Look at me!
Look at me!
Look at me NOW!
It is fun to have fun
But you have to know how.
The enlightened sage, Dr. Seuss, in the revered text The Cat and The Hat, teaches us how to tune into our Highest Self, listen to our small, limited, fears and even invite them out to play with each other. My intention and desire is for us to value and understand this text in the highest spiritual sense. May this process lead us to a higher capacity for insight, for revelation, for learning at a deeper level, so clarity about our playful selves become possible.
Cat in the Hat begins on a cold and wet day at the house of two sad children stuck inside with nothing to do, until the Cat in a Hat shows up, transforming the dull day into an adventure. As he steps in on the mat, we can relate the action metaphorically to Yoga Sutra 1.1. Now, the teachings of yoga. As he begins to express his philosophy to the children, their pet fish begins to express his hesitation and fears. The Cat reassures him with a simple "Now! Now!" That answer is an important teaching in the whole text, because it teaches us to let go of our old social order, and enter the present, which is new. "Now" in Sanskrit is "atha", signaling the value of what you are about to dive into. "Atha" is also the first spoken word of Yoga Sutra 1.1, its entirety being~
1.1 Ātha Yogānuśāsanam The teachings of yoga, have been presented. You don't need to wait until the sun comes out, an authority figure is watching, or your fear is gone. All that it (Yoga) requires of you is a YES. In essence, then, The Cat in the Hat, just like Patanjali, tells his students to get ready to receive the
knowledge on the subject of "yoga".
The fish in the tiny bowl represents our limited, concealed self known as karma mala. He is fear, limiting our ability to act. The cat is a wise trickster. He questions authority, encourages enthusiasm, seeks new experiences, while destroying our old way of thinking. He is our Big-Picture Play of Consciousness. He is our Highest Self. Highest Self is Consciousness. Highest Self is the real complete you.
Shiva Sutra 1-1 Chaitanyam ātmā. Consciousness is the self.
The children were still able to recognize, the fish's concern. Fear is natural; it's an adaptive instinct. Don't try to squelch it down or ignore it. Without fear, we wouldn't have courage. Without courage we wouldn't be brave. The Cat in the Hat was able to listen to the fish, listen to his fears, and playfully act upon them.
"Have no fear!" said the cat
"I will not let you fall
I will hold you up high..."
Introducing three Tricks to greet your Higher Consciousness (HC)...ie Cat in the Hat and Small Fish (SF) i.e Karma Mala, Fear.
1.Listen
Close your eyes. Breathe in through your heart and out through your third eye. Continue to follow your breath. Listen to your heart. Sometimes HC sounds like the whisper of a wise old man. Sometimes HC sounds like a voice you recognize that is playful, friendly, and compassionate.
The voice of your SF is usually scared or angry. It's probably much louder.
2. Look
Invite HC to sit with you and have a conversation. Notice what HC looks like. The Cat in the Hat? Ask questions. When the answers sound wiser or more knowledgeable than usual, you're probably talking to your HC. Just keep talking to this image of your higher self until you've received the answers you need. Invite SF to the table as well. What do you see? Where in your body do you feel them? Draw your work.
3. Feel
The cat in the hat starts at your spine and goes up to the crown of your head and beyond! Feel your cat getting wider with each breath in and taller with each breath out.
Sit!
Sit!
Sit!
Sit!
Root your left sitting bone to your left heel and your right sitting bone to your right heel. Thing 1 begins in the lowest part of your left belly. Thing 2 resides in the lowest part of your right belly. Lift 
Thing 1 and Thing 2, both lowest bellies, straight up like a kite. How high can you lift these things? Can you feel the silly blue hair? Can your left and right side smile like Thing 1 and Thing 2? Most of our actions conspire to drop our things( lowest abs). The trick is to keep lifting thing one and thing two and root sitting bones to heels at the same time. The game is to not spill your energy,it must be a conscious effort to get a good thing(s) going!
A Thing is defined as some entity, object, or creature that is not or cannot be specifically designated or precisely described: anything that is or may become an object of thought: things of the spirit. (abdominal muscles and organs and bones oh my!)
things, matters; affairs: a fact, circumstance..so the trick is to LIFT Your Things! Lift your entity, being, matter, act, deed, event, material object, while keeping your sitting bones rooted to your heels. Try this in different shapes~standing, forward folds, backbends, twists, supine..Notice the difference.
Reponses received from our Grounded Kids...
"Thing 1 and Thing 2 teach me I can do it!" Ella, age 7
"My little baby tiny weeny self is in my head. My Huge, humungous ,, big giant Self is in my heart and body." Claire, age 9
"My High Cat knows I can do big things" Madeline, age 5
"My Highest Self stands up for the world. My small Fish gets angry at myself and others." Lauren, age 6
"My High Self is beautiful and colorful." Emily, age 6
"My Highest Self tells me my gift is seeing the future in my sleep." Hunter, age 7
"My Fear is in my foot. My Highest Self is upside down now. It's telling me to pay attention." Dodge, age 9
"Higher Self is standing up for myself. My Little Self is always looking around at others." Amelia, age 8
"My Fear is sliding down a pole. I see that picture (of the pole) any time I get scared." Sarah, age 9
Once you've tuned in to your HC, you'll be able to get some key information about why you're here and where you should go, and who you should go with. Your HC is watching over you and helping to steer you in the highest direction. This playful practice is for each one of us to embody the deep empowerment, the authenticity, and the fullness of who we are.
Please share how it goes. Now~ You've got to have fun, but you have to know HOW!
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It seems obvious that teaching yoga requires flexibility, right? You have to be physically able to do most poses to teach them and to have credibility as a teacher. You need to have flexibility in your lesson plans to be able to teach to the level of the students in your class. And, in my experience teaching children's yoga, you need an additional level of flexibility. You need to help the parents feel comfortable.
Thank you Eight year old Marlie for presenting me with this yoga book you wrote and taught to classes in your school. I appreciate your interesting chapters~
Yoga that keeps me calm
Yoga that keeps me Grounded
Yoga with more than two people
Yoga with two people
Yoga that keeps me happy
and your very helpful notes~
Remember you will not get it the first time
Breathe slowly
Remember to lean
your beautifully detailed art~
and your permission to share your work on our blog~
I am grateful that you have been a grounded student for three years and you continue to serve your school with yoga.
With love, Cheryl Crawford
Unlieable – To be filled with ones own truth, to the extent that no lies can enter ones being, either from within or without
