Surfing on a Snow Day

So it's 10 am on a Snow Day, and your kids are already driving you crazy with cries of "What can we do?", "I'm bored" and "Jadyn hit me!".
Remember those pre-kid days when you could relax with nice cup of tea, listening to some jazz music, or doing some peaceful Yoga? Yeah, I can't remember those days either!
Well, doing yoga with your kids can be a rewarding activity with many benefits for both them and you.
Some of the possible benefits:

• work on your child's core strength and balance in a fun and inviting way.
• great way to target imitation skills.
• your child will be practicing their motor planning abilities as they attempt to achieve the various poses.
• use yoga to work on concepts such as over, under and behind as you give instructions as to how to move. You can also target learning their body parts.
  
• yoga can be calming and regulating for many children. This is where you are rewarded for your hard work! After you're done yoga, you may just get that cup of tea and some peace.
  

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Points to Remember With Yoga & Your Kids

• "Close" is good enough. We're not looking for perfection in their poses. When you really see them "cheating" to attain or maintain a pose, it's usually a sign of insufficient strength. That means this is a good pose for them to work on. As they get stronger, they will cheat less!
• Use kid friendly names for poses. The picture above shows Warrior Pose, but kids will have more fun when they get to go Surfing. Corpse Pose becomes Dreamer: don't want to scare them off.
• Break poses down into pieces for them. For example: to get into Surfer Pose, have them start in Mountain pose. Then have them jump or step their feet apart. Next have them turn one foot towards the end of their mat, bend that knee, and finally raise their arms. This is all part of motor planning and will be easier than just seeing you in a complex pose and trying to copy you.
• Repetition is your friend. Pick a few poses and repeat them over several sessions. Use the same name for the pose every time, as well as using the same verbal directions to assume the pose.
  

Some Great Online Resources

• Yoga Photos
• Yoga Story with Poses
• 54 Poses with Instructions
  

Now grab your mat, your kids and get Surfing!
Namaste!