Maria Magdalena’s MiniYoga for Children – Part 5

Maria Magdalena Bernales

ECOLOGY

Based on the program,
“Yoga and Meditation for Children”
created by Fran Rosen and Bonnie Maltby.

Hello everybody, Happy September! A very warm greeting to all of you, hoping that everything is ok, in peace and harmony.

In this opportunity, we are going to separate in two parts the last concept of the Fivefold Path, to make it easier to present it to children. We will talk about “Ecology”. We will begin to review some ideas on how we can cooperate from our homes, through little contributions that add together, we can all make a difference.

We encourage each one of you to contribute from your homes and together we can make the change, so necessary for our beloved Planet Earth.

With great enthusiasm and commitment,
MiniYogaChile

ECOLOGY 
Show the children the Ecology poster and ask them what they see in each one of the frames.

How can we take care of it?
Examples of saving water: Short showers, don’t leave the water running while you brush your teeth, water the garden with the right amount of water and when it is not too sunny, make sure all faucets are correctly turned off and working properly. Ask for more examples and follow them at home and school.

3. Aerosol sprays. They damage the ozone layer. The ozone layer is a gas layer that covers and protects the Earth from UV light which are very harmful for people, plants and animals. To help prevent this, first of all, we have to avoid, at all cost, spray-on products; all of them can be replaced. And secondly, avoid direct sunlight exposure between 11 AM and 4 PM. Always wear hats or caps and good sunglasses.

4. Plastic bags or plastic in general. Plastic is not biodegradable, that means, it doesn’t turn back into earth; it will remain for 500 years right where we left it, it does not dissolve. We have to avoid the use of plastic and reuse the one we already have.
For example: take your own bag when you go shopping, reuse plastic containers to store things, use them as flowerpots, make eco-bricks. Ask for more examples.

5. Insecticides or pesticides. The problem with these products, besides from being dangerous to children, is that they are poisonous, they pollute the soil where they are applied. Every certain time, the manufacturers have to invent a new and stronger kind, because bugs get used to them. Furthermore, we break the ecological balance by killing certain kinds of bugs and allowing others to thrive. Let’s try to avoid the use of chemicals and search for natural alternatives, there are many!

6. We have to put the garbage where it belongs. If we all dispose of it on the street, there would come a time where all would be full of garbage and everywhere. Besides from being very ugly and smelly, it is dangerous for our health because of the filth and microbes. If I eat a chocolate bar on the street and I can’t find a trash can nearby, what can I do with the wrapping paper? I put it in my pocket until I find one or I arrive at home. One thing is to “not contaminate” and the other is to “de-contaminate” (clean-up what is dirty).

Listen to the Ecology song in the following link:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l_A3FMf3_Qw

HOMEWORK: Think about your behavior in relation to what we have learned today. Write a list of what you can improve and work on to help that the world becomes more eco-friendly. The more people you get involved in this quest, the more fun and better results you’ll have.  Well then, see you soon!

Based on ‘Yoga &
Meditation for Children’ by Fran Rosen and Bonnie Maltby