Say it with yoga

It's Father's Day here in the UK this Sunday. My children were so disappointed when I told them their daddy would still be away then, working in Cyprus. However, they jumped at my idea of sending him a special Father's Day message via the internet, and when I suggested using themselves as the letters, they actually squealed with anticipatory delight.

With giggles and squirms, they planned each letter together and then, standing on a chair, I snapped their final positions. It turned into a kind of fun photo shoot and, unintentionally, the children got to practise a few yoga positions too. I think it's made a rather lovely home-made gift - albeit a virtual one.

You might spot Snuffy and Snowy, their beloved bears, starring in a few of the photos. Daddy will definitely note and appreciate their important contribution - he's good like that.

Happy Father's Day, Daddy Deering. 

We love you, and miss you very much xxxx

Fun salutations to the sun

One of my New Year's resolutions was to restart my commitment to regular yoga practice. This might sound simple enough but of course once you factor in two puppy-like children swirling round your legs and lying under you during your downward-facing dog just because they can - then you see the challenge. I attempt an hour of poses with the children buzzing round me - impossible. It always ends up with a Making It Fun For Them session instead; I whip up little yoga stories or songs (great), or occasionally resort to using our kids yoga DVD (not so great). The focus of my own practice disappears into the sunset. I know the best solution is for me to go to a class - but my weeks are just too erratic for that.

My compromise for January is to complete just ten sun salutations a day. Somebody once told me that a sun salutation cycle uses nearly every joint or muscle or something - so it's definitely worth a try.

So here we are, one week in  - and I have managed it. Even with the children around. Here's how:

On day one - 1 January, I made up some words to go with my simple sun salutation cycle. Of course Buddy and Daisy 'joined in'; they really loved the fun of the words with the movements, and because I was only doing ten we were all done before too much went wrong.

[Image from Chinese-acupuncture-and-medicine.com]

Here are our pose-linking words; still fun to use, even if the children aren't around.

1 - 2 Coo-eee sun

2 - 3 Sunshine everywhere

3 - 4 Coo-eee Daisy (or whoever is in view)

4 - 5 As strong as a bridge

5 - 6 Down in the lift we go [make a 'going down' noise]

6 - 7 Here's the little dog - ahhhhh [make a high yap]

7 - 8 Here's the big dog - uh-oh; hold on to her lead [make a gruff bark]

8 - 9 Grasshopper [make a 'jumping' noise]

9 -10 Bottoms up [make a 'going up' noise]

10 - 11 Coo-eee sun

11 - 12 We are done

I know it's a tiny amount of yoga - but so far it seems to be working; giving me a concentrated dose that the children can also enjoy, and which leaves me feeling stretched, energised and at least motivated to do more once the school term kicks in.