Cool Calming Combo! Looking for a fun way to help your kids get a good night’s sleep? And something to help your kids overcome common childhood issues such as fear of monsters under the bed, separation issues, fear of new settings, etc…? Then check out this calming combo…. The Yawning Yoga book by Laurie Jordan & the Fairytale Wishes sprays!

Yawning Yoga: A Goodnight Book for a Good Night’s Sleep by Laurie Jordan

Product Description: The author, New York-based yoga instructor Laurie Jordan is the creator of Little Sprouts Yoga for Kids and the Director of Kids Programming at Kaia Yoga. She shares her expertise on all things kids yoga as a contributing writer for Elephant Journal. She has a Masters in Social Work from Columbia University School of Social Work and is a certified yoga instructor for children and adults.

Sleep problems are very common among children. In fact, most children aren’t getting proper sleep at night. And every parent knows that when children are sleep deprived, they are likely to have a hard time controlling their emotions. This can lead to potential problems at home and at school, and can be exhausting for mom and dad.

At last, help has arrived! Yawning Yoga is a beautifully illustrated and carefully sequenced bedtime yoga book designed specifically to help kids enjoy a restful sleep by helping them establish a bedtime routine that is proven to work. Creator Laurie Jordan has devised a perfect sleep solution that helps relax kids before bed by clearing their minds from worry and stress, and relieving their bodies’ anxiety and energy so they can get to sleep faster and experience a higher quality of sleep.

“Virtually every parent has experienced the effects of an over-tired child,” explains Laurie. “Kids can become cranky, clumsy, easily annoyed and irritable, restless and hyperactive, lethargic and distracted, more susceptible to illness, and have difficulty focusing, learning and following directions. By incorporating yoga into the bedtime routine, children of all ages will be stretching, twisting and breathing their way into dreamland.”

Yawning Yoga helps quiet the noise and shifts children’s focus from outside stimuli and daily stressors to attention of stretching, posture and breath work. The ultimate result is relaxation, a timeout from stress, and a restful good night’s sleep…for both parent and child.

Here’s what I love about this book:

• Beautiful illustrations & rhyming text make this a fun read!

• The durability of a hardcover book will lend itself well to everyday use. While it is cool that it is also available in Kindle & NOOK Book formats, I’m pretty “old school” when it comes to books…. I LOVE real books…. The kind with covers & paper pages.

• What a great combo: yoga + parent/child reading + predictable bedtime routine! Sleep problems are very prevalent in kids with special needs which impacts their ability to learn & function in everyday environments in a meaningful way. So I am thrilled to have this book as a resource to share with the families I work with as a Speech-Language Pathologist and in OMazing Kids Yoga. 🙂

• The book has a great mix of poses, breathing, affirmations & guided relaxations. While the book is designed in a well thought out sequence for use in a bedtime routine, each 2-page spread has a poem & large illustration that could also easily be used as individual activities to help kids learn self-calming techniques to use throughout their day (especially Jiggle & Wiggle, Take Two, The Monkey, Kisses & Hugs, Hugs, Ocean Breath, Mind’s Eye) or be used as activities in kids yoga classes.

• The poems on each page give you the essence of each activity but I LOVE that the book has an index in the back with a picture & instructions for each activity in the book. This makes it very user friendly for parents or other folks who may not be familiar with yoga. I recommend reading the index section & trying out the activities yourself before reading the book with your child the first time.

• The yoga poses & breathing activities are simple and appropriate for the age group targeted. The only ones I would modify for the kids I work with would be Dog-Tired Down Dog (use caution if a child has seizures, heart condition, eye conditions or other conditions that would be a contraindication for prolonged inversions where the head is below the heart) & Candlestick (use caution if a child has any neck or spine issues…. especially with atlantoaxial instability issues common in many kids with Down Syndrome).

Here is a sneek peek inside the book (images from the author’s website)…

Hardcover book price at the time of this post: $17.95

Available online at: http://www.yawningyoga.com/purchase/ (with PayPal), Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/dp/0984440666/?tag=googhydr-20&hvadid=11764883287&ref=pd_sl_mma3okiiu_e (hardcover & Kindle versions), Barnes and Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/yawning-yoga-laurie-jordan/1102399357 (NOOK Book)

Product Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Yawning-Yoga/176789369022984 & website: http://www.yawningyoga.com/

Fairytale Wishes Sprays

Product Description: Fairytale Wishes Inc. helps empower kids with their line of “magic” aromatherapy sprays. Each bottle comes with a hint of “magic” glitter and a mini-fairytale written by Freddy the magic Fairytale wishes frog. Available in 4 scent options:

• Super Hero (peppermint): This energetic peppermint scent made from naturally derived ingredients will help your child when they need a little extra courage. First day of school, going to the doctor, hospital visits, going to a friend’s house for the first time—the list is endless. The peppermint scent is not only energizing but also helps children suffering from nausea caused by certain medications or chemotherapy treatments. Just give your child a quick spray of the “magic” superhero spray and your child will have courage for the whole day.

• Sweet Dream (lavender): The soothing lavender scent made from naturally derived ingredients will help chase your child’s bad dreams away. Just one spray on your child’s pillow can reassure them that the “magic” sweet dream spray will help them have great night’s sleep.

• Monster Repellent (bubblegum): Did you know that monsters are terrified of bubblegum? It gets in their fur and their tentacles and gets really icky. The scent alone scares them away! Just spray the “magic” bubblegum scented spray made from naturally derived ingredients anywhere you think a monster, a bed bug, or anything that goes bump in the night might lurk and the monsters will keep far far away.

• Happy Camper (grape): Going away from home can be really scary for kids of all ages. Send them to camp with our grape jelly scented spray made from naturally derived ingredients. This sweet scent will help make them less homesick and they can spray it on their pillow when they need a little dose of “home”.

Here’s what I liked about this product & a few thoughts:

• I tried out the Super Hero Peppermint scented spray by using it on some foam snowflakes during one of my OMazing Kids Yoga classes and it helped the kids do deeper breathing through their noses during breath work and then we enjoyed hanging the peppermint-scented snowflakes on our branches (arms) in “snowy tree pose”. The addition of the scent to the prop helped keep the kids interested & engaged 🙂

• Due to the hospital setting I work in, I was only able to use the Fairytale Wishes sprays like an “aroma therapy” spray but not on items that would come in direct contact with skin (so not on pillowcases or eye pillows). Although I was only able to try the spray out in a very limited way, I was pleased to see so many positive comments online from families on the product’s website & other blogs.

• Please be aware of a child’s allergies, breathing issues (such as asthma), sensitivities & sensory issues when using any scented product. Due to this issue, I only use the spray and other scents in a very controlled way in my OMazing Kids Yoga groups. I am personally very sensitive to lavender & other floral scents so I do not use them with the kids I work with. For great in-depth evidence based info about the use of scents check out “Olfactory System as a Sensory Tool in Treatment” by Jeanette Runnings, OTR/L, KKY, RCY1-2, CIMT on her Yoga-Yingo website: http://www.yoga-yingo.com/5727.html (3-page printable PDF at: http://tinyurl.com/6sc6gb9) 🙂

Spray price at the time of this post: $9.99 per 4-ounce bottle

Available online at: http://www.fairytalewishesinc.com/

Product Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Fairytale-Wishes-Inc/112155459636 & website: http://www.fairytalewishesinc.com/

Disclaimer: I received a free sample of this product to facilitate my review. Opinions expressed are my own.

How to enter the giveaway:

1. Enter via the “Giveaways” tab on the OMazing Kids Yoga FB page (http://www.facebook.com/OMazingKidsYoga?v=app_197602066931325) & mention how you would be using this book & spray with your child or the children you work with AND what scent of spray you would want to try. (comments must be in English; must include full first & last name; 1 entry per Facebook account).
2. For one additional entry, leave a comment on this blog post. Must mention how you would be using this book & spray with your child or the children you work with AND what scent of spray you would want to try. (comments must be in English; 1 entry per person; must have a valid e-mail address)
3. Tips: You increase your odds of winning by entering via both methods. Entering via the “Giveaways” tab will save me the step of having to obtain your mailing address – the info you complete on the tab comes directly to me via an e-mail.

Entry Deadline: Enter by any of the methods listed above by 11:59pm CST on January 9, 2012.

Rules of Participation:

• Must be 18 years or older with a valid e-mail address.
• Only USA entries are being allowed for this particular giveaway.
• Employees or family members of OMazing Kids Yoga, LLC or the product’s company are not eligible.
• No purchase required.
• Comments submitted via the Enter Giveaways Here…. tab on Facebook may be copied & pasted into the blog post.
• Odds of winning will depend on the number of eligible entries received.
• One (1) winner will be chosen via a random drawing of valid entries on January 10, 2012.
• The winner will get one (1) copy of the book “Yawning Yoga” AND one (1) bottle of Fairytale Wishes Spray (in the scent that you indicated in your entry).
• The winner will be notified via e-mail and will be posted on the blog post.
• If the winner only entered via blog post, their mailing address will be obtained via e-mail.
• In the event that the winner does not respond within 24 hours, a new winner will be selected via a random drawing.
• The winner’s address will be forwarded to the companies and they will be mailing the products directly to the winner.
• Prize Value: retail price $17.95 book + $9.99 spray

Other Legal Stuff: I know it’s just a kids yoga book & a spray but just to be safe here is all the legal stuff…

This giveaway is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with Facebook. You are providing your information to OMazing Kids Yoga, LLC and not to Facebook. The information you provide will only be used for our internal purposes in relation to the administration of the giveaway. Your information will NOT be sold to any outside parties.

Indemnification/Hold Harmless: By participating, entrants agree: (a) to the decisions of OMazing Kids Yoga, LLC, which shall be final in all respects; (b) to release, discharge, and hold harmless OMazing Kids Yoga, LLC and its respective representatives and agents from all liability, injuries, losses or damages of any kind to persons or property resulting in whole or in part, directly or indirectly, from the acceptance, possession, misuse or use of a prize, or from participation in and/or entry into the Contest or any Contest-related activity and for acceptance, delivery, or use of any prize; (c) that the foregoing parties have neither made nor are in any manner responsible or liable for any warranty, representation or guaranty, expressed or implied, in fact or in law, relating to any prize.

Angela Moorad, MS, CCC-SLP, IAYT, RCYP-2

Speech-Language Pathologist

Founder of OMazing Kids Yoga, LLC – inclusive yoga for kids & teens of all abilities in Norman, Oklahoma

Radiant Child Yoga Certified – Levels 1 & 2

E-Mail: amoorad1@juno.com

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/OMazingKidsYoga

YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/amoorad1

Blog: https://omazingkidsyoga.wordpress.com

NOTE: Please ignore any ads that appear below the wavy divider bar. This is a free blog site & I have no control over ads appearing here.