Children Blossom In Lotus

Jan 17, 2018

Yesterday in my class of fourteen 4-6 year-olds, we practiced poses I like to associate with a garden that also open the hips: butterfly, turtle, rock the baby (one foot in opposite elbow crook) and rose pose (called flower pose in Thia Luby's book Yoga for Children).

Another flower in this garden is the lotus (padmasana). The children carefully placed one foot on the opposite thigh and the second foot on the other thigh. I asked them to imagine they were floating on a perfectly still pond, just like a lotus flower. "They are like lilies!" one girl shared. Yes, they are.

The children sat still, eyes closed, for one minute until they heard the listening bell (the tingchas I use in every class). The silence was sweet.

I rang the bell and then asked them how they felt. "Gooood," said one, "Happy," said another. The youngest in the room, not quite 4 years old, gave a big smile and two thumbs up!