It seems like a perfect time for a contest, leave a comment on this post for a chance to win a copy of this beautiful book I’m going to review today. Mushroom Hollow Press sent me two free copies of this book, one to review and one to give away, but other than this, I’m not an affiliate of this product.  Contest closes Sunday, December 6/09 at midnight so leave a comment for a chance to win.

Illustration for the First Chakra
from Seven Spirals, A Chaktra Sutra for Kids
by Deena Haiber and Aimee MacDonald

When I opened up Seven Spirals a couple weeks ago I was first in awe of the drawings.  There’s rich colours and a simple format, a story for each chakra and then a big picture on the next 2 pages (like the picture above for the first Chakra).

What surprised me when I read it, was the minimal focus on the technical aspects of the chakra system.  Instead, this book tells stories of what the chakras mean in our lives.  It’s a departure from the typical chakra books out there, but I think it works – especially for kids.

Our book follows seven everyday-kids through a weekend
of their lives, giving us a glimpse at the meaning of the seven chakras,
and how they affect us every day.
Mushroom Hollow Press.

In my ten plus years teaching kids yoga, I have to admit that I rarely teach the chakras.  It’s complicated to explain the concept quickly and  in a way that kids will understand.  Whenever I’ve covered this topic, it’s been in longer classes or day camps.  So I brought Seven Sprials into five different 30 minute classes recently to see how the kids would react to the story-telling approach of this book.

Here what I found using the book in a kids yoga class:

• the book is easy to divide into small parts:  In a 30 minute class we covered the first three chakras in one class, then the next weeks we did a quick re-cap and added another chakra, and so on till the finish.
• the stories were memorable, the kids were excited about the book and even a week later, the kids remembered the stories,
• You’ll need to give some time for the kids to comment, the stories are short but they lead to conversation,
• There are no yoga exercises in the book – so you’ll have to choose these on your own, there is a short chakra meditation at the end.

I recommend adding this book to your kids yoga library as a welcome addition to other more technical books on the chakras.  The simple stories and pictures captured the kids attention in my classes.  The book highlights poignant moments that give meaning in life, it creates a sense of balance.

If you would like to win a copy of Seven Spirals leave a comment by Sunday on this blog post.  One person will be chosen randomly from all the comments to receive a copy of the book.

And if you don’t win you can always pick up your own copy at  www.MushroomHollow.com.

Good luck to everyone!

Aruna Humphrys
[email protected]

© K. Humphrys