SMART Goals: October, 2014

I’m still buzzing from the first ever Kids Yoga Conference this past weekend in Washington, DC!

The clear message flying around the community is how happy we were to meet each other in person. It was like spending a weekend with long-lost friends. The presenters’ content was spectacular, but the connections were golden.

Over three hundred parents, educators, and yoga teachers came together to learn, inspire, and connect about all things kids yoga.

I feel like we raised the bar, and the industry has declared to the world that the benefits of yoga for kids are not to be ignored.

In the Yoga for Schools sessions, the theme was guiding children to learn self-regulation techniques through self-awareness (identifying feelings) and self-care (breathing, yoga poses, or meditation). The integration of yoga in schools is sweeping the country and being called a “revolution.” Parents can also join this movement by supporting teachers bringing yoga to their classrooms.

If you are a parent, educator, or kids yoga teacher, then I highly suggest coming to the Kids Yoga Conference in Washington, DC, in October 2015. I’ll see you there!

The other big news this month was the official release of our new Bedtime Yoga Cards, which match our Good Night, Animal World book. The pre-orders for the yoga cards were shipped yesterday to people all over the world—USA, Canada, Chile, South Africa, and Netherlands. I can’t even express my joy of knowing that children will be playing with the cards just like my daughter and I do.

Also, don’t forget to enter for the chance to win one of four $500 cash giveaways in our Fall Giveaway with other kid bloggers. It’s at the bottom of our 20 Outdoor Fall Activities for Fall post.

So now that you have some yoga-related ideas for October goals, what others are you hoping to meet? What challenges are you having? What successes are you celebrating?

My SMART goals for October

Each month, I ask myself these three questions:

• What makes me happy?
• How am I living a healthy lifestyle?
• How am I living my passion?

This year, I’m teaming up with a group of mommy bloggers, and we’re all writing our monthly goals in the hopes of inspiring you to write yours, too. Please join us, tell us your goals, and share your successes and failures. There is a group of supportive mommy bloggers here who would love to hear from you!

This month, I will:

HAPPINESS:

• Socialize with local families through parent meet-ups, playgroups, and book club at least once a week.
• Phone a close friend and my mom at least once a week.
• Take weekly “me time” breaks, especially to read.
• Spend quality time with my daughter and embrace the miracles of toddlerhood, though I need lots of inner strength for getting through the intensity of her tantrums at the moment. If you have any words of wisdom, please send them my way.
• Attend a weekly program with my daughter at our local farm to learn about animals and the changing of the season.
• Enjoy the fall activities in our local area and go to festivals, apple orchards, and farms.

HEALTH:

• Attend one to two yoga classes per week at a nearby yoga studio.
• Jog around our neighborhood four times a week.
• Go for weekly nature hikes with my husband and daughter.
• Eat healthy, fresh, whole food.

PASSION:

• Celebrate the release of our first yoga card deck!
• Share our next Kids Love Yoga pose challenge, which will focus on Chair Pose. (Send your photos of kiddos in Chair Pose to giselle at kidsyogastories dot com by October 3rd to be added to the collection.)
• Continue with the production of our next yoga books: 123 African Safari, Sophia Explores the Ocean, Rachel’s Day in the Garden, Ella’s Summer Fun, and Jenny’s Winter Walk.
• Participate in the 31 Days of ABC with other kid bloggers, providing our yoga pose inspiration for the letter S.
• Share our Halloween Yoga sequence.
• Plan our upcoming book and CD reviews.

As always, I would love to hear your feedback. Please e-mail me at giselle at kidsyogastories dot com with your suggestions for improvement, either for the yoga stories or website. Help me deliver high-quality content that assists you with bringing happiness, health, and global education to children everywhere.

What is your theme for October? What does your mind, body, and spirit need right now? Who is your accountability partner (someone who helps keep you on track with your goals)? What makes you happy?

 

To see previous SMART Goals:

January, 2014 Goals
February, 2014 Goals
March, 2014 Goals
April, 2014 Goals
May, 2014 Goals
June, 2014 Goals
July, 2014 Goals
August & September, 2014 Goals

 

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