Today we are very excited to share an interview with authors E. Katherine Kottaras and Vanitha Swaminathan!
Read on to learn more about the authors, the book, and a giveaway!
Meet the Author: E. Katherine Kottaras
E. Katherine Kottaras is the author of two critically acclaimed YA novels, How to Be Brave and The Best Possible Answer. Currently an Associate Professor of English at Pasadena City College, she is also a certified yoga teacher, personal trainer, and health coach. She holds master’s degrees in English and Kinesiology. She lives in Southern California.
You can visit her online at KatherineKottaras.com or follow her on Instagram @KatherineKottaras.
Meet the Author: Vanitha Swaminathan
Vanitha Swaminathan was raised in Eastern India and learned mindfulness practices from her parents. Twice a year, she returns to India to help her mother with her yoga practice. She graduated from the University of Sheffield, UK, with a master’s degree in education and has taught on two different continents for over forty years. She currently lives in California with her husband, two sons, and three grandchildren.
About the Book: A Rainbow Inside My Body: Finding Peace Through Yoga, Breathing Exercises, and the Chakras
Learn yoga, breathing exercises, and mindfulness through the rainbow of the chakras!
When I need to know how I am feeling, I can close my eyes and breathe.
In an increasingly stressful world, it is more important than ever to help kids establish helpful tools to manage it. In this colorful meditation written by experts on healthy living, young readers will learn yoga poses, breathing exercises, and more through the colorful rainbow inside them: the chakras. With a playful and imaginative approach, children can find energy and better understand their feelings by focusing within. With accessible information about the history of yoga and ayurveda, A Rainbow Inside My Body reveals how when the mind, body, and spirit are balanced, we can make better decisions and respond to stress in a peaceful way.
~Author Chat~
YABC: What gave you the inspiration to write this book?
We have been working on this book since 2019. It originally started as a middle grade nonfiction book, and when our editor, Tamar Brazis, requested a picture book to share the wisdom of the chakras, we were delighted for the opportunity to adapt our vision to younger audiences. The book was first drafted in January 2020, mere weeks before the lockdowns due to COVID. As such, working on the book has been a personal balm for the soul as we navigated our own personal challenges, including multiple illnesses and the loss of loved ones. Of course, like most everyone, as the pandemic unfolded, we were also dealing with stress at work.
As we were writing, Vanitha was especially struck by the questions her grandchildren were asking. When her grandsons, Sean and Noah, asked, “Why do schools have shooting drills? Why do we have to prepare for a shooter?” her heart sank. Fifth and sixth graders having to go through shooting drills—she thought: what must they be thinking and feeling? Of course, the children must be feeling so insecure, anxious, and overwhelmed. We wondered: how do we help our kids process the realities of the world?
We have worked together as professors of English at Pasadena City College for almost eighteen years. As such, we both try to pay attention to how we handle strong emotions, and that’s where chakra work has come in. For Vanitha, calming herself down and focusing on the chakras, especially the Vishuddha chakra, plays an important role. She doesn’t want to say untrue things, so managing that is key. Since Katherine is a constant thinker, she loves dedicating her daily yoga practice to the Muladhara chakra, focusing on grounding and presence so that she can bring more embodied balance into her life.
While this decade has been a heart-wrenching decade on so many levels, we both are grateful for this opportunity to connect with readers of all ages with this particular book, with practices that invite inner peace and embodied wisdom so that we may all grow together towards love, equity, and justice. We are also grateful for our local and global communities of family and friends who have supported us during this creative journey.
Who is your favorite character in the book?
We love this question! We both adore the main character, who we lovingly call the Yogi Kid, who represents children from all backgrounds, enjoying yoga in an environment filled with birds, flowers, and trees–it is so peaceful.
We love the intentional artwork of the illustrator, Holly Hatam and how, the more you observe, the more you become aware of. We love the designs on the Yogi Kid’s dress—clouds, stars, raindrops. It’s all so beautiful, especially how the artist, Holly Hatam, illustrates the yoga poses in such a vibrant setting. The book takes young readers and their caretakers on a breath-filled journey, using simple examples to balance the mind, body, and spirit.
We also adore the authentic representation of the Yogi Kid, since they embody the history and tradition of yoga from India. Moreover, the Yogi Kid has such a universal appeal because of their connection to nature, as we can see the child meditating with the chakras in tune with the environment—the birds, trees, all of it. We love seeing young readers enjoy that, too.
Amma : Mrs. Vatsala Rajan, Vanitha’s mother, who is 97 years old and lives in India, holding a copy of our book! \
YABC: What section in the book are you most proud of, and why?
That’s a tough one because we love the whole book. We love how each chakra is represented so beautifully–our favorite part is when it all comes together on that page with the line, “I am one with everything.” Yes, that’s such a powerful line. “I am nature. Nature is me.” It feels so simple, pure, and beautiful; yet it captures the essence of why this is so holistic, complicated, and beautiful—a way of looking at how humans move through this world.
We are creatures of nature, and we are connected. The more we see that, the better we’ll navigate this planet and live with each other, seeing each other as beautiful, natural beings.
YABC: Thinking way back to the beginning, what’s the most important thing you’ve learned as a writer from then to now?
As writing teachers, we’ve collaborated on various projects before, but this was our first time writing for children. It’s been an absolute joy, allowing us to share our personal experiences and distill our perspectives into a meditation, a poem, a gift to our own children and families, which then extends out to other families as well.
The experience of sitting together, learning from each other, has been one of the most amazing gifts of this project. Vanitha often reads our shared work and wonders, “Is this my thought or Kathy’s?” Over the past decade, we’ve grown so attuned that we can hear in each other’s voice if something’s off. It’s like we’re sisters. We’ve both been through so much with our families, and to channel all that into something beautiful together has been incredibly fulfilling.
We’ve even learned to sense when each other’s chakras are out of alignment. Vanitha recalls times when Katherine would enter the office, and she could tell, “Kathy needs to breathe.” Katherine feels it too, with Vanitha.
We uplift each other, and that’s what we love about this process. Having worked together on numerous projects on campus, we already know each other’s rhythm, and collaborating on something as meaningful as this—a fusion of our friendship, our wisdom, the wisdom of our families, and the practices we’ve inherited—feels especially profound. We are grateful that our children and grandchildren will inherit all of this too.
YABC: What do you like most about the cover of the book?
We like the colors of the rainbow and the calming environment, and of course, the cute Yogi Kid there. We love that the child is both grounded in a seated pose with their hands at their heart, eyes closed, meditative, but also present in the moment. The crown chakra, the ether—it shows that the rainbow is both ethereal and grounded in reality, right? It’s a beautiful invitation. For us, when we look at this, we feel peace, for the Yogi Kid, but also for anyone who is seeking peace and connection with both self and the world.
YABC: What’s a book you’ve recently read and loved? (kids’ books)
Vanitha: Perfectly Imperfect family Perfectly Imperfect Family – Books by Amie Lands, which is a book that has supported my family through difficult times. I love that the phrase “perfectly imperfect” refers to the idea that something or someone may not be flawless or without faults, but that imperfections are what make them unique and beautiful.
Katherine: I had the honor of teaching Children’s Literature last spring, during which my colleagues and I hosted a Writing for Children Author/Illustrator Panel featuring amazing local KidLit authors and illustrators from around the Los Angeles area who took the time to share their incredible stories, art, and creative inspiration community college students who are themselves, upcoming writers and artists. I highly recommend all of their picture books: To Make by Danielle Davis, Anzu the Great Kaiju by Benson Shum, Magic: Once Upon a Faraway Land by Mirelle Ortega, Dim Sum, Here We Come! by Maple Lam, Lola Out Loud by Jennifer Torres, Moon’s Ramadan by Natasha Khan Kazi, and Bee-n-Bee Vacation by C.M. Potter.
YABC: What is the main message or lesson you would like your reader to remember from this book?
Having a toolkit that includes yoga, breathing, Ayurveda, and mindful nutrition—helps children and families navigate life. It’s not always easy, but the tools of yoga can make it more manageable. The concept of the emotional bank account is also crucial for caretakers; when the caretaker is able to have time to experience calm and peace, both on their own and in shared practice with their families, then they are able to respond to the inevitable emotional ups and downs of life.
While reading the book aloud during our book launch, we were struck by how eagerly everyone loved to join in on the refrain: “When I need to know how I am feeling, I can close my eyes and breathe.” Our launch felt like a community coming together to practice, much like a yoga class where we all move and breathe together.
We were fortunate to be introduced by Emma Julaud, who is a somatic therapist who integrates CranioSacral Therapy and Somatic Experiencing into her practice. She offered this wise invitation to the science of why leaning into self-regulation, connection, co-regulation, and community via the chakras can be comforting and powerful: “Learning how to self-regulate is a valuable skill, but we are wired for connection and co-regulation is essential. It is the process of my own nervous system attuning to your nervous system, in a non-verbal way, assessing for safety. Connecting with our chakras, our bodies, and our breath together offers a powerful yet simple way to reconnect with our humanity in today’s increasingly complex world and this book offers a lovely recipe for it.” We love that the lessons of the chakras are both scientific and magical at the same time–and that we get to share these lessons with young readers through a holistic lens that integrates both.
No matter the era of history, we live in a world filled with stress and anxiety wrapped in constant change. Today’s children face situations their parents, caretakers, and educators never experienced in their lives and can therefore receive only limited guidance from them. This adds to the child’s anxiety. As such, we offer this book as a gentle antidote for such situations. This soothing yogic meditation invites children to explore their colorful inner rainbow so they can better understand their feelings and respond to stress in peaceful ways. When children learn early in their lives to practice yoga and proper breathing, they are better equipped to deal with stressful situations.
YABC: What would you say is your superpower?
Vanitha: I’m able to put myself in other people’s shoes. When someone says something I don’t like, I try to understand where they’re coming from. It helps me increase my emotional bank account and makes me feel more confident. Patience is another superpower of mine.
Katherine: My family says that my superpower is being able to connect with people, no matter their age or background. My parents owned a restaurant in downtown Chicago in the 1970s and 1980s, and they always taught me to see the humanity in everyone. My parents also faced a lot of medical issues and challenges, but they remained committed to building a community in the neighborhood, especially for anyone who felt lost or disconnected. I really love talking to strangers–exchanging stories, jokes, navigating tensions if we disagree, wondering if we can find commonality, or at least, the humanity of each other’s worldview. It’s through these moments of connection, especially through heart-to-heart storytelling, that we build stronger communities that are held up with care.
YABC: Is there an organization or cause that is close to your heart?
Vanitha:
On the morning of August 5, 2020, at 40 weeks and 1 day, our first granddaughter Nina passed away at birth. The organization Forever Footprints helped my son and daughter-in-law a lot. This is how we became familiar with the organization and my children benefited from the resources it provided.
We immediately got involved with Forever Footprints to support families suffering loss. It is our way of preserving Nina’s legacy so that she can continue to positively impact the lives of others and help them cope and hope. About Us – Forever Footprints
Katherine:
My LGBTQ+ family is ever so grateful for the work of the Trevor Project. According to their research, 86% of LGBTQ youth said that recent politics have negatively impacted their well-being, and they explain how “this emotional stress can present itself in the form of physical symptoms, including an inability to concentrate on school, lack of sleep, and nausea.” Focused on suicide prevention efforts among lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and questioning youth, the Trevor Project offers a toll-free telephone number where confidential assistance is provided by trained counselors. During a time when LGBTQ+ youth are under direct and constant attack, it can be incredibly challenging for families to experience inner peace. For my family, yoga has been a key source of support, in addition to mental health support like those offered by the Trevor Project.
My father experienced lifelong PTSD as a veteran of World War II who served in both the Greek resistance against the Nazis as a teenager, and, after the war, in the Greek military. I love the work of the Veterans Yoga Project and their “mission to support recovery and resilience among veterans, military families, and communities.” https://veteransyogaproject.org/
YABC: What advice do you have for new writers?
Write from the heart. What do we mean by this? Writing from the heart is about not overthinking. It’s not about being intellectual all the time. Writing from the heart is about feeling the feelings (which can be so difficult!) and then expressing what comes up during that space and time, and taking the time to reflect on how you give shape to those feelings with words.
Writing itself is a heart-centered, whole-body meditation that requires intention, surrender, and vulnerability. The fear is real, but grounding yourself in the body can help–as can yoga. Writers tend to overthink, but connecting with the stories that we carry in our bodies is vital. Writing a page every day, even if it’s not perfect, is crucial.
Title: A Rainbow Inside My Body
Finding Peace Through Yoga, Breathing Exercises, and the Chakras
Author: E. Katherine Kottaras and Vanitha Swaminathan
Illustrator: Holly Hatam
Release Date: 7/9/2024
Publisher: Viking Books for Young Readers
ISBN-13: 9780593465691
Genre: Picture book
Age Range: 4-8 yrs
~ Giveaway Details ~
Five (5) winners will receive a copy of A Rainbow Inside My Body: Finding Peace Through Yoga, Breathing Exercises, and the Chakras (E. Katherine Kottaras and Vanitha Swaminathans) ~US Only!
*Click the Rafflecopter link below to enter the giveaway*
