What does Kendrick Lamar have to do with yoga? More than you might think. Here’s what I observed, front and center, at The Big Steppers Tour in Oakland.

My son wanted to go to his first major concert featuring Baby Keem and Kendrick Lamar. He wanted to mosh with friends on the floor. (I thought I’d drop them at the door.) A friend of mine, who knows musical talent like no other, insisted I go too. I was open to the experience. I didn’t expect to be blown away!

Kendrick is intentional.

The energy, artistry and composition of each song in his live performance is its own body of work. He’s a storyteller and the show was a cinematic completion of the lyrics combined with the lighting, technology and choreography. This level of attention to detail requires intense focus. The focus of a yogi. Every detail was accounted for with precision.

Kendrick is mindful.

This really got me. Between each song, he would often take a full minute to reset himself. I imagine he was letting the vibration of what just happened go to embrace a moment of silence and transition into the next experience. It was so cool to witness this consistently. The fans roared in anticipation. He totally gets the power is in the pause.

Kendrick can move!

I’m not saying he did any yoga poses outside of standing tall like a mountain, but the way he presented on stage was monumental. He’s not a tall man, but he felt tall. His mannerisms and movements were so organic and original to him. I appreciated the way he held the essence of a monolith with pure and total presence. That’s yoga.

I have no idea if he’s ever set foot on a yoga mat, but whether its “Poetic Justice” Kendrick, or “DNA” Kendrick, he and yoga go together. I’m officially Kendrick Rally Mom now - KRM.

Hey teens! We use playlists with pop, hip-hop, rock, R&B, and reggae to inspire our unique yoga practices. Check us out live online.

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Is spanking at school a good idea? For me, this is a HARD NO. Here’s the news, science and yogic perspective on spanking. 

The news: The Cassville R-IV School District in western MO gave the ‘OK’ to bring back spanking. Using paddles as a punishment for misbehavior will begin for students whose parents opt-in with written permission — with a choice to opt out later. Swatting kids will be a last resort in private with two workers present (the spanker and a witness) and no hitting the head or face. The measure is a school board response to a survey which found that parents were worried about student behavior. Many states have outlawed corporal punishment in schools — but Missouri is one of 19 that allow it.

The science: Spanking may be an effective short-term solution to change behavior, but it’s no more effective than other non-violent methods, like a timeout. The long term impact of spanking is associated with less compliance than other forms of discipline (Gershoff, 2013). Causing physical pain can lead to fear and confusion in children who are still learning whatever their adult is trying to convey. Spanking actually backfires as a method of punishment because researchers found a consistent relationship between spanking and aggressive behavior (Gershoff & Grogan-Kaylor, 2016).

The yoga: As a yogi, the rule is: Do No Harm. Ahimsa (non-violence), the first and foremost of the five yamas (restraints) described in the Yoga Sutra. It asks us to live in such a way that we cause no harm in thought, speech, or action to any living being, including ourselves. In its pure form, ahimsa is the expression of the highest form of love—with unwavering positive regard for everyone and everything. This is a very tall order in the world, and one to aspire to. 

From these perspectives, clearly spanking is the least effective toward positive learned behavior. Children learn most effectively with loving adults who can guide them to their personal purpose, peace and power - not over others - but for the greater good.  This is The Practice. Come to yoga to learn how. 

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It’s simple: If you try, you can never fail.

If you don’t get the outcome you want, you learn. We learn by making our own mistakes. No one can do that for us. Even though, as parents, we try. We want our kids to learn from our mistakes. We implore them to take our advice. I’ve learned it’s worth our effort, but kids often need to learn from their own mistakes.

Effort is the key. It requires no skill and you have control over it. You have a choice to put in your full effort, or not. If you don’t try your best, you can’t be your best. I like the 70/30 approach to making decisions.

List your target goals. What do you want? Identify the next best step toward what you want. From there make decisions with 70% assurance, leave 30% uncertainty for learning. Some of us don’t like to make a decision until we are 100% sure, but that’s not ideal - especially for kids.

Making your best guess is sometimes the best. We learn this skill on the mat, through trying new things and stretching ourselves physically and mentally. It comes with facing fears like going upside down, bending backwards or holding a pose to get stronger. It comes with reframing our outcomes whether we get what we want, or not because with effort, you can never fail.

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What’s the vibe at your house for back to school? Each child is different so it could vary from exciting to excruciating. Stepping up to the next level can be exciting for the adventurer and excruciating for the worrier.

Some children cannot wait to get back! They may be as excited as their parents that school is back in session. For others, summer could last a lifetime. Here’s how to deal with some of the low and high vibes to get to the next level.

Listen to how your child feels about going back to school. The last couple years have been tough with masks and mandates and lots of extra energy for safety. It’s normal for your child wonder about what to expect especially with so many changes.

Ask questions about what they are looking forward to and what they may be worried about. New teachers. New classrooms. New material. New schedules. New activities. New friends. It’s. A. Lot. Find out what they care about most.

Assure them. Stepping up is a challenge for everyone. Share stories and times where you stepped up, and even better, when they did. Building on past experiences builds confidence. Look for the little things that will bring them comfort as they take their education and experience to the next level.

Lastly, and as always, practice yoga. The courage and confidence you learn on the mat translates to everyday life. Breathing into challenges, and overcoming them, is very satisfying both on and off the mat!