Belinda Levychin, Program & Marketing Director

I love being a Fire Power. It is not unusual for folks who just meet me to say I have so much energy and light. And in all honesty, I wake up most mornings ready for the day and grateful to be up to enjoy whatever the day brings. My college roommate was not always happy I woke up like this! Even before I had this language, I knew I had something that made me bounce off the walls all the time! I always want to be in happiness mode, even during dark times. In fact, some of my best quips come in the worst of times. It made total sense to me that people who are Fire Power are, by and large, optimistic, happy people.

So, I lived much of my life living on high. This has given me some success in my chosen career as a marketing and advertising professional. But the big issue was my life lacked balance. Going at 100 miles per hour was a recipe for burning out my FIRE. Luckily for me I found yoga, and I went so far as doing a Yoga Teacher Training.

The basic principles of the methodology behind Tournesol Kids is that each of us is born with an innate super power, based on the Five Principles of Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal (Gold), and Water. Each of these powers have helpers and challengers, but we need a bit of everything to get to a more balanced state. For Fire Power, the helpers are Wood and Earth and the challengers are Water and Gold.

It was no surprise when I saw that Fire Power’s challengers were Water and Gold Powers. After all, I’d spent a lot of my life keeping the fire burning; I wasn’t looking to tone it down. But just like I find in yoga, doing Water Power exercises gives the cues to find stillness similar to what yoga does when you move to find stillness between poses or asanas. And Gold exercises can encourage breathing and learning how to calm yourself with simple breathing exercises, like the breathing exercises found at the beginning and end of most yoga classes.

Coincidence? I think not, because this methodology is based on our whole bodies, which is the same for yoga. So now I embrace my inner Fire child, but I also allow room for the other four powers to play too. This way I can always come back to balance and still be smiling from ear to ear! What I learned in yoga continues to inspire me daily and anytime I find myself losing control, I just find my breath. So, no matter what your power is, everyone should look to their inner power to find the bright side of life – even in the stillness.

What’s wonderful about Tournesol Kids is that we are trying to reach kids so that they can learn how to be their most resilient selves, right now! The Tournesol Kids Game has some wonderful exercises to help balance out Fire Power, such as the This and That Game, which helps people appreciate new perspectives and face challenges in a positive way, or What’s it Feel Like, which combines Water Power (imagination) and Fire Power (feeling) to help us understand what we are truly feeling and allows for a better perspective of any situation.

Check out the Tournesol Kids Game and get working on your super power!