Office Yoga: Simple Stretches for Busy People book review

Office Yoga: Simple Stretches for Busy People
by Darrin Zeer

Office Yoga: Simple Stretches for Busy People is a collection of simple yoga stretches designed for those who are desk-bound the majority of the day. The stretches, as asanas as they are known in Sanskrit, will help not only physically, but will also help bring more calmness, ease, and focus into your daily work life.

Office Yoga provides asanas for your morning routine (”Morning Eye Openers”), through your return home (”Evening Balancers”). The section at “At-the-Desk Relaxation” provides helpful tips for keeping your hands and wrists relaxed through Keyboard Calisthenics, as well as self-massage techniques and other relaxation methods. The “Afternoon Invgorations” chapter gives some tips on perking up about the time that you are ready for that 3 p.m. coffee or chocolate!

Scattered throughout the book are helpful tips on diet and other tips on decreasing stress and increasing happiness. Best of all, the contents include a Quick Help Guide for common workplace ailments like stiff neck and shoulders; eye strain; low energy; and sore lower backs so you can quickly find the stretches to help with your pain.

Find Office Yoga on Chronicle Books’ website, or your favorite bookshop.

Lots of Americans seem to think that May 5 is Mexican Independence Day, but that holiday actually falls on Sept. 16.

May 5 is the celebration of the Battle of Puebla, in which the Mexicans defeated the French in 1862. Independence Day marks the beginning of their fight for independence from Spain in 1810. That was the day of what’s known as El Grito de Dolores, or the cry of Dolores, for when the Catholic priest Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla rang the church bells at his church in Dolores and declared that Mexico should be free from Spanish rule.

They would fight for their freedom until 1821 when they finally gained independence.

Fabulous Classroom has a little of the history and ideas for celebrating the holiday for all age groups. There’s also a link to a good video in that post about the real story of Mexican Independence Day.

Twinkl also has a good tops about the history and different activities, discussion ideas, crafts and foods that can be incorporated into lessons at school or used at home.

I also found a few pins that no longer link to a website but include good information on Mexican Independence Day, including some questions for students to answer based on the reading. You can find more printables and questions for kids from TX Homeschool Mama on Etsy (also available in Spanish).

You can find a lot more paid resources about Mexican Independence Day at Teachers Pay Teachers.

Mexican flag crafts are a fun option for celebrating Mexican Independence Day (though the current iteration of their flag has only been in use since 1968). Kids Activities Blog has a free Mexican flag printable and a few different ideas for decorating it including dot markers and torn tissue paper.

You can also find some great Mexican crafts at Red Ted Art. The post includes all sorts of Mexican inspired projects including Day of the Dead crafts, Frida Kahlo pinatas and upcycled musical instruments. I love the giant paper flowers they shared from Honestly WTF.

Have you read?