At 90-years young, B.K.S. Iyengar still practices asana and pranayama for hours daily. 

Swami Yogananda Maharaj Ji is 105 and not only engaging in daily practice, but teaching as well. Tao Porchon-Lynch is still instructing too!

Others well into their 80s and 90s have a regular regimen of asana. Makes me wonder, where I will be 40-years from now. 

I'll take my chances and practice some sort of asana, pranayama and meditation daily and hope to be as functional as some of these inspirations. 

Join the club -- it's open to everyone!

I have three nephews; Joshua, Dylan and Jason...

The two oldest - Joshua and Dylan - melted my heart when they got into their meditative states... 

This after being buck-wild all day. LOL. 

I love you guys!

Nearly 20-students in savasana in a meditative state, feeling and cultivating awareness... it was quite a sight. 

Thanks to the City Year organization, I was able to lead another round of meditation at I.S. 204 (Long Island City, NY), which led to bliss and students of varying ages finding some tranquility and arming themselves with techniques for relaxation and coping.

After participating in a few sets of Sun Salutations and engaging their breath in tree-pose (Vrksasana)... closing with meditation on their backs, the students turned the auditorium stage into a place of serenity. 

The importance of after-school programs, presenting students with outlets for growth and disseminating all the knowledge we have, giving them tools like these,  can only lead to productive scholars and fruitful development. 

Many, many thanks to everyone involved.

NAMASTE!

Yes, even the auditorium at Intermediate School 204 can be turned into a meditation hall!

With the help of The Yoga Room, twenty students that participate in the City Year after-school program at I.S. 204 (Long Island City, NY) were able to experience the benefits of meditation, as I had the privilege to lead them through a breathing practice and exercises to get them into a mode of consciousness and awareness. 

Many of the students immediately benefitted from the "relaxation," and grasped on to the techniques I instructed them through to improve and enhance their focus, attention span, reduce their stress and anxiety and increase their self-confidence, happiness and creativity. 

At their official site, the City Year program states, "Our culture is the air we breathe - it is the set of values, structures and practices that creates an environment in which idealism can be successfully practiced."

That breathe and harvesting a culture of union is what I focused on and what the students grasped onto, as they were introduced to breathing techniques to alleviate stress and to guide them through their first ever meditation experience as a community. 

We focused on relaxing the body, breathing deeply and connecting with the breath, concentrating the mind, expanding it with guided imagery and allowing the students to expand their inner awareness. 

The results were reflective. The smiles and tranquility established in the auditorium was palpable. 

A special thanks is extended to everyone involved and to those that facilitated this great afternoon. 

For more information on the enrichment clubs (science, art & sports) service-learning (community service) and all things City Year, check-out their site here.