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<p>WRIGHT TOWNSHIP &#8212;If you lie on your tummy, bend your knees, reach back to grab your feet and then rock from side to side &#8212; whee! &#8212; you can pretend you&#8217;re the Grinch riding a sleigh down Mt. Crumpet toward Whoville.</p><p>And if you want to show the Grinch&#8217;s long-suffering pet, Max, came along on that trip, you can stretch like a puppy on all fours.</p><p>&#8220;Downward facing dog&#8221; and &#8220;the bow&#8221; were a few of the positions yoga instructors Jaime Lisman and Terry Tokach helped young people assume Saturday at the Mountain Yoga studio on Route 309 as they used their bodies to retell the story of &#8220;How the Grinch Stole Christmas.&#8221;</p><p>As any Dr. Seuss fan can tell you, the Grinch hated Christmas and tried to stop it from coming by stealing presents, food, Christmas trees and even light bulbs from the Whos of Whoville. When he realized taking away the material trappings did not affect the Whos&#8217; happiness, his heart swelled, he returned all the gifts and joined in the Christmas celebration.</p><p>Using Seuss&#8217; image of a heart that can grow three sizes, Tokach went around the circle, asking the young participants to suggest good deeds that would help a Grinch&#8217;s heart &#8212; or their own &#8212; become more generous.</p><p>&#8220;Helping my mom make cookies,&#8221; said 12-year-old Leah Dietrich, of Mountain Top.</p><p>&#8220;Sharing my LEGOS,&#8221; said 5-year-old Elijah Velasquez, of Drums.</p><p>&#8220;Loving my family,&#8221; said 5-year-old Sophia Snyder, of Mountain Top.</p><p>&#8220;Washing the clothes,&#8221; 6-year-old Savannah Lappan, of Berwick, said.</p><p>&#8220;Being nice to people,&#8221; said 18-year-old Miranda Lappan, Savannah&#8217;s aunt.</p><p>As she watched her 6-year-old granddaughter and her 18-year-old daughter, who has special needs, participate in the yoga circle, Denise Lappan, of Berwick, was delighted she found the inclusive yoga studio and excited about a &#8220;Sensitive Santa&#8221; event Mountain Yoga will hold from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Dec. 20.</p><p>&#8220;Sensitive Santa&#8221; is designed to give young people who have special needs the opportunity to spend some time with Santa Claus surrounded by subdued lighting, soothing music and aromatherapy as opposed to the bright lights and crowds you might find at a shopping mall. If a participant wants to sit on Santa&#8217;s lap, that&#8217;s fine. If he or she would rather play with some toys near Santa, that&#8217;s fine, too.</p><p>&#8220;I&#8217;m very excited to try it,&#8221; Denise Lappan said. &#8220;Miranda is going to be 19 in a couple days and I generally don&#8217;t take her to the mall (to see Santa) because people look and think she&#8217;s too old to believe in Santa, but she does.&#8221;</p><p>Glancing at the yoga circle, Denise said, &#8220;I&#8217;m loving that she&#8217;s included in this.&#8221;</p><p>The yoga workshop certainly was inclusive. It had been described on the studio&#8217;s website as being for children, but the moms and grandmoms who brought the youngsters were welcome to take part, too, and several did.</p><p>Whether they actively participated or not, every adult had something good to say about having their kids participate in yoga.</p><p>&#8220;It helps with focus and teamwork and just being quiet,&#8221; said Deborah Dietrich, of Mountain Top, who brought her 5-year-old son, Rowan, and 12-year-old daughter, Leah.</p><p>&#8220;I love bringing him here,&#8221; said Sandi Amandola, of Drums, who brought her son, Sam.</p><p>&#8220;I think everybody benefits,&#8221; said Nikki Velasquez, of Drums, who brought her son, Elijah. &#8220;It&#8217;s holistic and organic in the best sense.&#8221;</p><p>During the workshop, the children worked on a heart-shaped craft and spent some quiet moments. They also practiced listening to each other.</p><p>As participants took turns sharing their thoughts about good deeds, Tokach saw a need to refocus the attention of some members of the group. &#8220;Another very good idea is to be respectful when our friends are talking,&#8221; she reminded them gently.</p><p>&#8220;If we listen, we can hear all these good ideas.&#8221;</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Yoga instructor Jaime Lisman, center, is surrounded by children taking part in a recent yoga workshop with a &#8216;Heart of the Grinch&#8217; theme. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/web1_ttl121415kidsyoga-1-3.jpg</photo0><caption0>Yoga instructor Jaime Lisman, center, is surrounded by children taking part in a recent yoga workshop with a &#8216;Heart of the Grinch&#8217; theme. </caption0><photoCredit0></photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/web1_ttl121415kidsyoga-2-3.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Led by instructor &#8216;Miss Jaime&#8217; Lisman, at left, young people in the yoga circle took turns describing kind deeds that would make the Grinch&#8217;s heart &#8212; or their own &#8212; grow. Shown in the circle are Rowan Dietrich 5, and Leah Dietrich, 12, of Mountain Top; Savannah Lappan, 6, and Miranda Lappan, 18, of Berwick. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/web1_ttl121415kidsyoga-2-3.jpg</photo1><caption1>Led by instructor &#8216;Miss Jaime&#8217; Lisman, at left, young people in the yoga circle took turns describing kind deeds that would make the Grinch&#8217;s heart &#8212; or their own &#8212; grow. Shown in the circle are Rowan Dietrich 5, and Leah Dietrich, 12, of Mountain Top; Savannah Lappan, 6, and Miranda Lappan, 18, of Berwick. </caption1><photoCredit1></photoCredit1></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/web1_ttl121415kidsyoga-4-3.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Miranda Lappan helps her niece, Savannah Lappan, stretch while yoga workshop participants pair up for partner yoga. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo2>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/web1_ttl121415kidsyoga-4-3.jpg</photo2><caption2>Miranda Lappan helps her niece, Savannah Lappan, stretch while yoga workshop participants pair up for partner yoga. </caption2><photoCredit2></photoCredit2></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/web1_ttl121415kidsyoga-5-3.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Caitlin Greives stretches her arms up high as the children use body language to tell the story of the Grinch. The Grinch lived on top of Mt. Crumpet, high above Whoville. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo3>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/web1_ttl121415kidsyoga-5-3.jpg</photo3><caption3>Caitlin Greives stretches her arms up high as the children use body language to tell the story of the Grinch. The Grinch lived on top of Mt. Crumpet, high above Whoville. </caption3><photoCredit3></photoCredit3></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/web1_ttl121415kidsyoga-6-3.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Led by &#8216;Miss Jaime&#8217; Lisman, center, and &#8216;Miss Terry&#8217; Tokach, left, youthful participants stretch as they enact the story of the Grinch Who Stole Christmas. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo4>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/web1_ttl121415kidsyoga-6-3.jpg</photo4><caption4>Led by &#8216;Miss Jaime&#8217; Lisman, center, and &#8216;Miss Terry&#8217; Tokach, left, youthful participants stretch as they enact the story of the Grinch Who Stole Christmas. </caption4><photoCredit4></photoCredit4></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/web1_ttl121415kidsyoga-7-3.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Soft lighting add to the soothing atmosphere at Mountain Yoga in Wright Township during a recent yoga workshop for children and will be used during a &#8216;Sensitive Santa&#8217; event set for Dec. 20 as well. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo5>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/web1_ttl121415kidsyoga-7-3.jpg</photo5><caption5>Soft lighting add to the soothing atmosphere at Mountain Yoga in Wright Township during a recent yoga workshop for children and will be used during a &#8216;Sensitive Santa&#8217; event set for Dec. 20 as well. </caption5><photoCredit5></photoCredit5></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/web1_ttl121415kidsyoga-3-3.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Jaime Lisman guides yoga workshop participants into a tree position. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo6>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/web1_ttl121415kidsyoga-3-3.jpg</photo6><caption6>Jaime Lisman guides yoga workshop participants into a tree position. </caption6><photoCredit6></photoCredit6></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><subheadMeta>Next up is &#8216;Sensitive Santa&#8217; event for kids with special needs</subheadMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p><strong>By Mary Therese Biebel</strong></p><p>mbiebel@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><factboxMeta><p><strong>UPCOMING AT MOUNTAIN YOGA</strong></p><p><strong>What:</strong> &#8216;Sensitive Santa&#8217;</p><p><strong>When:</strong> 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Dec. 20</p><p><strong>Where:</strong> Mountain Yoga studio, 359 S. Mountain Blvd. (Route 309) Wright Township</p><p><strong>Admission:</strong> Free</p><p><strong>To register:</strong> Contact 570-466-5613 or mountainyoga1@verizon.net</p></factboxMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Mary Therese Biebel at 570-991-6109 or on Twitter @BiebelMT</p></shirttailMeta></div>

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Mountain Yoga studio holds yoga workshop for children; next up is ‘Sensitive Santa’ event for kids with special needs