{"id":99300,"date":"2018-05-01T11:48:13","date_gmt":"2018-05-01T15:48:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wanderlust.com\/?p=99300\/"},"modified":"2020-01-14T13:36:59","modified_gmt":"2020-01-14T18:36:59","slug":"yoga-family-affair","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wanderlust.com\/pt-pt\/journal\/yoga-family-affair\/","title":{"rendered":"Yoga: A Family Affair"},"content":{"rendered":"

Take your mom\u2014or favorite family member\u2014to Wanderlust this summer! 108 tickets<\/a> and festival tickets<\/a> available now.<\/em><\/p>\n

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It wasn\u2019t until Cynthia installed a traditional South American <\/span>Temazcal<\/span><\/a> (sweat lodge) on her property that the transformation of the family was officially complete. Cynthia\u2019s daughter Stephanie, at least, credits the sweat lodge for a palpable shift in their dynamic. Cynthia raised Stephanie traditionally, but when she started studying native cultures and working with crystals, it opened up paths that took family in new directions. Sitting on the grass at Wanderlust Snowshoe<\/a> last year, Stephanie says that the path down which Cynthia\u2019s explorations led them is now more comfortable for her and her family than the tropes of her small Pennsylvania hometown. <\/span><\/p>\n

Luna, Stephanie\u2019s daughter and Cynthia\u2019s granddaughter excitedly interjects into our conversation, pointing out Cynthia\u2019s jewelry (\u201cmoonstone,\u201d she tells me) and asking when it\u2019s time to go on the \u201cride\u201d (ski lift) again. Luna is clearly at home here, surrounded by yogis and alternative living.<\/span><\/p>\n

To be at Wanderlust, Stephanie says, \u201cis thought-provoking. It\u2019s about raising your awareness and being together and kind of comparing notes on life, and then being able to disperse and do that within your own community, your own self, within your own family.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

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Cynthia, Stephanie, and Luna at Wanderlust Snowshoe, 2017. Photo by Melissa Gayle.<\/div><\/div>\n

A Family Affair<\/h3>\n

Cynthia, Stephanie, and Luna aren\u2019t alone in sharing their mindfulness practices across generations. Not only can these kinds of activities radically shift family dynamics for the better, yoga can actually bring families closer together as well. In turn, this provides a solid foundation for kids to grow into healthier, more conscious adults. <\/span>As Deven Sisler writes<\/span><\/a>, \u201cYoga can help alleviate growing pains, build self-trust, self-awareness, ability to focus, balancing skills, confidence, and release anxiety.\u201d This, Deven says, helps to develop the next generation to be holistically-balanced grown-ups.<\/span><\/p>\n

Jane Emerick brought her young family to Wanderlust Whistler<\/a> a few years ago, and worked with her daughter first to develop a simple practice before attending. “Part of my personal practice has become sharing yoga with my children and instilling something beautiful and strong for their future,\u201d <\/span>Jane writes<\/span><\/a>. \u201cMy kids love yoga\u2014and they\u2019re not the only ones. The festival was a chance for them to expand their own relationship with their practice. For the children of yogis, yoga is a creative form of expression and a safe space for them to imitate their greatest hero: you.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Try Deven’s Family-Friendly Sequence!<\/span><\/a><\/div>\n

Starting Mindfulness Young<\/h3>\n

As Cynthia and Stephanie know, it\u2019s never too early to introduce kids to the idea of mindfulness and mindful living. There\u2019s no shortage of child-and-me yoga classes popping up across the country, and the benefits are widely touted. According to <\/span>the Harvard Health Blog<\/span><\/a>, a publication of the Harvard Medical School, yoga and mindfulness programs have been proven to improve mental and physical health among children. It\u2019s why many schools now implement mindfulness programs into their curriculum. <\/span><\/p>\n

Nicole Cardoza, a former public school teacher in New York City and founder of Yoga Foster<\/a>\u2014an organization that seeks to bring these types of programs to interested teachers\u2014has seen these benefits first-hand. \u201cEven with just 10 minutes of yoga integrated a day,\u201d <\/span>she writes<\/span><\/a>, \u201cour teachers are reporting marked improvements on focus and attention during the school day, contributing to both academic performance and collaboration between peers. I love when our teachers tell us that their students are taking a moment for breathing exercises when they get upset, or all do a quick yoga break when the class needs a pick-me-up.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n