Yoga for Youngsters

You're never too young for yoga. I use it in many preschool programs and it's surprising how good children are at it. There are several books and materials for children on this subject at the library. Here are a few of my favorites:
My Daddy is a Pretzel by Baron Baptiste
This is the story of a boy discussing occupations in his classroom. His classmates share their parent's jobs, and the boy shares a corresponding yoga pose. It is a story book: not just instructional. Illustrations are clear and the steps accompanying each pose are simple to understand.




Walk Like a Bear, Stand Like a Tree, Run Like the Wind by Carol Bassett
This book is for children a bit older: ages 6-12. It's an instructional book broken down into stretches, yoga and aerobics. What I like about this book is that the aerobics each have stretches and yoga poses that coordinate with each sport.








Strike a Pose by Karen Birkemoe and Heather Collett
This instructional book is specifically for older girls about ages 10-13. It has many poses and includes advances options as well. I like that the chapters are broken down as sequences. At the back of the book, there are even patterns to make your own yoga mat bag and a relaxation eye pillow for ambitions yoginis!






If a DVD is a better format, try Yoga for Youth Peacemakers. All poses and instructions are done by children. There are basic sequences or advanced options. The menu allows you to choose what you would like to focus on: relaxation, energy and others. These skills are helpful for children to use in everyday life at home and school as well as for fitness.
Namaste.
--Angie R., Headquarters