We have something new going on at our house this fall. It’s yoga Thursdays. My living room now doubles as a home yoga space and I have begun sharing my passion for yoga with my family.
What sparked it?
In September I started a 200 hour yoga teacher training certification program. Yes this is BIG.
I’ve done yoga since my early twenties, starting a few years before I became a mom. I’ve done yoga through pregnancies, in mini timespans between nursing babies and all though life between and thereafter. It’s always been something constant I come back to, where I find peace, calm and ground myself during this wild ride of motherhood and juggling family life. When I’m topsy-turvy, getting on my mat has always helped me make sence of what is gong on around me.
It only seems fitting that I finally share this part of me with my family and my children. That’s why we now have a mini yoga studio in our living room.
I’ve started researching affects of yoga for children, practicing with them (even using my techniques when they don’t even know it) and finding myself wanting to share more of it with them.
And since I feel that way, I thought I’d share some of the resources with you too.
All my girls’ teachers at school offer some kind of yoga to students at school. Which is awesome and my youngest feeds off the excitement of this “lesson” being available in her class.
I found the Yoga Journal article How yoga in schools helps kids de-stress – very true! We can do the same things at home. Siblings squabble. But a calm, peaceful envirioment at home makes for less squabbling – and a happier mom. Sometimes yoga does this for us at home. And the living room is always open for them to roll out a mat and shake out some sillies.
Taking it to the next age level, I’m finding my 1o-year-old really needs space and encouragement to calm the busyness of this age and the changes that I know are coming. SO I’m thinking ahead to teaching tweens and teenagers and also found the Yoga Journal article, Teaching Yoga to teens, to be inspiring. There are so many new emotions they are trying to figure out what to do with, and what to do with them when things don’t go perfectly. The practicing of yoga, in movement and philosophy, can help even out these feelings with acceptance and grace.
Two books I’m finding resourceful are Yoga for Children and Yoga Exercises for Teens. We also have a few books on mindfulness for children, by Thich Nhat Hanh.
We keep two decks of yoga cards available for the girls to browse and use in our yoga space. They are The Kids Yoga Deck, and The ABC’s of Yoga (the same ones used in the older and younger classroom at school, respectivly).
I’ve also started two new Pinterest boards for yoga. Yoga for Kids and Yoga for Dancers, because and during a recent parent observation class during ballet, it dinged in my head all the ways yoga could help my daughter with her dancing. I grew up wearing ballet shoes too, so this is fun for both of us! The other aspect I’m interested in for children is using yoga to improve concentration for children who easily get distracted –because I have one of those too.
During our first home yoga class I used a fall theme, spring boarding off an Autumn sequence I found here. I had new fall coloring sheets printed out for my youngest (which to my surprise they all loved doing after class) to occupy her while the older girls practiced some more advanced poses (and were more willing to listen to instructions). In the end my middle girl said Thursday was her new favorite day of the week. My little girl now begs to do headstands all the time, and my oldest requests “private lessons.”
It’s tricky mixing in the ages 5-10, at the same time. Thankfully this little one is good at entertaining herself, on her mat. 
Unless she demands my undivided attention. Sometimes we all have to take turns deciding how we direct and recieve our attention. And there is much to be learned and benefited from that too. Like yesterday when my big girls occupied themselves with finger knitting after the little one requested a “private lesson.” It’s all a give and take, of time, and acceptance of what we have to give – on and off our mats. See? We are all learning more than we realize!
I was surprised how much the girls all enjoy the relaxation time at the end of our sessions. It just goes to show, sometimes kids need to be shown how to have some down time. Calm is very, very good. And putting the blanket over your entire head is ok too. We all have those days.
Yoga at home has been a success! As the weather cools outside, making these activities available inside has been perfect timing for us.
I often find them pulling out the mats and doing yoga for fun, by themselves. They love looking up photos of partner poses and figuring them out. Last week I was making dinner and heard, “Mom come look!” I found them in a triple downward facing dog pyramid.
Soon I joined in the fun. And we have a new family activity. Yoga used to just be for mom. Now it’s yoga for all!
