It was a wet day at the farmyard and all the paddocks had gone rather muddy.

The cows were in the barn and the chickens weren't even out scratching around.

It was cloudy, cool and not a nice day at all for most of the animals. The pigs thought differently they liked the rain and the mud it made in the bottom of their pens. One of the big mother pigs was covered in mud and scratching herself on the side of the pen when teh fence fell over. That was it the pigs raced out covered in mud and sploshed through the farmyard. They raced over to the chickens and caused Rafferty to fall off his perch when they banged into the walls. The farmers vegetables were all trampled and eaten and Rafferty was covered in mud.

Rafferty thought the pigs had caused enough trouble so he crowed at them and chased them back towards their pen. Rafferty rather thought that he was boss of the yard when the farmer was out and he didn't like the mess the pigs had made at all.

"You lot stay in your pen til the farmer comes and sorts out this mess" said Rafferty. "I won't have you scaring the chickens so there are no eggs tomorrow".

Rafferty sat down under the branches of a big tree with his knees bent and he clasped his hands round the front of his knees, placing his chin on his tummy until the farmer came to fix the mess. Rafferty was sitting comfortably in the pigeon pose when the farmer arrived.

Rafferty was out in the farmyard scratching around when a big mean fly came buzzing by. No matter where Rafferty went the fly buzzed angrily around his head.

Soon Rafferty got tired of running away from the fly so he assumed the pose of a warrior. He stood up straight and then put one leg out behind him, bending his front leg and making his back very straight. He raised his arms above his head and looked straight at the fly as it buzzed on by.  Rafferty looked very fierce.

"Fly, if you don't stop bothering me I will release the warrior within and squash you" Rafferty said using his best big bad Rooster voice.

The fly saw how powerful Rafferty looked in his warrior pose that he buzzed away and wasn't seen at the farmyard again that day.

It was a fine summers day and Rafferty crowed for all to hear that it was time to get up and start the day. Every morning Rafferty would crow when he felt the sun coming up.

Rafferty was proud of doing his job, getting everyone on teh farm up and moving to make the most of each and every day. Cock-a-doodle-doo he would crow over and over again until he saw that the farmer and his wife and children were up and about.

Far away in the forest mali would hear Rafferty's Cock-a-doodle-doo, Cock-a-doodle-doo it was quite faint but she would stir in her sleep and start to wake up.

At the farm all the animals would wake up and Rafferty would puff out his chest and strut around. No one one the farm had a chance to sleep in with Rafferty crowing and ruling the roost.

Rafferty can hear the other roosters on the nearby farms crowing in the morning. Can you hear a rooster crow in the morning where you live?

Rafferty was teaching the baby chicks how to grow up big and strong. He showed them how to stretch and told them that they should do a series of stretches and yoga poses every day.

“The rules to growing into big strong healthy chicks are simple” he said. “Takee time to stretch and exercise everyday and you will grow into big strong warrior chickens like me, you could even win a blue ribbon at the show if you are big and strong.” said Rafferty.

One day Rafferty was strutting around the farmyard feeling very tall and proud.  Cock-a-doodle-doo he crowed.

"You're very puffed up today" said the Brutis the big bull. The bull was the biggest animal on the farm and he had a reputation for being angry.

"Hello Brutis, isn't it a beautiful day?" asked Rafferty.

"No it is not,I am not having a good day at all" replied Brutis.

"Why not Brutis?" asked Rafferty.

"I have to meet peoples expectation of me, and be angry all the time and I don't want to be on such a lovely day" he said as he kicked the ground.

"I know how you feel Brutis, I have to wake up early every day and crow to wake everyone up and sound happy and sometimes all I want to do is sleep in" said Rafferty.

Brutis saw someone coming and charged up the path towards them bellowing....

Raffertty thought that it wasn't so bad to get up early compared to having to be angry.

Rafferty was in the farmyard while the farmer was ploughing the fields. He could see all the bugs and worms in the fresh soil and he was enjoying having a peck at the ground and catching all the worms with his chickens.

Peck Peck, Peck Peck, Peck, Peck... they moved up and down the furrows. Some of the chickens had their little chicks with them, they were learning how to scratch.

“This will help make some lovely fresh free range eggs Rafferty”said the farmer.

“Yes it will, fresh free range eggs are good food for growing bodies, I think we will have lovely fresh free range eggs with our grandchildren tomorrow for breakfast so they have lots of energy to play in the farmyard all day long” replied the farmer.

“Perhaps they'd like to do some yoga with me and the chickens, we could teach them how to do the warrior pose” said Rafferty as he gently stretched his arm forward and raised his leg until he looked strong and fierce in the warrior pose.

“That sounds great” said the farmer.

Rafferty got up early in the morning - ready to look his best for the show. Rafferty stretched and preened himself until his feathers gleamed in the light.

The farmer arrived early in the morning and saw that he had a good chance of winning with Rafferty. Must be all that exercise that is making him look so good. he thought as he got Rafferty ready for the judging.

Rafferty and the other roosters were taken to the oval where the judges looked at them. Rafferty stood strong and tall while the judges looked at his feathers.

Soon it was time to see who had won, Rafferty had some competition - there was a green cockerel that looked glossy and strong too but in the end all Rafferty's exercise paid off he went home with the blue ribbon in the front of the farmers truck.

Rafferty was a big strong rooster and the farmer was very proud of him.

Raferty would stand up strong and tall looking very proud. His long tail feathers were some of the best the farmer had ever seen!

Rafferty was going out for the day to the local show. That's where all the local farmers take al their best animals to win prizes. Rafferty was very proud to be going to the show.

Rafferty arrived at the show in his cage and felt a bit stiff from bumping over the rough road. So he stood tall and straight and stretched first this way and then that. Rafferty stretched one leg out behind him and stood tall on his other leg and then reached forward with his arms flattening his back into the Warrier pose.

You can learn the warrior pose with Rafferty in the Epona Yoga program.

Rafferty knew that he had to take his time as the show was the next day and he wanted to look his very best... Stay tuned to hear how Rafferty goes in the show!

Rafferty crowed it was morning and all the animals at the framyard depended on him to wake them up to start each day.

"Cock-a-doodle-doo" he crowed again.  He walked outside and saw the sunrise. "Cock-a-doodle-doo he crowed again.

It was a lovely morning! Rafferty stretched and preened and ran around the farmyard and then he sat down quitely to watch the chicks forage for bugs in the grass.

Rafferty always likes to sit nicely with good posture so that he feels strong and healthy. Today he sat in the Pigeon Pose. He sat down and stretched one leg behind him and rested his other knee in front of him with the tips of his wings on the ground just in front of his feet. Farmer Tim saw Rafferty and asked him "are you a rooster or a pigeon there Rafferty? When you sit like that you look a bit like a pigeon!"

"I'm always a rooster Farmer Tim replied Rafferty and just to make sure that Farmer Tim knwo what he was Rafferty let out a big loud "Cock-a-doodle-doo!!!"

Farmer Tim laughed and went on about his chores...

The Epona Yoga poses are detailed in the Epona Yoga Adventures of Sunni, Tula, Mali and Rafferty book with complete instructions and the benefits of each pose.  Each pose is illustrated on teh Epona Yoga mat for easy reference. You can buy the mat, book and DVD online.

Rafferty had been away from the farmyard way too long and he was worried that Farmer Tim had missed him so he scurried back down the path to the barn. He would see that all the chicks were in the yard and that Bob the dog was sitting on the path. Farmer Tim was nowhere to be seen.

Rafferty was very tired after his day out and decided to take it easy for a while. He walked to a spot in the shade and sunk down onto his tail brought his knees up and rested his wings on his knees. Rafferty was sitting in a classic Yoga pose known as Resting Rooster.  He took a deep breath in and out and fell asleep. That is exactly how Rafferty was when Farmer Tim found him.

The Epona Yoga poses are detailed in the Epona Yoga Adventures of Sunni, Tula, Mali and Rafferty book with complete instructions and the benefits of each pose.  Each pose is illustrated on teh Epona Yoga mat for easy reference. You can buy the mat, book and DVD online.