Good Carma: Baby, You Can Drive My Car

By Marsha Wenig

Summer means fun. It can also be more time in the car than usual--road trips of all kinds: camp, camping and other events and activities to shuttle our children to and from. So buckle up, breathe and enjoy the ride. What? I hear you groaning. Enjoy the ride? With children? Yes, I promise it’s possible...

kids playing on a road trip The first rule of thumb is to remember that when we adults are stressed, our children often become stressed, and vice versa. As parents, we are often multitasking and trying to accomplish more chores and stops than we should. Slow down. Ask yourself: What is absolutely necessary? What can wait? What is the most economical, environmentally viable route for us to travel?

The challenges of driving when our children are cranky, tired, hungry or just out of sorts are common. We are at the wheel, attempting to concentrate on navigating safely to the next destination, but our children are whiney, complaining or crying. What do we do?

Well, we tend to absorb and then mimic our children’s behavior (funny, because it is we who are probably stressed in the first place, and our children reflect that energy back to us). The outcomes vary; some of us might threaten, yell, scream, bribe, reward or just plain lose it. Then we get out of sorts, feel guilty, get harried or demonstrate myriad behaviors we are not proud of.

Yet, we’re yogis. Practicing to stay in the positive is paramount for us in all things-- especially parenting. Remember ahimsa (nonviolence). Model what we want our children to be. They learn from example. What we DO teaches them. What we say must be congruent with our philosophy “to do no harm.”

So put on your seatbelts and pilot your children all year round from the town pool to the movies, from school to their dentist appointment, soccer to yoga class, the store to Brownies, French to Spanish, violin to trombone practice and home again, safely and happily. Here are some tips on how to transform transportation trauma into Driving my Carma.

Drive

Allow an extra 15 minutes to get where you’re going. When that’s not possible, remember Madeline L’Engle’s A Wrinkle in Time and expand your consciousness to open the gap. Time is just an illusion? You can make it. Or use one of our YogaKids mantras: “When I believe I can, I can. YES!”
Practice your yoga. Not just the postures and keeping your body buff and strong. Remember to relax and go with the ebb and flow of traffic, lights and speed limits. All is well.
Carry healthy snacks and water in your car.
Respond with kindness and patience, not anger and impatience. You are the model. Fake it ’til you make it, if you must.
Make yoga and visualization a part of your car routine.
Breathe. Relax. Stay present.

Here are some tips to keep your precious cargo precious with family fun and good Carma.

Play

Make up and play games like “Do You See What I See?” Your children can identify and share with one another what they are observing from their vantage point in the car.

Or play the tried and true “I Spy,” a guessing game where one describes something they see with descriptive details and the other one guesses. Another game: “I Am Mommy’s/Daddy’s Co-Pilot.” Does your child know the routine routes that you drive? Encourage them to instruct you on which way to go to develop their spatial awareness and sense of direction.

Sing

Sing and make up songs. Here is an example:

“Breathe on Down the Road” (sung to the tune from The Wiz)

Come on and breathe on down, breathe on down the road...
Green means go, and then we shout, “YES” on our road...
Love is dear; peace is here down our road...
Watch for signs; there are happy times down our road...

Yoga

Did someone say breathe? Here are some of our YogaKids® Peace and Quiet poses that parents can guide children through while seated in the car:

Peace Breath: Close your eyes. Relax your face muscles. Let your skin drape over your bones like a soft blanket. Breathe in. Breathe out, and whisper the word “peace.” Do this three to six times. As you say the word, feel the peace inside you. Send peace to the animals, trees and plants. Send peace to your family. Send peace to countries in the world that are at war. Send peace to all the people you love. Send peace to all the cars on the road. Send peace to the animals too, so that they stay safe on the roadsides.
Bunny Breath: Get comfortable in a seated pose. Make your neck and back as long as you can. Tuck in your chin slightly and let your lower jaw relax. Take four to six short, quick breaths in through your nose. Twitch your nose like a bunny. Then breathe out through your mouth with a long, smooth sigh. Repeat four times. Does your bunny feel energized? Increase the number of inhalations, and double the length of your exhalations as your breath power gets stronger.
Take 5: Take a break, a quick rest. Refocus. Lift one finger at a time as you breathe in through your nose and count in your mind: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. Pause for a second with your hand up. Slowly breathe out through your nose. Count backward--5, 4, 3, 2, 1--putting down one finger at a time for each number. Do “Take 5” two or three times.
Tense and Release: Breathe in and squeeze your eyes shut tight. Make a tight face. Raise your shoulders to your ears. Squeeze your muscles into your bones. Curl your toes. Breathe out and release with long, audible exhalations--Ahhhhhh. Repeat three times.

Visualize

Use guided visualization to take your little passengers on “A Magic Car Ride.” Invite your child to close her eyes and relax, feeling her body getting lighter as she continues to breathe. Ask her to imagine she is driving her very own special car. She can drive anywhere she wants. When she returns from her trip, ask her to share all the details and fun with you.

Pretend

Pretend the car is your family’s space ship. Engage your children’s senses. Where are you going? Food shopping? A sports event? Grandma’s? Piano lessons? The beach? What happens when you get there? Guide your children to move in their “imaginational body.” Ask them to describe the place. What do they see, hear and feel? What will they have to eat and drink there?

Encourage kids to draw upon the power of the imagination and incorporate sound and movement.

Be Lions, Owls and Butterflies!

Be a Quiet Lion: Instead of roaring, purr or growl softly or yawn. Stretch your claws too
Be a 360-Degree Owl: Put your hands on your shoulders or into your armpits and create wings. Turn your head slowly from side to side, eyes wide open. Can you see what’s behind you?
Be a Butterfly: Stretch your neck and the top of your head toward the sky and make your spine longer. Place your hands at the sides of your head and stick up your pointer fingers to make antennae. Pull your arms back to serve as wings. Bring the bottoms of your feet together. Breathe in and out as you flap your leg and arm wings forward and back.

Enjoy your summer travels, errands and carpools. May the season be filled with good Carma. YES.

Marsha Wenig is the founder of YogaKids International, Inc.She is a recognized authority on yoga for children and a 3-time recipient of the Parents’ Choice Award for her DVD series. Marsha is known throughout the yoga community as Mrs. Yoga. Her award-winning work can be viewed on Comcast On Demand. More tips can be found in her book, YogaKids: Educating the Whole Child Through Yogaand her DVD and CD series. You may contact her at marsha@yogakids.com. Also visit yogakids.comto find out about the YogaKids family of products, classes and trainings.

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