Yoga & Meditation for Toddlers

I have already posted this on Insta…and didn’t quite keep up to pop this post on the blog.

So here it is:
Let’s talk about yoga for children

Is it a good idea? Just a trendy fad? Do kids need meditation and yoga classes?

Does Faye practice yoga? 

Let me start with a little known fact about myself: 

I am a certified Kundalini Yoga Teacher. ‍♀️

While I don’t currently teach any classes I am devoted to my own practice, meditation and trying my best to live a yogic lifestyle. 

Yes, Faye does practice yoga and has done so already in the womb 🤰🏼

She grew up with all the chanting, mantras and movements.

She has been crawling all over us ever since we started to get back into our morning practice at home...(let’s be honest here, we don’t keep it up all the time)

I think parents probably need yoga more than their kids. If we practice mindfulness and model self care then it can become a natural part of family life. 

If our kids see us do yoga then they would want to do it too. Toddlers want to be in on EVERYTHING we do, right?

Now at 2 Faye loves practicing Yoga.

We found some great toddler picture yoga books with simple illustrations of poses, which make it really fun. So I wanted to share some of these treasures...

OUR FAVOURITE KIDS YOGA BOOKS

Faye’s first Yoga book was “Little Yoga” at around 20 months. She got it out every day and wanted to practice. The illustrations are cute and simple and they can definitely be followed by the youngest yogis.
There is no story here, but she illustrations and animal names, were engaging enough for Faye to love it.Great for mimicking and body awareness and a sweet intro to yoga poses.

We got “Good Morning Yoga” & “Good Night Yoga” as German titles, becuase I try to speak and read as much German as possible to Faye. These two are real cute treasurers. Very beutiful illustrations. There is a bit of guidance on the breath here as well. They are recommended for older (school age) children andFaye can’t do all the poses yet, but she loved the beautiful illustrations and really enjoys them. They also both finish with a guided meditation, which is a bonus. Both feature girls and boys and global diveristy, without gender stereotyping. Big thumbs up.

”I AM YOGA” is more artistic in it’s sketchy illustrations. It is also a book that can simply be read without trying to copy the movements and poses. It offers a great insight in how to use Yoga as a tool in daily life to stay calm and centered. It really teaches yog aas a coping strategy for hard days and hard feelings. Kids can copy the poses while listening to the story. It’s a great little book.

”Rachel’s Day In The Garden” is a great yoga story book, which allows to integrate a simple yoga practice into a lovely nature story. It really is fun and Faye enjoys that there is a story. It’s wo a few awards for a good reason. LOVE this one. It’s also a great one for kids yoga teachers to have and use during a lesson. Charming illustrations, easy to follow poses and tips for parents/teachers are included in the back!

I hope you enjoyed these!

I think yoga is great for children, whether you simply practice at home or sign up for a lesson.
Just keep in mind to not overschedule your kids weeks. It is more “yoga” to live simply then trying to race to another activity/childrens enrichment class even if that one is yoga!