OM....

We spent our April meeting on the floor—literally!


We added the study of Yoga into our toolbox of strategies to help us to feel good about ourselves. We met at a studio at the Greenwood Athletic Club, and we sat cross-legged in a circle to talk about a wide variety of ways girls and their mothers use to deal with feelings of anxiety, fear, worry, loneliness, and thoughts of “not fitting in.” We imagined that we had a “self-esteem bubble” around us that was filled with all the stuff that helps us to feel great about who we are. We then filled in our “self-esteem” bubble on paper and shared our strategies. We had a special guest this month at our meeting when Emma Domich brought her grandmother, Glenn Ann, to our meeting. We were so happy to include another mentor in our group!

Moms, daughters and even Emma's grandma, Glenn Ann, had many good ideas: listening to your favorite music, talking to a friend, playing the violin, laughter, meditation, breathing slowly, hugging a pet, playing basketball, distracting yourself, thinking about the things you do well, practicing gratitude, having hope that things will get better, giving yourself a pep talk, watching a movie, and drawing. We learned that the more strategies you put in your bubble, the stronger you are when faced with tough situations.


We then welcomed yogi, Suzanne Matthews, to our group for an hour-long yoga session. She taught us about the power of the breath and how when we’re feeling down, there’s nothing like taking three, deep Complete Breaths to move you into another place of thinking.


We practiced the Complete Breath, the Twinkle Sparkle exercise, the Crocodile Pose and the Release of Fear Pose. She taught us that we have to understand that we can't worry about OPB or Other People’s Behavior, and as soon as we realize that, life will be easier. We ended the session by learning the Child’s Pose and the Warrior Pose. If you're interested in catching an adult class with Suzanne Matthews at the Greenwood Athletic Club or at other studios in Denver, call her at (303) 771-5083.

Next month we take a break during the crazy days of May but we close out our first year of the Spread Your Wings Courage Circle on June 2nd at noon after dismissal from school. We will have a brown bag lunch meeting at Dinosaur Park and recap our journey, and pass out the calendar of events for the upcoming year. Details will be sent in May.

Happy breathing!