It was my husband’s idea to start a weekly family yoga class. He didn’t want to do yoga with strangers, and he also thought it was the only way to get our oldest to practice yoga. Grasshopper and Sensei had the four concussions from volleyball, and now she needs to work her way slowly back into physical activity.
PickyKidPix has hung up soccer cleats, switching over to competitive crew, but as a coxswain, she’s not getting much exercise. She went through puberty recently, and her joints are looser. For the first time in her life, she complains of knee pain “on her inner right knee when she runs on pavement.” Yoga will help with that.
My son is pretty flexible so yoga for him is injury prevention for soccer. Now that the U.S. Youth Soccer changed the year requirements, he’s the youngest (and smallest) on his team, and frequently goes head to head, resulting in tumbles to the ground.
My husband is now thinking of playing competitive golf as a senior amateur, which starts at age 55 (50 for senior professionals though). He’s lost a little distance with age, so yoga will help loosen his back for a full rotation. He also has shoulder and lower back issues that yoga can help.
I personally practice yoga weekly besides this family yoga class and it helps me stave off carpel tunnel syndrome from too much computer work, as well as injury prevention from the high-impact boxing workouts that I do.
How fortunate that my friend Liz just opened a yoga studio, Artemis Yoga, in Watertown, one town over! Our 9 am Sunday morning time is perfect because her downstairs yoga studio is empty. It turns out that the price for family yoga is basically the same if we all just took a class.
With our oldest off to college in just two years, my husband and I are starting to cherish every minute of family time. While this is an early and painful start to Sunday, it is fast becoming a family tradition that is making memories!
How about you? Have you tried yoga? Do your kids like yoga? To get everyone into a yoga mood, I’m giving away Barefoot Books Yoga Pretzel cards. This fun deck of cards helps introduce kids to yoga poses. You can line them up for a yoga practice too! Please fill out the Rafflecopter below to enter.
p.s. My children would want you to know that all these photos taken of them during their yoga class were done under protest (though they like the yoga class and think it’s funny that we do it as a family).
Introducing Kids to Yoga
Kids Yoga Stories by Giselle Shadlow
My blogger friend Giselle has authored a wonderful series of yoga picture books for kids! She’s a yoga instructor herself, and her books make yoga fun for kids, while also teaching them about animals, colors, and other educational topics. [picture book, ages 2 and up]
Yoga Pretzels cards by
We are starting our own Family Yoga class; just the five of us. It’s my husband’s idea. He’s done a little yoga but has bad shoulders from a lifetime of competitive golf. Grasshopper and Sensei is recovering from her fourth concussion, so Family Yoga will ease her back into athletics. She hopes to return to her club volleyball team in a few months. PickyKidPix finds yoga calming, and my son will strike a yoga pose for fun. We use these cards to play with yoga poses. For a complete zen experience, use Yoga Pretzel cards with these picture books on mindfulness. [deck of yoga cards, ages 2 and up]
Yoga Pretzels Card Deck Giveaway
Please fill out the Rafflecopter below to enter to win Barefoot Books Yoga Pretzels card deck. I can only mail to US due to the high cost of shipping.
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My books:
Amazon / Signed or Inscribed by Me
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Food for the Future: Sustainable Farms Around the World
- Junior Library Guild Gold selection
- Selected as one of 100 Outstanding Picture Books of 2023 by dPICTUS and featured at the Bologna Children’s Book Fair
- Starred review from School Library Journal
- Chicago Library’s Best of the Best
- 2023 INDIES Book of the Year Awards Finalist
- Green Earth Book Award longlist
- Imagination Soup’s 35 Best Nonfiction Books of 2023 for Kids
Amazon / Barefoot Books / Signed or Inscribed by Me
Amazon / Scholastic / Signed or Inscribed by Me
My favorite yoga pose is the one a the end when you just lay on your back and relax. 🙂
Hi Valerie,
I do love that one too! Chavasena.
Thanks for the chance to win these cards I would like to use them in family library programs.
That sounds great Lisa! I hope you win!
Great idea to have a family class. I think for many practicing in front of others is difficult. I have a metal knee and now two cancers so I practice chair yoga, which is great believe it or not! Our teacher practices Kundalini yoga so there is much emphasis on proper breathing as well. I find it good for my body but also my soul. Only time I really meditate. Find it hard to understand people who oppose yoga being taught in schools. Would be grand!
Hi Joan,
We did a little chair yoga too! But my family really likes Restorative Yoga though sometimes the kids fall asleep in class!
Neat! I try to stay limber with martial arts. 😀
You must be getting good at martial arts Erik!
Love the idea of family yoga. My fifteen-month-old grandson’s favorite pose is Downward Dog while I love Child’s Pose
Hi Gayle,
Love that your little grandson is doing Downward Dog!!!! I love child’s pose too!
I love doing yoga! I’ve been trying to get my daughter to practice with me to no avail. This may be just the trick to get her engaged!
I hope it works for you Sarah! It’s been a good experience for us to do family yoga. The kids do complain but I’m convinced they will look back one day on this fondly! 🙂