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Home With the Kids? Do Yoga!

In my experience, and I have a little, kids love to do yoga, but they especially love to do it ith you "o hile you

could sign them up #or kids$ yoga classes%and that ould probably be orthhile in many ays&, setting up a

#e matsin the living room and throing don some asanas together is also a great idea, especially because it

allos you to get in some yoga time too 'ainy eekends, hot summer a#ternoons, and any other times you

hear the dreaded ()( ord %(I$m bored,(& are ideal times to ork a little yoga into your kids$ lives You$ll all #eel

better #or it

Tips:

* I# you have a mat, your kid is going to ant one too

* +he more creative you get ith the narrative o# the poses, the more engaged your kids ill be

* Keep things ageappropriate and sa#e +he #olloing poses are suitable #or most children #our and up, but

kids$ bodies vary a lot, both #rom one another and #rom adult bodies, so expect approximations o# the poses

* Your kids may not have the attention span #or more than a #e poses - book or snack on their mat may buy

you a little more time ith younger children, but reali.e that you may have to cut the session short

* +he suggested poses belo #all into three broad categories/ nature, animals, and humans +his allos your

child to relate the postures to shapes and experiences ith hich they are #amiliar* Kids also love to make up their on poses

1. Tree Pose

Barry Stone

+ree is alays a #avorite ith kids Invite

them to imagine that they have roots that are

helping them balance +hey can say their

arms like branches in the bree.e It$s also a

good time to sho them that it$s ok to topple

over and 0ust to have #un ith it

2. Plank Pose

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1lank may look easy to them, so let them try

to hold it as long as they can

3. Cat- Cow Stretch

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2eo as you move #rom a rounded

Halloeen cat position to an arched, mooing

co

4. Downward Facing Dog

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I# your #amily has a dog, this stretch ill

undoubtedly look #amiliar to your kids - basic

hands and knees position is a simple alternative,

and both provide the per#ect opportunity to ag

your tail You could also call this mountain pose

%not to be con#used ith mountain pose&

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5. agle Pose

Barry Stone

I# your kids are small, have them try eagle

ith their butts leaning on a all 3ncourage

arm #lapping and bird calls You could also

call this pret.el pose

!. Co"ra Pose

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4obra is alays a #avorite, since ho doesn$t

like to slither on her belly hile hissing? +his

pose alays reminds me o# tummy time, so

you could take that angle too, even breaking

out old photos o# baby in her #irst cobra #or

inspiration

#. $i%ard Pose

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2odi#y as necessary by dropping the back

knee and5or coming up on straight rather than

bent arms 3ither ay, darting the head

around and sticking out your tongue makes

this more reptilian

&. lephant's Tr(nk )Foot Phone*

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+he arm balance here is a little ambitious #or most

kids, though your budding gymnasts may en0oy it

Instead, #ocus on throing your arm over your

shoulder to make a trunk +his can also lead to the

alays popular #oot phone, in hich you bring your

#oot up to your #ace and pretend to carry on atelephone conversation

+. ,(tterl Pose

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6lutter the legs as they take the shape o# a

butter#ly$s ings

1/. 0arrior

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2ost o# our kids poses are a little silly, but

you can also ork on being a proud, #ierce

arrior Your child could imagine #acing a

scary situation ith bravery or standing up #or

themselves hile doing this pose

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11. Sleeping ishn(

Barry Stone

+his one is good #or a silly laugh because o#

ho di##icult it is to balance on the edge o#

your side, even #or adults I# your kids get to a

place here they can stop laughing, ask them

to pretend to take a nap

12. Child's Pose

Barry Stone

Kids love that there$s a yoga pose 0ust #or

them 4hild$s pose doesn$t re7uire much

explanation and you can do it any time hen

you are practicing

13. app ,a"

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Kids o# all ages en0oy pretending to be

babies Happy baby pose gives them the

per#ect excuse

14. Corpse Pose

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I# it seems too morbid to call this corpse pose,

you could call it relaxation, but some kids are

actually more com#ortable ith the idea o#

playing dead than adults are - children$s

yoga teacher I kno gives the kids a (noodle

test,( to see ho relaxed they are by li#ting

their arms and shaking them like a et

noodle be#ore letting them drop back don

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