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Tonight’s program is Yoga in Family Life. Parenting, as we all know, is a labor of love. We pour all our resources—our love, compassion, and understanding—into nurturing our children as they grow and develop. The children here this evening attend two classes at Yoga in Daily Life on Mondays: the first group for three- to six-year-olds, and the second for seven- to twelve-year-olds. In these classes, the children practice postures and also Kachapūrṇām, which they will demonstrate tonight. They listen to stories and discuss values such as being a good person, being a good friend, world peace, and how to be peaceful at home within their own families. And we have a lot of fun. Their teacher, Miss Jackie, will lead them in several demonstrations. But first, let’s invite the children to greet Swāmījī. Please say, “Hi, Swamiji.” Now we’ll begin the demonstrations. Lutfi, come up. Esme? I’m four and a half, and I’m going to do the rooster. Rooster is good for your balance. My name is Isabel. I’m eight years old, and I’m going to do the dancer. Swan. The swan is good for your balance and concentration. Hiro? My name is Hiro Magnus. I’m eight years old, and I’m going to do the half shoulder stand. The shoulder stand is good for your circulation because your heart doesn’t have to work against Purījī, Purījī... And the mountain stretches the back of your legs. And now? I’m almost five, and I’m going to do the Kumbha. It’s good for when you’re mad, and it opens your chest. And it’s good for when you’re mad. So, three times, śānti, śānti... it means peace, peace... Peace of the body, peace of the mind, and peace of the spirit, or peace on earth, peace in the atmosphere, and peace in the astral world. Śānti means peace. Nowadays, when people take a photo, they used to say, “Cheese.” But we don’t say cheese; we say peace. So when you have a photo taken, you can say, “Peace.” Very good. I was so delighted and surprised at how beautifully the children demonstrated Yoga in Daily Life postures. And now I know one thing: what is good for my back. Thank you for making me aware of it. And also, what is good for concentration. We grown-ups need concentration very much. So thank you, kids; you made us aware of this. Every parent wishes for a happy child, and wants their children to have everything: a good education and a good social position. And that begins from childhood. It is said that your life, your future life, depends on the society where your children spend their time, for that is how they will be shaped. If children spend time with people who abuse drugs, unfortunately they will also become addicted. If your kids spend time with alcoholics, sooner or later they will also adopt this habit. So, your wish as a parent here—whether a single parent or both parents are present—I don’t know all of you, but it is your goodwill and your good wish that your child will have a bright, happy future. Therefore, take care that your children are in good societies and are doing something beneficial for their health and the environment. Thank you for coming and thank you for bringing your beautiful children. They are the light, the future, and the culture of tomorrow. I pray to the Almighty for good health, good education, and a bright future for your children, and for good health, harmony, and happiness for all of you. God bless you. Nice to see you. Now, I have a surprise for the children. They can come and take as much as they want. Please, kids, come. Take one, two, three, as you like. No problem, you can take three. Very good. Yes, three, four, one, two, five. Yes, good, come. Take more. Five. Okay, take one more. Thank you. Oh, thank you very much. What is this? Did you take chocolate? Come. Thank you. You see, my bowl is still full. Yeah, this is full. Thank you. Oh, wow, my God. That is healthy. I did not expect this. Thank you. Oh, now I have my... one more. Take it. Okay. Take this. Adwala, super food, thank you. Panda, also super food; is it bamboo or what? Take one more, yes. Thank you very much. In India, we used to say, what children learn—or what we learn from childhood—will remain with us our whole life. And then it is said, it is easy to become... It is not easy to become free from an enemy, but it is not easy to become free from bad habits which we acquire in childhood. So we shall try to teach and show children good things, so that they develop good habits. I wish for your children all the best, and happiness to you. Thank you. And the floor is yours. Protocol, whatever you like. Thank you. The first person to come up and speak is Lola Laseda. He is the father of two little boys. And my wife Māyā is over there. You’ve met our two children, Luṭfī and Emīl. Please take the mic in your hand; that’s best. Thank you for having me here. My wife, Māyā, is over there, and our two children, Luṭfī and Emīl, are here. We practice yoga together as a family, at home or away. We enjoy doing Kaṭhūpraṇām, or Salute to the Sun, whenever we go camping. It helps Maya and me share with our children the importance of nurturing our bodies and minds. It also helps us stay calm amid our busy schedule. For example, Emīl likes to go into the rabbit hole when he needs to settle down, and Luṭfī likes to sit down and practice his breathing when he needs to calm down. But the most important thing is, yoga is something they can carry with them for the rest of their lives. So, thank you. Thank you. Sure. Thank you. I’m going to pop. Luṭfī, very good. All right. Thank you for your advice. Sure. Thank you. Thank you very much, Lola, for sharing. I’d like to invite Rebecca Matchett up to talk a little about how yoga influences her family life. I’m by no means a public speaker. In fact, I have some notes to help me stay on track. But I am happy to share what my family life with yoga is like. Before I start, let me give you some background. I’ve been practicing yoga with Yoga in Daily Life for over 11 years. Between registering for class and attending my first class, I found out I was pregnant with my first baby. I practiced yoga throughout my entire pregnancy and, of course, continued afterward. Now I have two boys: Chase is ten, and Spencer will be nine next month. When the boys were babies, there was no such thing as a regular practice. I learned very quickly that babies have their own schedules, and there’s pretty much no negotiating with them. So what I did was, when they were awake and happy, I did my postures for as long as they would allow. I saved meditation for their naptimes. As they grew older and became mobile, any time I got on the floor to do postures, I immediately became a human jungle gym—and I’m sure those of you with little ones know what I mean. I made sure to do postures that were safe for me and safe for them, so neither of us would get hurt. I made yoga not about me, but about us. If they climbed on me, did postures with me, or made up their own—or eventually went off to play—whatever it was that day, that was our yoga. Now that they are much older, I can go into another room to practice, but the few times I’ve done that, I find my mind is still in the living room with the boys. So I still practice there, though they no longer climb on me. They mostly do their own thing. Sometimes they’ll practice with me or ask why I do a certain posture. At night, even though my mind is full of chatter after finishing postures, I take a moment to sit, close my eyes, and notice what I feel in my body. That’s how I approach meditation each evening. When I sit on the cushion, I take a moment to feel where my mind is. Most times it only takes a little while to settle. But if there is something I can’t let go—for example, a situation with one of the boys that concerns me—I’ll do some self-inquiry. I think about whether it’s something I need to keep an eye on, take further action on, or whether it’s actually my issue, not theirs. Whatever conclusion I reach, I can then let it go and continue with my practice. So in that way, late-night meditation works for me. Essentially, my approach is to leave the door open for them to take what they want, to follow their lead, and to keep my eyes open for opportunities to teach and to learn. A couple of years ago, I tried teaching full yogic breathing. One of my boys was particularly distraught, and I talked him through it. After a couple of breaths he said, “It’s not working.” I replied, “Just keep doing it. Give it time.” That night on my cushion, I decided it would be better to teach him at a calm time so that when he truly needed it, the technique would be there. Several days later, he was reading quietly in the living room. I said, “Hey, why don’t we practice some full yogic breathing?” He looked at me and said, “Well, I don’t need it now.” So, I let it go. But when they are upset, the first thing out of my mouth is, “Breathe.” Take a breath. Slow, deep breaths. And then we’ll talk. So it does help. It’s moments like that. Looking to the future, as they get older and their lives become more complex, I hope to find opportunities to introduce them to the benefits of mauna, sādhanā—the practice of silence, with no incoming or outgoing communication. For young kids, it’s pretty much torture, and there’s really no benefit. But as they mature, it can be positive to go to your bedroom or sit quietly in a chair in another room, just to be with your thoughts. If we lived closer—I live 70 miles away—they would attend the yoga classes here. When they learned about the kids’ classes, they wanted to come, but it isn’t feasible. However, I will say that children can get more from yoga in a student-teacher relationship at a yoga center than in a parent-child relationship on the living room floor. It’s the structure; I’ve noticed the same with their Taekwondo teacher. They’ve taken the initiative to practice Trāṭak with me—candle gazing, a good practice for concentration. They’ve also tried meditation with me; it lasts about five minutes, and only when they choose. If they say, “I want to try meditation,” then okay, let’s go. I think as they get older, if they decide to make yoga a regular practice, it will be by their choice, not mine. By the way, my husband, to whom I’ve been happily married for 18 years, does not practice yoga, but he supports me—and that’s what counts. I’ve never known family life without yoga. For that, I consider myself blessed. That’s what I have to offer. Thank you. Thank you very much, Rebecca. We have one more speaker. Mohan, would you like to come up and talk about your experience with yoga? Well, I don’t have much to say. I do practice yoga sometimes. It helps with my concentration at school. Before I go to bed, I do a few mantras to help me stay calm. My sister practices mantra too, for the same reason. My parents do yoga a lot. And before I go to school, sometimes in fifth grade, I would do Kāṭā Praṇām and then balancing to help me concentrate in school. That’s pretty much it. Thank you all. The evening concluded with warmth and gratitude.