Texter/Pencil
Lighting a Candle For All Of Those Who May Need It
Place a candle in a safe place. Hold a match or a lighter, or have a grownup help you with this, and before we light the candle take a few deep breaths. Come to the here and now and bring your whole being and every piece of you to the present.
Gather your intentions and move to light the candle knowing that by lighting your light you are making the whole world a bit brighter.
Now look at the light and gather it with your hands and pour it (figuratively) over your head, your heart and your body. Use your hands to gather the light and wash yourself with it.
Now hold your hands in front of your eyes and feel the warmth and love from the light filling you up and radiating from you.
Stay here for a bit and then start thinking about anyone else that you know may need this light...When it feels right, start sharing this light with all of those people. You can keep your eyes closed and by moving your hands send the light to those who need it.
2-3 Minutes
Focusing the Gaze
We are going to use our candle now to do this very ancient yogic exercise called Tratak, or candle gazing. This exercise is also said to help improve eyesight and even help in developing clairvoyance, but more immediately it teaches us to focus our minds on one thing at a time and let our minds become more calm and relaxed.
Place a lit candle at eye level and gaze at the brightest part of the flame without blinking.
Keep gazing at the flame until your eyes tear up a bit or until you feel a slight burning sensation, then you can close your eyes and keep seeing the flame in your mind, imagining it to be between your eyebrows.
When the image fades, you can reopen your eyes and do the exercise again. Try not to think of other things while doing this practice, focus on the candle only.
Many kids can see rainbow colors all around the flame when they do this, and sometimes even the whole world disappears and all you can see is the flame.
5 Minutes
Peace breath
Continuing straight from here...
Inhale, lifting your arms up, and then exhale, bringing your arms to your sides, saying a very long “peace...”
You can even try to practice breathing peace in different languages: Shalom (Hebrew), Salaam (Arabic), Shanti (Hindi), Mir (Russian), Pache (Italian), Aloha (Hawaiian) etc... See how many ways your students know to say Peace!
With each peace you say aloud, send love and healing to the world.
2-3 Minutes
Peace Sun Dance
As we move through our Sun Dance today we are going to send good intentions all around, all over the world!
Practice yourself a couple of times before you teach so that you can remember it... But don’t worry if you can’t get it exactly like that... The intention here is to one after the other open up, bend down, twist to the right and twist to the left, while sending love to the North, South, East and West.
1. Tall Mountain - Inhale, lift your arms up, stretch and lengthen, then bend back a bit and open your chest - Send love to all of the people in the North.
2. Standing Forward Bend - Exhale, bend forward and down, keep your legs straightish,
touch your toes if you can - Send love to all of the people in the South.
3. Twisted Standing Forward Bend To The Right - Inhale, raise only your right arm up,
open your chest and twist to the right - Send love to all of the people in the East.
4. Twisted Standing Forward Bend To The Left - Exhale to put the right hand down and
inhale to lift the left hand up, open your chest and twist to the left - Send love to all of
the people in the West.
5. Low Lunge Hand Up - Exhale to bring the left hand down, inhale and step the left leg
back, lift your arms up and open your chest, left knee on the floor - Send love to all of
the people in the North.
6. Low Lunge Hands Down - Exhale lower your hand down on either side of your right
foot - Send love to all of the people in the South.
7. Twisted Low Lunge - Inhale, raise only your right arm up, open your chest and twist to
the right - Send love to all of the people in the East.
8. Legs Switch - Jump switch your legs so that the left foot is forward now between your
hands.
9. Low Lunge Hand Up - Inhale and step the right leg back, lift your arms up and open
your chest, right knee on the floor - Send love to all of the people in the North.
10. Low Lunge Hands Down - Exhale lower your hand down on either side of your left foot - Send love to all of the people in the South.
11. Twisted Low Lunge - Inhale, raise only your left arm up, open your chest and twist to
the left - Send love to all of the people in the West.
12. Plank - Exhale, bring your left leg back to a pushup position.
13. Rainbow, Right Hand Up - Inhaling, shift your weight to your left hand and stack the
right foot on top of the left, bring your right hand up as you try to keep your body in one
line - Send love to all of the people in the East.
14. Rainbow, Left Hand Up - Exhale and come back to plank, inhale and shift your weight
to your right hand and stack the left foot on top of the right bring your left hand up - Send love to all of the people in the West.
15. Chaturanga - Exhale bringing yourself back to plank and then lowering down to
Chaturanga, Hands under shoulders, elbows bent, body held in one line hovering over
the mat.
16. Upward Facing Dog - Inhale, push the floor away with your hands, open your chest and look up - Send love to all of the people in the North.
17. Downward Facing Dog - Exhale, tuck your toes in, lift your bum up, push your heals
down - Send love to all of the people in the South.
18. Three Legged Dog Twist, Right Leg Up - Inhale, lift your right leg up, bend your right
knee, open to the right, stack the right hip on top of the left as you twist - Send love to
all of the people in the East.
19. Right Knee to Forehead - Exhaling - Send love to yourself.
20. Jump Switch - Come back to Down Dog, jump switch legs to bring your left leg up.
21. Three Legged Dog Twist, Left Leg Up - Inhale, bend left your knee, open to the left,
stack the left hip on top of the right as you twist - Send love to all of the people in the
West.
22. Left Knee to Forehead - Exhaling - Send love to yourself.
23. Downward Facing Dog - Bring your left foot back to Down Dog. Take a few deep
breaths here.
24. Cow Pose - Place knees on the floor, inhale and lift your head up concaving your back - Send love to all of the people in the North.
25. Standing forward Bend - Jump or walk forward, Exhale and fold down towards your
straight legs - Send love to all of the people in the South.
26. Tall Mountain - Inhale, lift your arms up, stretch and lengthen, then bend back a bit and open your chest - Send love to all of the people in the North.
27. Banana To The Right - Exhale and bend to the right - Send love to all of the people in
the East.
28. Banana To The Left - Inhale back to the top, then exhale bending to the left - Send love to all of the people in the West.
29. Hand in Prayer - Inhale back to top, and exhale palm in prayer - Send love to yourself.
Repeat as many times as you want. At least twice I think.
5-10 Minutes
Yoga Peace Drawings
Draw a peace sign on a piece of paper, and in each of the spaces in it draw one of your favorite yoga poses. You have about a minute or two at most to do it so keep it simple!
Now one at a time, we are going to share our 4 favorite (if a small group) or our very favorite one pose (if a bigger group) with the whole group for everyone to practice.
This is great on a video live class as well as it makes it interactive. Each child can show the poses they chose and the teacher can guide everyone to do the pose.
5-10 Minutes
Loving Kindness Meditation
Lie down or sit tall and close your eyes. Start breathing deeply and this time direct your breath into your heart. Feel your heart softening and expanding with each breath.
We are going to think about different people, giving each a minute or two...
First, think about yourself and see yourself in your heart. See yourself as happy as can be, all your dreams coming true and enjoying life to the fullest. Now start repeating, silently in your heart, this Mantra:
“May I enjoy happiness”
Continue repeating this sentence while you see yourself full of joy. Now think about the person you love most in the world. Yourr Mum or Dad or your boyfriend or girlfriend. Start repeating this Mantra:
“May my beloved (say their name in your heart) enjoy happiness”
Keep repeating this while you see your beloved in your heart all fulfilled and absolutely happy.
We’ll shift our attention now to our best friend. Someone you can tell anything to. Sometimes we fight a bit, but we always make up. We are best friends. See them in your heart jumping for joy while you repeat the Mantra:
“May my best friend (say their name in your heart) enjoy happiness”
Now we are going to expand our hearts and make them a bit bigger than usual. Think about a stranger, someone you don’t even know their name. It can be the cashier at the grocery shop, the bus driver, the street cleaner... Everyone wants to be happy!
Wish them all the happiness you wish for yourself and even more while you repeat again and again:
“May the stranger (street cleaner for example) enjoy happiness”
We have arrived at the hardest part of this meditation. We are going to try and break the walls we have constructed around our hearts... Think about the most annoying person in the world.
Someone that really gets on your nerves, maybe you even hate them. Start repeating this
Mantra:
“May the most annoying person (say their name in your heart) enjoy happiness”
This is not to say that anyone has any right to hurt you or do you harm in any way. This is more for you to come to terms within yourself and heal and let your heart rest again.
Anyway, if that annoying person was happy, they probably wouldn't be so annoying. So what do we have to lose? Wish them happiness too and see them happy in your heart. There is nothing stronger than love, send them love, defeat them with love.
In the last part of this practice, we are going to think about all of those people together:
ourselves, our beloved, our best friend, the stranger and the most annoying person. All together, while we repeat:
“May we all enjoy happiness TOGETHER”
Together.
Yes, we need to do it together.
We are all interconnected and interdependent.
We depend on each other for our happiness.
If one of us is miserable it will pull us all down. And if one of us is happy, it will uplift us all. Being happy is the most selfless act you can take. So go ahead, let yourself shine for yourself and for others!
Love is limitless, and so is happiness. There can always be more of it. It is infinite. So let your heart become bigger and bigger... Keep expanding while you wish happiness farther and farther into the universe!
“May my family enjoy happiness”
“May all the people in my neighbourhood enjoy happiness”
“May all the people in my city enjoy happiness”
“May all the people in my state enjoy happiness”
“May all the people in my country enjoy happiness”
“May all the people in the world enjoy happiness”
“May all being in the universe happiness”
Now stay with this expanded feeling for another minute or so and enjoy it.
5-10 Minutes
Magic Wand
Open your eyes.. Time to share a bit in the group...
Each person at their turn can share “If I had a magic wand I would _________”.
Again, this is a great way to make your class a bit more interactive even while you teach it online.
5 Minutes
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