Magical Guisquiles

This week was week to of my very dear Guatemalan friend, Michelle Urdales. She is awesome and teaches Computer Science at the American School here in Guatemala City. We met through my other friend Monica basically we all love and practice yoga and the rest is history. Michelle had been asking me about coming with me to La Limonada to help me teach and finally we found the right time.

Last week was the first week we team taught together and it reminded me yet again why team teaching is not only awesome and helpful for the students to learn, but also a lot of work. Thank God Michelle and I get along like long lost best friends so it was easily. It also helps that she loves kids and is a FANTASTIC teacher and story teller.

This week we chose to teach the kids again through story, but through doing the poses while we read. IT WAS A HIT. Not to mention extremely cute. VIDEO TO FOLLOW SOON! Here is the story!

Untitled from Yoga Moves Gina on Vimeo.

MAGICAL GUISQUILES!

Written by, Michelle Urdiales & Gina Stickney. (an adaptation of a fable Michelle heard, story in Spanish still to be added!)

Once upon a time there was a beautiful garden patch with lots of nutritious and delicious vegetables. In the far corner of this garden, near the safety of the surrounding bamboo, you could find a magical guisquil patch. These guisquiles loved to dream.

Some of them would dream they were warriors, strong and brave to protect their loved ones. Others would dream of being a fast and powerful eagle fling high above the trees. Some even dreamt of becoming a bright shining star coloring the night sky for all to see. Some were more interested in living on land as a wise old tree for hundreds of years, others wished to be a frog playful and fun jumping here and there to explore the world, would you believe many often dreamt to glide through the air as a colorful butterfly happy and carefree, some guisquiles dreamt of moving like a turtle slow and steady, patient and protected by the strength of their shell but even others dreamt of becoming a long slithering snake cunning and swift and respected by all.

One morning the guisquiles woke up to share their dreams with each other but they realized they and their dreams were all different. So they started bragging about who was better. “I’m better because I will protect our families” “No, I’m better because I’m wise” “Well, your wrong because I can see things way up in the sky”, “No I’m better because I’m patient” “No, No I’ better because I get to have fun all day” “I’m can shine brighter then you” “No I’m better because I’m beautiful” “I’m better because everyone respects me” The fight went on without stopping and their anger turned into strong words that hurt each other, they were so selfish and wanting to be the best that they forgot about the rest.

A dog heard all the commotion and came over to sniff out what was going on. He barked really loud for them to stop arguing and listen up! “I heard you, I heard that you are angry with each other because of your differences and I can see you are upset. Its ok to be angry like any other emotion, but when we start to hurt each other we are actually hurting ourselves too. I want you to close your eyes and breathe in and breathe out slowly with me to calm yourselves down.”said the dog. “And now I want you to reach out your hand and touch the top of your head… now follow your stem and see where it goes.”

There was a long silence for a moment in that garden because the guiskeles realized that they were each a part the same plant and therefore all one. And then the dog continued saying, “You are fighting about different qualities but in reality you each have these qualities inside of you. “Each of you is strong, brave, fast, bright, wise, playful, beautiful, patient and cunning so there is no reason to fight.

And from then on the quiskeles were kind and respectful with themselves and each other appreciating their differences because they remembered that they are all one.

THE END