chapter 6

Move

For many children, movement is their natural state of being. Kids fidget, run around, and bounce in their seats, and sometimes it seems like the last thing we would want is to get them moving more. When we ask our kids to focus or to pay attention, one of the things we often want is for them to stop moving. Yet movement in the body can have a tremendously positive impact on a child’s emotional well-being and on her capacity to focus.

While parents and teachers may interpret a child’s stillness as attentiveness, in our own lives we find ourselves pacing when we are trying to solve a problem, shifting in our seats while we listen to a lecture or watch a play, and going for a run when we feel overwhelmed. We intuitively know that by moving our bodies we are affecting our minds, and research confirms this is true for both children and adults.

Movement has a positive impact on anxiety, stress, and general mental health. Yoga programs have been shown to increase executive function in children, including improving focus and reducing impulsivity (Diamond and Lee 2011). “The flow of energy and information from the body up into our brain stem, into our limbic region, and then up into the cortex, changes our bodily states, our emotional states, and our thoughts” (Siegel and Bryson 2011, 61).

The yoga poses discussed in this chapter will teach your child to use her body in an intentional way, so that movement helps generate and maintain a state of engaged alertness. Frenetic and hyperactive energy is reduced, yet she will still feel vibrant and strong. The goal of these Move activities is to validate your child’s inclination to be active, while giving her the tools to make choices about it. The objective is not to send the message to your child that she just “needs to calm down” but rather that she can be mindful of her actions and find an enjoyable balance of energy and stillness.

The Practices

The following Move activities are presented in three categories—grounding, strength, and balance. While you can practice one activity at a time, choosing one activity from each category to practice in sequence will give a more well-rounded experience and will leave your child feeling energetically balanced.

Remember when you start these activities with your child that all movement in yoga is about exploration. At some point, your child is likely to ask you if she is doing the pose “right.” This can be a tricky question to answer, because the real impact of the movement comes not from the shape of the pose but from the child’s intention, effort, and attitude. When your child asks if she is doing a pose right, try to answer with some version of “You can’t tell from the outside if a yoga pose is right.” Some children resist this type of answer because they are very achievement oriented; they want some way to measure their ability and the external validation of getting it “right.” Talk about all of the ways your child can figure out for herself if she is having a good yoga experience. Ask some questions such as: “How do your arms feel? Is your breath steady? Do you feel strong?” Point out that she can decide for herself if she is doing the pose right, by making sure that nothing hurts, that her breath is steady, and that she is focusing on what she is doing at the moment.

Warming Up: Cat, Cow, and Twist Poses

At the beginning of any Move practice, consider taking a few minutes to gently warm up your body with the following simple cat and cow stretches, plus a twist, particularly if you are planning on doing some of the more challenging poses.

1. Start on your hands and knees in the middle of your mat. Make sure that your hands are directly under your shoulders and that your knees are directly under your hips.
2. Spread out your fingers.
3. Take a full breath in and arch your back, pulling your shoulders down and looking up toward the ceiling. This is cow pose. (See illustration 5.)

   

   Illustration 5: Cow pose

4. As you breathe out, round your back, spreading your shoulder blades apart and looking toward your belly. This is cat pose. (See illustration 6.)

   

   Illustration 6: Cat pose

5. Repeat this three to five times, moving slowly and breathing fully with each movement.
6. After three to five rounds of cat and cow poses, bring your back to neutral (nice and flat).
7. Slide your right arm underneath your left shoulder, twisting to the left and bringing your shoulder and ear to your mat. (See illustration 7.) Rest here for three breaths and then come back to the middle slowly. Twist to the other side for three breaths.

   

   Illustration 7: A gentle twist following cat and cow poses

8. Come back to the middle, and rest for a moment or two in child’s pose (see next pose) before moving on to the rest of your practice.

A Place to Rest: Child’s Pose

While you and your child are practicing the activities that follow, remember that it is always up to you to take care of yourself and rest when you need to (or even when you just want to). Child’s pose is a safe, nurturing way to give your body a break at any point in your yoga practice.

1. Come onto your hands and knees in the middle of your mat.
2. Sit your hips back onto your heels, and fold forward to lay your chest over your thighs.
3. You can keep your knees together here, or if it feels more comfortable you can open your knees wider and let your chest come down between them. The idea is to let your body rest, so experiment with what feels most relaxing for you.
4. If you can reache it comfortably, let your forehead rest on the mat. If it doesn’t reach the ground, you can rest your forehead on a folded blanket or a block.
5. Either stretch your arms out in front of you, or pull them back to rest alongside your body. Choose whichever variation is more comfortable for you. (See illustration 8.)

   

   Illustration 8: Child’s pose

6. Stay here as long as you want, taking slow, full breaths and giving yourself a rest.

Grounding: Mountain Pose

Mountain pose is a fundamental starting point for all standing poses in the yoga practice. It is an easy way to check in with your body at any point during the day. It’s also a good alternative to sitting for Breathe and Focus activities, if you don’t feel like sitting down during your practice.

1. Start by standing with your feet either hip-width apart or close together with your big toes touching. Either way, your feet should be parallel to each other. To check this, look at the outside edges of your feet.
2. Stand up tall and think about making your whole body strong and steady but relaxed, starting with your feet.
3. Wiggle your toes, then spread them out and place them back down. Imagine your feet getting very heavy and sinking into the support of the ground.
4. Check to make sure that your knees aren’t locked. Pull your belly in and move your shoulders back. Let your arms relax by your sides, and turn them so that your palms are facing forward.
5. Hold your head tall and relax your face.
6. Take a full breath in and grow a little taller. Breathe out and get a little more relaxed.

Follow-up: Check in with your child. Ask her how her body feels in mountain pose. Make sure she knows that it is perfectly normal to find standing still a tremendous challenge. If your child seems to get the wiggles after mountain pose, try moving beforehand instead, letting her shake out each part of her body, and then begin her practice.

Challenges: For many people, both children and adults, poses that require stillness are the hardest ones of all. If your child is fidgeting or uncomfortable practicing mountain pose, try offering her a chant or a saying that she can repeat either silently or out loud during the practice. You can create your own saying with your child, but something connected to the pose, such as “I am as strong as a mountain. I am steady through wind and rain,” would work well.

Daily Practice: Mountain pose can be incorporated into daily life during all of the moments when your child has to stand still but may be feeling impatient, such as while waiting in line. It is also a great way to start the day. Encourage your child to take a few breaths in mountain pose the first time her feet hit the floor in the morning.

Grounding: Malasana

Malasana, sometimes called “garland pose” or “frog pose,” is a deep squat that brings your body very close to the ground. It stretches open your hips, strengthens your legs and your core muscles, and opens your chest. This is a pose that is often easier for children than for their parents!

1. Begin by standing in mountain pose (see previous pose). Then separate your feet to about the width of your shoulders (or a little farther if it’s comfortable). Pointing your toes out a tiny bit will help you get into this pose.
2. Now reach your arms straight out in front of you, and slowly begin to bend your knees and lower your hips. Come all the way down into a squatting position, with your hips very low but not quite touching the ground.
3. Bring your hands together at the center of your chest, and put your elbows on the inside of your knees. Gently push your hands together, and push your knees a little farther apart. Lift your chest so you are sitting tall. (See illustration 9.)

   

   Illustration 9: Malasana

4. When you first try this pose, hold it for two or three slow, steady breaths. As you become stronger and more flexible, you can stay here for as many as six to eight breaths.

Follow-up: After practicing malasana, it might feel good to stand up and gently fold forward, just letting your body dangle softly, even swaying from side to side or front to back (see rag doll pose in chapter 11). When you’re ready, roll up to standing.

Challenges: Malasana can be tough if you don’t have a lot of natural flexibility in your hips. If your heels don’t comfortably come to rest on the floor in this pose, you can help yourself by rolling or folding a section of your yoga mat or a blanket to a thickness of a few inches and placing it under your heels.

Daily Practice: Let your child know that in many indigenous cultures around the world, squatting is the way people spend much of their day. Instead of sitting in chairs, they might squat to cook, eat, talk, or play games. Invite your child to experiment with how it would feel to live without chairs and couches. Any activity that is usually done seated can be done in malasana instead, with a lot of benefits for your body.

Grounding: Seated Forward Bends

Seated forward bends are important poses that help bring a calming energy to your body. When the world feels overwhelming, a seated forward bend can be a soothing way to settle both your body and your mind. The basic principles of seated forward bends are the same for each variation, but as you change the position of your legs, different muscles are stretched.

Straight-Leg Forward Bend

1. Sit on your mat with both legs stretched straight out in front of you. Sit up very straight and tall. It’s important that you aren’t leaning back at all and that your body is lifting straight up over your hips.
2. Look down at your toes and gently flex your feet (bring your toes toward your body).
3. Check to make sure that your knees aren’t locked, and if they are, bend them a tiny bit.
4. Now bring your hands over your heart (in the center of your chest), and imagine that a string tied right at that spot is pulling you straight forward. Move your chest forward and start to reach your hands and arms forward as well. This part is very important—your body should move forward, not down toward your legs (at least not yet). Try to keep your spine nice and long, and reach out as far as you can with your hands and your heart. Keep flexing your feet toward your body. (See illustration 10.)

   

   Illustration 10: Seated forward bend—reaching forward to achieve length in the spine

5. Once you’ve gotten as long as possible, relax and lower your body down toward your legs. You can stay here for as long as it feels good, but try to stay a little longer each time you practice. (See illustration 11.)

   

   Illustration 11: Seated forward bend—lowering the torso to relax

6. When you are finished, a simple backbend will feel great to neutralize your spine. Start from the same seated position, then bend your knees and put your feet on the ground. Then bring your hands back behind you (under your shoulders) with your fingers facing your hips. Gently push into your hands and feet, and lift your hips so that they are about as high as your knees. This is known as tabletop pose. Hold for a few breaths, then return to sitting.

Bound-Ankle Pose

1. Sit on your mat with the soles of your feet together and your knees open.
2. Don’t try to push your knees down toward the ground, just relax them and let gravity do the work. This is also known as butterfly pose.
3. Now follow steps 4 to 6 for the straight-leg forward bend pose. (See illustration 12.)

Illustration 12: Bound-ankle pose

Head-to-Knee Pose

1. Sit down and extend one leg straight out in front of you.
2. Bend the other knee, and place the sole of your foot on the inner thigh of your straight leg, with your knee opening out to the side and resting on the ground.
3. Turn your body just a little, so that your heart is facing the foot of your straight leg.
4. Flex the foot of your straight leg.
5. Follow steps 4 to 6 for the straight-leg forward bend pose. (See illustration 13.)

Illustration 13: Head-to-knee pose

Follow-up: Once your child becomes comfortable with these poses, a wonderful way to deepen the energetic experience is to use the breath in coordination with the movement. This significantly increases the calming effect of the movement. Encourage your child to inhale as he gets long, and then exhale when he relaxes down toward the ground. Then once he is in the pose, encourage him to focus on long, slow exhalations (Langhana Breath, in chapter 5, is a great practice to coordinate with this pose).

Challenges: Many children have tightness in their hips and the backs of their legs, and this will often cause them to collapse their torso and round their back as soon as they sit down. For some kids, just sitting up straight is going to be a big challenge! If your child tends to round his back during these poses, try having him bend his knees slightly in the straight-leg variation, and work first on sitting up straight and holding that position for a few breaths. Once that becomes less challenging, you can start working on folding forward. It doesn’t matter at all how far you can fold in these poses. It’s more important to keep your spine long; the goal is to stretch the back of your body, not to get close to the ground.

Daily Practice: Any of these forward bends are deeply calming, particularly in coordination with the breath. Teach your child that if he is feeling overwhelmed, or notices that he has too much energy for whatever situation he’s in, this is a practice he can use to settle his energy.

Strength: Warrior Poses

The warriors are a group of poses that are among the most loved and frequently practiced in adult yoga classes. They all, in slightly different ways, create strength in both the body and the mind. In a graceful metaphor for our own inner strength, these poses rely on flexibility, balance, and patience to build strength, rather than sheer force of body or will.

Warrior 1 Pose

1. Stand in mountain pose (see earlier in this chapter) at the top of your mat. Take a big step back with your left leg.
2. Check out your back foot. It should be completely flat on the ground, with your toes pointing slightly out to the left side.
3. Bend your front knee until it is lined up over your ankle.
4. Face your hips straight ahead.
5. Keeping your legs steady, lift your upper body tall. Now reach your arms straight out in front of your heart. Roll your shoulders back and down.
6. Keeping your arms straight and strong, lift your chest and your arms so that they are pointing toward the ceiling.
7. Look out past your fingertips. Take a few full breaths. (See illustration 14.)

   

   Illustration 14: Warrior 1 pose

8. Relax your arms, step forward into mountain pose, and repeat on the other side.

Warrior 2 Pose

1. Follow steps 1 through 3 for the warrior 1 pose.
2. Instead of turning your hips to face the front, open them up so that your torso is turned to your left side.
3. Open your arms so that your right arm is straight out over your right leg (and parallel to the ground) and your left arm is extended behind you. Your arms should be straight and strong, with your fingertips extended.
4. Gaze out past your front fingertips and take several slow and steady breaths. (See illustration 15.)

   

   Illustration 15: Warrior 2 pose

5. Relax your arms, step forward into mountain pose, and repeat on the other side.

Warrior 3 Pose

1. Follow steps 1 through 4 for the warrior 1 pose.
2. You are about to come into a balancing variation of warrior, so you will want to find a steady place to fix your gaze first. Look straight ahead of you, and focus on a single thing that isn’t moving. It could be a corner of a window, a smudge on the wall, a picture. Anything at all will work.
3. Keep your gaze steady on this spot, and then slowly shift your weight forward, lifting your back leg, tilting your torso forward, and straightening your front leg. Keep the toes of your back leg pointing straight down.
4. There are two different options here for your arms. You can reach them back so that they are parallel to the ground and reaching toward your elevated foot, or you can extend them out past the top of your head (this will be more challenging). Either way, keep your fingers strong and your arms straight. As you come into this pose, try to keep your spine straight and long. Imagine reaching the top of your head forward and the heel of your lifted foot back.
5. If you are feeling very balanced today, you can work on lifting your back leg until it is parallel with the ground (your torso will be parallel to the ground also). This is a challenging pose. Don’t worry if you can only lift your leg a little bit while you are learning it! Your body is still getting stronger, and you are still practicing the pose. (See illustration 16.)

   

   Illustration 16: Warrior 3 pose

6. Breathe slowly in warrior 3, and when you feel like you are ready to move to the other side, slowly bend your front knee and lower your leg back down into warrior 1. Pause for a moment, step forward into mountain pose, and then try the other side.

Follow-up: A favorite activity for many children is to combine the warrior poses with a mantra. A great way to do this is to have a conversation with your child about what a warrior is and the qualities that you need to have in order to be a good warrior. I like to focus the conversation on the ways that you can fight for what is important without hurting anyone else. Choose three qualities that you think are important for a warrior (strength, patience, courage, compassion, etc.). Assign one quality to each warrior pose. Your mantras will be based on these qualities. For example, if you’ve chosen courage as a quality, you might say, “I have courage” or “I am courageous.” Once you’ve created your three mantras, practice all three warrior poses, moving directly from one to another while saying your mantra for each in a strong voice. If you and your child are practicing these poses together, a wonderful experience for the second side of your poses is to change the beginning of your mantras, so that instead of saying, “I have courage,” you would look each other in the eye and say, “You have courage.”

Challenges: Many people struggle with the balance of warrior 3. Make sure your child knows that it doesn’t matter how high she lifts her back leg, or how long she holds the pose. The important thing is that she practice feeling calm and steady in the pose, and that each time she tries she will get a little stronger and be able to hold her balance a little bit longer.

Daily Practice: While we aren’t always in a position to just come into a warrior pose when we need to feel strong, a very good option for times when your child needs a boost is to tell her to visualize herself in her warrior poses, silently repeating her mantra.

Strength: Moving Lunges

Lunges are a simple way to build a lot of strength in the body. In this version we coordinate movement with breathing to deepen the experience and make it more engaging, as well as to increase the strength-building potential.

1. Start in mountain pose (see earlier in this chapter). Lift your right knee up off of the ground and pause for a moment to find your balance.
2. Now take a big step backward and place your right foot on the floor. Your toes should still be pointing straight ahead, with your heel lifted off of the ground.
3. Bend your front knee deeply (make sure not to bend your knee past your ankle).
4. Keeping your legs steady, reach your arms strongly overhead with your fingers extended.
5. Check to see if you are leaning forward a little bit, and if you are, straighten your torso so that it is perpendicular to the ground. Now you are in a lunge. (See illustration 17.)

   

   Illustration 17: One posture in the moving lunges series

6. Take a couple of full breaths here in your lunge.
7. The next time you inhale, slowly straighten your front leg while continuing to reach up with your arms. As you straighten your leg, allow your back heel to lift a little higher off of the ground. (See illustration 18.)

   

   Illustration 18: Another posture in the moving lunges series

8. When it’s time to exhale, slowly bend your front knee and press your back heel away from you, lowering your torso straight down.
9. Continue lifting up on your inhale and lowering down on your exhale. Try to keep your upper body moving straight up and down as you bend and straighten your legs, rather than letting it sway forward and backward.
10. Once you get the hang of moving in your lunge, challenge yourself to move up and down for eight full breaths.
11. Step forward and repeat on the other side.

Follow-up: This activity really uses the strength in your legs. After practicing, it will feel great to finish with either bound-ankle pose or head-to-knee pose.

Challenges: Many children and adults find that their balance is tested along with their strength in moving lunges. If your child struggles with his balance during this activity, encourage him to find a focal point to keep his gaze fixed to. It can also be helpful to imagine squeezing your thighs together to activate the small stabilizing muscles in your legs.

Daily Practice: At any time, your child can practice some mindful walking lunges as he moves from place to place. Take a big step forward, and as you breathe out, bend your front knee and lower down into a lunge. Then inhale back up, step your other foot forward, and repeat.

Strength: Boat Pose

Boat pose is a seated posture that uses the entire body. It builds core strength and also necessitates finding a balance between strength and flexibility.

1. Start seated in the middle of your yoga mat. Bend your knees so that your feet are flat on the ground.
2. Sit up very tall and relax your shoulders.
3. Lightly hold on to the backs of your thighs with your hands.
4. Engage your core muscles by pulling your belly button in just a bit, and then lift your feet off of the ground, bringing your shins parallel to the ground.
5. Find your balance and take a few full breaths, using each inhalation to sit up a little bit taller.
6. If this feels good, you may want to try slowly straightening your legs. Once you feel steady, try letting go of your legs and reaching your arms straight out in front of you. (See illustration 19.)

   

   Illustration 19: Boat pose

7. After balancing for a few breaths, or as long as feels good, return to sitting.

Follow-up: Once your child becomes comfortable with boat pose, it can be a lot of fun to play a game called Boat Pose Ball Pass. This game works the core muscles in different ways and also is a great way to practice coordination and cooperation. The basic premise is that a ball is passed from one participant to another with their feet. If you have three or more people to play with, try sitting in a circle and sending the ball around the circle first in one direction, then the other. It’s particularly fun to do this to music and challenge yourselves to keep the ball off of the ground for a whole song. If it’s just you and your child, you can sit side by side and pass the ball, then turn around and pass it back, so that you are using both sides of your body.

Another great way to make boat pose more interesting is to practice partner boat pose. Sit facing your child, with both of your knees bent and the balls of your feet touching. Reach out and hold hands, then slowly lift your legs up, pressing your feet together. Once both feet are off the ground, take a few breaths together and then slowly lower them down.

Challenges: Some children struggle with the flexibility needed for this pose. If your child is having a hard time, work on lifting her legs to different heights. Encourage her to notice that when her legs are closer to the ground, she has to use more strength, and when they are lifted higher she has to use more flexibility. Try practicing a few seated forward bends right before trying boat pose and see if it feels different.

Daily Practice: While you probably won’t practice the full boat pose posture every day, each time you sit down in a chair, try leaning back slightly (without leaning on the backrest) and lifting your feet just a bit off of the floor. With just this small movement each day, you’ll quickly start to develop more core strength.

Balance: Tree Pose

Tree pose is among the most recognizable of yoga poses for a good reason. It is a balancing pose that is both challenging and achievable, and once you’ve practiced a bit the feeling of steadily grounding down and reaching up at the same time is very satisfying.

1. Begin standing in mountain pose on your yoga mat.
2. Find a place to rest your gaze that is straight out in front of you. Keep staring at that spot throughout the entire practice.
3. Slowly lift your right foot up off of the ground. Bend your knee and turn it out to the side, so that you can place the sole of your right foot on the inside of your left calf.
4. Try to relax the foot of your standing leg. Notice if you are curling up your toes, and if so wiggle them a little to help them relax. Imagine your standing leg growing roots deep into the ground to hold you steady.
5. Press your right foot into your leg, and your leg back into your foot.
6. Bring your hands together in front of your heart. Pause for a moment and then lift them strongly up overhead. You can keep your hands together, or open your arms like branches.
7. As your standing leg grounds down into the earth, imagine your whole body lifting up toward the sky.
8. When you are ready to switch sides, turn your right knee to the front, pause, and then slowly lower it down. Then practice tree pose with your left leg.

Follow-up: Once you have introduced your child to tree pose, and he has had the experience of finding his balance, you can introduce him to a more challenging variation by having him lift his foot higher up onto the inside of his thigh instead of his calf. Make sure to avoid having him place his foot on his knee, which can lead to injury.

Challenges: If this is your child’s first experience with a standing balance pose, it might be very frustrating. Some children try to hold their balance by hopping up and down in the pose. Encourage your child to keep staring at his focal point, and if he feels like he is losing his balance, just tell him to place his foot down on the floor, take a full breath in and out, and then pick it back up again.

Daily Practice: One of the great things about tree pose is that it can be practiced anytime you are just standing around. One of my favorite daily rituals is to brush my teeth in tree pose. This is a true challenge, as you are coordinating the balance and focus of tree pose with the movement of your arm and hand. Encourage your child to try brushing on one leg and flossing on the other.

Balance: Side Plank Pose

Side plank is a difficult pose that kids tend to really enjoy. In addition to being a balance, it also builds strength in the arms and the core, and the many variations allow for a progressively more challenging experience.

1. Start on your hands and knees in the center of your mat. Spread your fingers wide and make sure that your whole hand is down on your mat, and that your shoulders are right over your wrists.
2. Now step your feet back so that you are at the top of a push-up position. Press your heels back like you are trying to reach the wall behind you with them. This is called plank pose. Just practicing plank is a great way to build strength through your whole body, but we are going to go a little bit further with the pose.
3. Once you feel steady in plank, shift your weight onto your right hand, and turn your right foot so that the outside edge is on the mat. Very slowly and with careful control, roll your body to the right so that your left leg comes on top of your right leg, and your left arm comes off of the ground. Reach your left arm straight up in the air. This is a basic side plank pose. (See illustration 20.)

   

   Illustration 20: Side plank pose

4. If you want to give yourself a little extra support, you can use your left leg like a tripod—bend your left knee and place your left foot on the floor in front of your right knee.
5. Try to keep your body in one straight line during this pose. Reach your head in one direction and press your heels in the other. If your hips start to drop, lift them up so that they are in line with the rest of your body. Keep your top arm straight and strong with your fingers extended.
6. When you are ready to switch sides, lower back to plank pose with control, and then either go straight into the other side, or take a rest in child’s pose (see illustration 8) between sides.

Follow-up: Side plank is challenging, but if your child loves it and seems ready to go even further, you can try one of the following variations:

• Lift your top leg straight up off of your bottom leg so your feet are about 2 to 3 feet apart.
• Bring your top leg into a tree pose shape (see previous pose), bending at your knee, opening your hip, and placing your foot on either your calf or thigh.

Challenges: This is a difficult pose that may take some time and practice to feel comfortable. If your child’s hips sag or she feels shaky, encourage her to use the tripod-leg variation described above. It’s also important to make sure her shoulder is directly over her wrist and that her leg muscles are engaged. The best way to ensure that her legs are engaged is by reminding her to flex her feet.

Daily Practice: This pose is not recommended for daily practice—try it once or twice a week when you have time to focus and work hard.

Balance: Flower Pose

Flower pose is a seated posture that is very accessible. It is both grounding and uplifting, bringing balance to the physical body and to the emotions.

1. Start seated in the middle of your mat.
2. Bring the soles of your feet together and your knees out to the sides. Now separate your feet about ten inches (the outside edges of your feet will stay on the ground).
3. Lean forward just a little, reach your hands in between your knees, and thread your hands and arms under your knees.
4. Turn your palms to face up.
5. Take a full breath in and, as you do, lean back just a little, bringing your feet up off of the ground. Your calves will be resting on your forearms.
6. As you take several breaths here, sit up tall and pull your shoulders back. Spread your fingers wide. You’ll know that you have found your balance when the pose feels comfortable and your legs feel light on your arms. (See illustration 21.)

   

   Illustration 21: Flower pose

7. When you are ready to come down, a great way to do it is to unthread your arms, give your knees a squeeze, and slowly lower all the way down onto your back for a rest.

Follow-up: If your child enjoys this pose, and you want to create a longer and more challenging experience, you can try what I call blossoming flower pose. Once you are balanced in flower, unwind your arms (while keeping your legs lifted). Then hold on to the outside edges of your feet and slowly stretch your legs out into a V. Balance there for a few breaths, then bring your legs together into boat pose (see illustration 19).

Challenges: Some children (and adults) tend to let the weight of their legs fall onto their arms during this pose, and it causes them to slouch forward and feel as if they are wrestling their legs into place. It isn’t the strength of your arms that lifts your legs in flower pose rather, it is the fact that you shift your weight back and find your balance. Your legs should just lightly rest on your arms. But if your child seems to be slouching, try having him practice boat pose (see illustration 19) directly before flower pose to feel the activation of his core muscles. Then encourage him to try bringing his legs into the shape of flower pose without his arms to get a feel for it before trying again.

Daily Practice: If flower pose feels good to your child, and he has practiced enough to feel steady in it, it can be a great activity to do for a few breaths right before homework or any other activity that requires concentration. The combination of grounding and uplifting feelings is very balancing and contributes to a calm capacity for focus.

Balance: Half Moon Pose

This standing balance is probably the most challenging pose you will practice with your child, and it is also one that children often love. Half moon pose asks you to open yourself up and reach out into the world, and when you find your balance in it, it feels good in the same way that running, jumping, and dancing does. It feels free and light and happy.

1. Begin in warrior 2 pose (see illustration 15).
2. Focus your eyes on a spot on the ground, about six to twelve inches in front of your toes. Slowly reach forward toward that spot, bringing your fingertips down onto the ground and lifting your back leg up off of the ground.
3. Your hand will help you with your balance most if it is placed slightly outside of your foot. A good guide is to have your thumb lined up with, and about six to twelve inches in front of, your pinkie toe. (Your fingers should touch the ground directly below your shoulder.)
4. Now reach your top arm straight up, with your fingers reaching strongly toward the sky.
5. As you find your balance, work on opening up your hips so that they are stacked over each other in a straight line. Flex the foot of your lifted leg.
6. When you feel steady, slowly turn your head to face forward and focus on a spot on the wall right in front of you. If that feels good, try turning to look up past your top hand.
7. When you are ready to finish, bend your front knee and slowly lower yourself back into warrior 2 pose. Step forward with your back leg into mountain pose, then step back with the opposite leg into warrior 2 pose again, and repeat on the other side.

Follow-up: This is not a pose that you will feel great in the first time you try it. It is challenging and may take a lot of practice. Reassure your child that each time she tries, she is getting stronger and improving her balance. She doesn’t have to lift her leg very high, or hold the pose very long, in order to be doing a great job.

Challenges: This is a very difficult pose that asks you to use your body in a lot of different ways at once. If your child is having a hard time finding the shape of the pose because of the balancing required, it is a great idea to try practicing it at a wall. Bring the long side of your mat right up against a wall. Stand just a few inches away from the wall and move into warrior 2 pose just like you would in the middle of the room. Follow the same steps as above, but allow your body to lean up against the wall for balance. Once you have a little support, you may find that you can open up into the shape of the pose more freely. Once you’ve felt that shape in your body with some support, it can be much easier to work toward it on your own, without help from the wall.

Another supportive option is to use a block to help bring the ground closer to your child’s bottom hand (see illustration 22). The block (or any other firm object) can be placed at whatever height is most helpful. Start with it higher and, as your child gets more familiar with the pose, lower it for a greater challenge.

Illustration 22: Half moon pose with a supporting block

Daily Practice: If you have a child that is determined and likes a challenge, working on half moon pose a little bit each day will be very satisfying. It is a pose in which you can really feel your progress if you keep practicing.

Final Relaxation: Savasana

Whether you are practicing just a few poses or a full sequence of all five elements, a wonderful way to end your session is with savasana, or “final relaxation.” Savasana lets the experiences you’ve had settle into your body and your mind, and provides a transition period that feels nourishing and supportive.

1. Begin seated in the middle of your mat. With your knees bent and your feet on the floor, reach your arms out in between your knees and slowly roll down onto your back.
2. Extend your legs long, and let your feet fall out to the sides.
3. Bring your arms to rest by your sides with your palms facing up.
4. Close your eyes, and let your whole body get heavy and soft.
5. Rest here for as long as you like. You may also want to play some gentle music.
6. When you’re ready to get up, do so slowly and gently. Wiggle your fingers and toes, turn your head from side to side, give your knees a hug into your body, and slowly roll onto one side and use your hands to help you come up to sitting.

Follow-up: While it’s not always possible to lie down, you can bring the spirit of savasana into your body anytime you need a rest. Even if you are seated, try leaning back, closing your eyes, relaxing your muscles, and breathing gently.

Challenges: Some children have a hard time lying flat on their backs. They can feel quite vulnerable and exposed. See chapter 9 for ways to transition into the pose, and also try placing a heavy blanket over your child while in savasana.

Daily Practice: Savasana is a great follow-up to any yoga pose. Teach it to your child early on in his yoga practice, and encourage him to use it anytime he needs a rest.

Creating a Movement Experience for Your Child

While any of the poses in this chapter can be practiced individually, combining poses into short sequences during your regular practice times will give your child an opportunity to have a more complete energetic experience. When you practice multiple poses at a time, it can be helpful to think about creating a simple energetic bell curve for your child. Start with a calm posture that feels comfortable, then move on to more energizing and challenging poses, and then work your way back to something that feels calming. You can combine any of the poses on your own, but for some suggestions see chapter 9, Putting It All Together.