| breathing | |
MOUNTAIN |
Tadasana
An imaginary walk in nature inspires this playful breathing pose. Breathing well brings life, and more importantly, a better quality of life.
1. For this exercise, you need to be sitting down. Four sitting positions are possible for this pose: easy (p.18), diamond (p.17), lotus (p.19), or half-lotus (p.19). Go a little further than what your body can do naturally, but never force too much. In order to succeed, you need to be calm and relaxed.
2. Envision yourself as a mountain. Extend one of your arms so the tips of your fingers form the peak. Use the index and middle fingers of your other hand to mime a little person who is about to climb up to the top of the mountain.
3. As the climber slowly goes from your shoulder up to the tips of your fingers, breathe slowly through your slightly open mouth.
4. Once on top of the mountain and taking in the view, the little person eventually has to come back down: walk your hand down as you are slowly breathing out by letting the air very slowly flow out of your mouth.
5. The hike is so enjoyable that the little person decides to climb up and down the mountain several times.
Practice these breathing exercises (activities 12 to 16) with your child. The playful poses teach the younger children to breathe properly and to control their breath. Breathing is the basis of several athletic and artistic activities, such as singing or running. In our every day life, breathing enables us to control our emotions. Breathing is necessary to our yoga practice because each component of a yoga pose corresponds to an inhale or an exhale. Breathing sessions can be practiced anywhere, anytime.
