By SCOTT MCKIE B.P.
One Feather Asst. Editor
CHEROKEE, N.C. – The late B.K.S. Iyengar, known by many as “the father of modern yoga”, once said, “Yoga is the golden key that unlocks the door to peace, tranquility, and joy.”
The Peaceful Warriors afterschool program for children ages 7-11 will focus on yoga and its benefits. It will be held on Wednesdays from 3:30 p.m. to 4: 45 p.m. at the Cherokee Choices community/yoga room in Cherokee, N.C. The program will run from Sept. 9 to Oct. 28.
Yolanda Saunooke, Cherokee Choices behavioral change specialist, poses with Native-themed yoga pose posters that she uses in the Peaceful Warriors afterschool program. The artwork in the posters was done by Justin Reed, and the syllabary was provided by Tawodi Brown. (SCOTT MCKIE B.P./One Feather photo)
The program is being administered by Yolanda Saunooke, Cherokee Choices behavioral change specialist, who is a Yoga and Tai Chi instructor. Cherokee Choices is a program in the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (EBCI) Public Health and Human Services Division.
Saunooke, an EBCI tribal member, commented, “There are so many benefits in yoga. It helps with stress, and kids are dealing with a lot of stress these days.”
She said yoga also has a physical aspect. “You do get stronger. You do get more flexible. It is also a confidence-booster.”
Saunooke said that yoga is a very fluid activity. “How I do a pose might be different than yours and that’s ok. It is just making you feel better in what you’re doing. It does help release stress with slow movement. Yoga can be as easy as you want it to be, or it can be as hard as you want it to be.
We focus with the sun salutations, and, for the most part, all of the kids can do those.”
She added, “There are two parts within the scope of yoga and that is the yamas which is how you act and behave out in this world and then the niyamas is how you act and behave to take care of yourself. I try to tie in our Cherokee Core Values with that to show that there is a similarity of how our culture and another culture look at life and take care of themselves in our world. That’s a big part of Cherokee, the harmony, Gadugi.”
The Cherokee Core Values, according to information from the Cherokee Preservation Foundation, are as follows:
- Spirituality which creates a bond among Cherokee people in good times and bad and is a source of hope
- Group harmony in community and kin relationships and freely sharing and giving time, talent, and treasures
- Strong individual character with integrity, honesty, perseverance, courage, respect, trust, honor, and humility
- Strong connection to the land and commitment to the stewardship of the homelands of the Cherokee
- Honoring the past by knowing once’s ancestors identifying with and belonging to the Tribe, and living and preserving Cherokee culture
- Educating the children by providing values-oriented education and recreation, and by being strong role models for them
- Possessing a sense of humor which can lighten pressure in serious situations and help people make good decisions
Saunooke said that yoga helps in many other ways. “The one thing I do like about how the program has progressed is that hopefully we’re teaching the kids more empathy so that they recognize big feelings in themselves and how to take care of themselves when they’re faced with other stressful situations and dealing with other people and expressing kindness to them too.
Yoga and meditation is actually really great for mental health and brain health. Studies have shown that it helps with attention span and helps them focus more.”
Children who attend at least five classes during the two months receive a free yoga shirt.
The program is free, but registration is required. To sign-up, contact Saunooke at (828) 359-6784 or yolasaun@ebci-nsn.gov.
