Train Pose (Dandasana)

Whether or not you plan to actually jump on a locomotive this fall, you can easily board this train right in the comfort of your living room! What you can expect is connection to your family, a song or two, and a trip as wild as your imagination!

Kids love train pose. It’s benefits include: a strong core and spinal muscles, improved posture, stretches the shoulders and chest, and calms the brain.  Train pose allows children to check in with their posture, and who can’t resist and giggles and fun of snuggling close to your family members all while chugging down the railroad track!

Summer days can get lazy, and sometimes in spite of us waiting all winter to get outdoors again, we can find ourselves inside to escape the heat.  

Well, we have good reason for you to get out to the park this summer, Yoga Storytime! 

Why come?

1. It's Different. 

                  Boat Pose (Navasana)

Heading to the cottage this summer?  Might find your family on a boat?  Summer brings us close to the water in a great way, and kids love this yoga pose as it provides some challenge and requires balance!

The benefits of boat pose for our kids include: a strong core and spinal muscles, increased energy and stamina, strong digestion, and of course stress relief.  Boat pose gives our children a chance…

 "I've been waiting for this for a long time, but now I'd rather be somewhere else." This is a thought that I find rolling around in my head.  It used to roll around a lot more, but every once and a while it returns. 

I've learned to see it as a signal, a red flag.  It reminds me I am focusing on the wrong thing, the thing that doesn't actually matter.  So I do my best to STOP and then refocus.

Summers can be overwhelming.  They can also get away from us.  I want an intentional summer.  A slow summer, a fun summer.  There are only 8 weekends in our summer, and I want those 16 days to be filled with quality, life-giving and purposeful moments with my family.

As a result, here are my focal points for this summer.

So, you'll be spending a lot of time at the park this season, right?  You've got your circuit: slide, swing, see-saw, sandbox.  You're there for the kids, but have you ever thought of having a little fun yourself?  Here are three ways you can practice your yoga while at the park with your child.

1. Hang.  The monkey bars aren't just for kids anymore!  Hanging is incredibly beneficial for the body and also incorporates gripping and pulling: two actions that are important for health but absent from your typical adult yoga class.  When I started on the monkey bars as an adult, I couldn't believe my lack of grip strength.