Yoga Buds go to moon and return in one hour!

At the start of the Yoga Buds class, few are relaxed.

They came for a yoga class at the Mandel Public Library of West Palm Beach.

Soon, they blasted off for the moon.

Later in the hour, they returned to earth in a relaxed state of mind.

A new version of Space Oddity (better known as Ground Control to Major Tom)?  

Ilene Glickman reads "How to Catch a Star" aloud.

Not a chance. 

The youngsters (ages 4-6) and their caregivers were part of an innovative library program known as Yoga Buds, made possible by a $5 million grant from the Mandel brothers. The Yoga Buds instructor Ilene Glickman has dual certifications: a certified yoga instructor with 200 hours of training and a children's librarian with an MLS from Long Island University in New York.

Soon she had the youngsters reaching for the stars.

Reaching for the stars!

And then, Glickman had the would-be yogis do star poses:

Rosie Gilken (third from left) and mom Rochelle (fourth from left) pretend to be stars.

When they blasted off for the moon, the would-be yogis experienced floating because there is no gravity in space. That weightlessness called for a "walking on the ceiling" pose.

Rosie Gilken and her mom Rochelle demonstrate "walking
on the ceiling."

After landing on the moon, Glickman scattered moon rocks (cotton balls) on the floor and had the participants pick up the "rocks" with their toes and put them into a plastic cup. The kids treasured those "rocks," as if they were made of gold. Some mothers, though, weren't too keen on keeping the "rocks" because they were "germy" from lying on the carpet and being picked up with toes. 

Rosie Gilken (seated) places the 'rocks' between her toes.

Too soon, it was time to return to earth and re-enter the globe's atmosphere. The Yoga Buds participants were instructed to lie on their backs while crossing their arms and bending their knees.

The class ended with everyone sitting in a circle and holding hands to show how important it is to be connected. Then Glickman had the participants cross the right hand in front and the left hand behind them and hold hands that way.

Jenn Beckett (center) and her son Everett end the class smiling.

Participants received a bottle of water, a free book (From Head to Toe by Eric Carle) and a handout of Yoda warrior II pose with two cartoons to color.

The Yoga Buds program ends June 12. Each Wednesday session has a different theme, including beach, space and pirates. The kids get a free book weekly so they can build their own library, says Joyce Pernicone, programming librarian who recently joined the library after it received the Mandel grant.

Registration needed

The Yoga Buds class, taught in the library's third-floor auditorium, provides a mat for the youngster and his/her caretaker. The class size is limited to 50 people total (25 kids and 25 caretakers) because of the number of yoga mats available, Pernicone said. Registration is needed, so please call (561) 868-7703 or you can register online if you have a library card with a PIN.

All of the kids said yoga class was fun, according to an informal survey Glickman conducted after the class. Everett, whose first yoga class was that day, admitted to being scared at first. But when he returned, he really enjoyed it.

And now, for my numbers

I had my best walking day last week on Friday, May 24, 2013, when I walked:

Steps: 10,743

Miles: 5.4