Bottling Health: Bottling Stretching & Smoothies with B-Ball Youth

In June, I did a "Stretch Clinic" with youth in my community who are members of the Orange Park Gators basketball league. The time with the boys went so well, and I'm looking forward to our next session this month. Peaceful Yoga Studio, Yoga Ananda Studio, M Body Yoga and lululemon athletica donated equipment (mats, blocks and straps) for the event. To them, I send love and gratitude!!! Thank you, Bonnie (and Mary) at Peaceful Yoga, Melissa at Yoga Ananda, Mark and Siddie at M Body, and Lisa at lululemon.

After the first session, to the parents of the youth I worked with, I wrote:

Thank you for the opportunity to work with your child on Wednesday evening at the Orange Park Gators' Stretching Clinic. I thoroughly enjoyed working with your sons and appreciated how receptive they were to learning about the benefits of stretching complemented by breathing more deeply. As I mentioned to another parent, it was a nice vibe amongst us, so it made for a lovely evening. They made me laugh with their giggles and other sounds they made when they realized just how tight their shoulders, hips or other bodies parts were! Given that, I think they now better understand the importance and benefits of guided stretching while breathing more deeply into the posture -- but only to their "comfortable edge."

Because we were pressed for time near the end, I didn't get to share more information about the fresh strawberry/banana smoothies I had made for them. I wanted to tell them about the nutrition in this drink that is ideal for the muscles of athletes. It's a nutritious and refreshing beverage to drink in between the games they play at tournaments, etc. Good fuel for them! Just as I talked to the boys about breathing more deeply for healthier bodies, I wanted to explain how we'd get more mileage out of what was in that smoothie versus some other food choices out there. In any event, I heard some good comments about the taste of the smoothie, so I'd say that went over well with them. :-)

Back to the stretching! As you know, the clinic was offered at no cost (and future ones will also be free), but if any of you would like to have your boys stretching on a regular basis in a similar fashion to what we did, I will offer classes to them.

You would be able to sign your child up for:

~ a group class at $10 per child per class (sibling discount available)

~ a 4-week series for a total series cost of $35 per child (a $5 savings; sibling discount available)

~ a 6-week series for a total series cost of $50 per child (a $10 savings; sibling discount available)

~ one-on-one classes (Contact me for rates.)

~ family classes (Contact me for rates.)

The more consistent our young athletes are with a stretching program blended with relaxation, the more flexible they will become. I'd love to assist them along their stretching journey, so please do not hesitate to contact me if I can be of further assistance.

Here they are relaxing at the end of class; we also began with this relaxation posture. The flow of the evening was a blend between "effort" and "ease."