Adam, who just turned 12, is the creator of Wuf Shanti, an adorable dog yoga character that travels the world and shares with children through lots of great music and fun stories how to do yoga and live mindfully, think like a yogi, look on the bright side of life, be kind to others, and live in gratitude. Think like Barney for yoga.
Adam created Wufshanti to promote health, wellness, and happiness in kids. It started in honor of his great-grandpa. They were very close, and when Grandpa passed away, Adam wanted to honor him by paying forward Grandpa’s beliefs: Think Well to Be Well, Smile and the World Will Smile With You, and Smile and Say Thank You.
Wuf Shanti teaches young kids (of all nationalities, cultures, races, and religions) yoga, breathing, and meditation in fun ways which will help them stay healthy and happy. Adam wants children to learn the influence and importance of positive thinking on health and success in life and feels that if we can teach kids yogic-tools when they are young, these tools will become second nature, and then kids will have more productive ways of dealing with emotions as they grow-up. These tools will help children be more empathetic, less anxious and depressed teenagers, and more content, happy peace-loving adults. The goal is to help kids live mindfully, be kind to one another, and replace fear and hate with love.
We liked his idea so much that we decided to help him do it for real, and what started out as a child’s project became a “real” character. We self-published his book (which he gave to his OMazing yoga instructor for her birthday), had stuffed animals and yoga mats and t-shirts made, sung the theme song, filmed short videos of Wuf Shanti traveling around the world doing yoga, and he is now conducting a series of interviews with pioneers in the yoga industry such as Kathryn Budig, Seane Corn, and Paige Held.
Our mascot (which is actually Adam in the Wuf Shanti costume) visits children’s hospitals, schools, yoga studios, and festivals. Adam is one of the youngest certified children yoga instructors that we know of, by Kidding Around Yoga, and has made children smile though his character because of his compassion and dedication. Adam loves sports too, such as basketball and golf, and also has a love of music and drawing. His desire to make a positive impact on kids has been reinforced by watching some of his idols, such as Adam Levine, Jason Mraz, and LeBron James, who all practice yoga.
Adam has always had to do at least one charity project each year. When he was younger, we would sit with him, and explain what all the charities were about, and we would let him choose which charity he wanted to help, and how he would help it (i.e.: carnivals, writing songs and selling the CD, walk teams, etc.). It was totally and completely up to him. Maybe that’s what motivated him to do Wuf Shanti and help kids.
Wuf Shanti is currently developing a TV show. It has always been one of Wuf Shanti’s goals to get into homes and children hospitals (on their TV stations, the Children’s TV Network) across the country (and even other countries) to help them feel better and smile. We are so beyond grateful that the Children’s Television Network is going to distribute Wuf Shanti to children’s hospitals across the country.
Thank you for joining us on this journey of giving gratitude and thinking well, and sharing this yogic-minded lifestyle for children! To learn more about Wuf Shanti, and how you can help promote wellness, please visit us at:
www.youtube.com/channel/UC7u6kbHnLbWlIaD1Ivis8XA
Wuf Shanti, Wuf Peace, Wuf Namaste`!! ?