Halloween Time Yoga Fun!

Halloween is always exciting, especially for children.  Holidays and special occasions are the perfect opportunities to incorporate fun and different activities during these times of year.  Yoga for kids naturally takes the form of playacting and pretending, so a Halloween theme is the perfect fit for a class of little yogis!

Here are 5 fun ways to make your yoga routine extra spooky:

1.  "Boo" breath Breathing exercises have always been calming and cleansing - now they can be fun!  As an opener for class, start this exercise with kids sitting in easy pose (criss-cross-applesauce, that is).  Have yogis take a deep breath in, then exhale with their favorite ghostly noises.  BoooOOOooo!

Lil' yogi witch

2.  Witch  Commonly known as Utthita Tadasana, or extended mountain, this will be an instant Halloween hit!  Have little yogis take a few deep breaths while making a tall, pointy witch hat with their hands.

3.  Spider pose  To us grown-ups: Ardha Purvottanasana, or crab pose.  To a bunch of spooky yoga kids: a fun way to creep out their yoga teacher!

Frankenstein!

4.  Frankenstein walk  Everybody's favorite Halloween personality, Frankenstein!  Have kids monster-walk from one side of the room to the other by trying to touch opposite hand to opposite foot with arms and knees held straight.  Monster noises are to be encouraged. (BONUS: Play Monster Mash and make this move into a full-blown Halloween line dancing routine!)

5.  Corpse pose  Halloween time is the only time that I will call Savasana by its otherwise morbid English name in a kids class - "sleeping vampire" works just as well, too.  After laying still, have kids "rise from the grave" by reaching their hands toward the ceiling, sitting up slowly.  Spoooky!

My favorite part about Halloween season is seeing kids wearing their costumes 24/7 for the entire month of October, but a close second is doing Halloween yoga!  Namaste, and happy haunting!

5 Poses to Prepare Lil' Yogis for Bedtime

  Every mom knows how important regular sleep is to a child's mental and physical development; and every mom knows that this importance is particularly hard to explain to a reluctant child come bedtime...  Luckily, yoga works as a fun way to help your little ones unwind when it's time to rest.  Try adding these five relaxing asanas to your child's bedtime routine - in just a few minutes your lil' yogi will be ready for a restful night's sleep.

1.  Rag Doll  With feet shoulder width apart, bend at the waist with knees soft and straight, letting head, torso, and arms hang down toward the floor.  Encourage your child to take a nice deep breath followed by an audible sigh, releasing any excess energy.

2.  Hare Pose   Reminding your little one to be quiet and still like a bunny, sit back on the feet in a low kneeling position, then fold the torso forward until the top of the head is on the ground and arms are back by the sides.  A few breaths in through the nose and out through the mouth will help reduce your child's heart rate and prepare the little yogi for sleep.

3.  Child's Pose   The classic yoga resting posture.  Begin on knees, sitting back on the feet.  Fold the torso forward with arms out in front, letting the forehead rest on the floor.  To help quiet the mind, have your lil' yogi roll the head side to side, gently massaging the forehead.






4.  Happy Baby   Getting sleepier... Lying on the back with knees bent, grab onto each foot.  Gently rock side to side to massage and relax the muscles of the back.





5.  Savasana   A relaxing end to a calming yoga sequence.  Get your lil' yogi tucked into bed for this final pose of the evening.  This would be a perfect time to talk your child through a guided meditation or read a short bedtime story - before long, he'll be fast asleep.

   A short yoga series works equally well with unwinding for nap time.  Encourage occasional deep breaths, inhaling through the nose and exhaling through the mouth.  Have a short playlist of soft instrumental music playing softly in the background, letting it play a minute or two into savasana until your yogi is asleep.  With the addition of yoga to the sleep routine, your child will be excited for nap time and bedtime!