Families Bloom in Yoga Class

May 14, 2018

Once a month, I teach a family Yoga class at Healthwise Studio in Maple Grove, MN.  Our May theme was “Blooming.” 

Families attending may also receive services from one of the psychologists at the behavioral health clinic there, or they may be a local family looking for a digital-free activity for the whole family.  It is intended for children ages 5 years old and up.

It was an easy class to plan as I referenced a complete lesson plan we published last spring and tweaked it by adding in a few backbends and partner poses.  This is the reason we create robust lesson plans for our community each month.  They can be modified to use again and again. 

 The kids and parents loved it!  Throughout the class, I sprinkled in cues to establish roots in order to blossom.  Flowers and trees don’t bloom until their roots are firmly established.  It’s the same for us too.  The peak pose of this class was Upward Facing Bow (Urdhva Dhanurasana), a pose kids often call “Bridge.”  By the time we got to it, we had stretched and strengthened areas of the body that need to be open and strong in this pose. 

It’s easy for many kids to pop up into a pose like this.  But it isn’t always safe, and doesn’t promote lifelong integrity in the body.  To get the kids to practice all the preparatory poses that do promote long-term intelligent body movement, we bring them to life with stories and games.  Animals sounds too.

With hearts blossoming to the sky and feet and hands rooted to the ground, both kids and grown-ups get to experience the exquisite balance of expansion and stability. They get to know how a flower feels.

We began and ended this class with the Heart Flower (Padma) Mudra.  Families left feeling more connected, open and established in both body and mind….blooming like a fresh spring flower.

To learn more about teaching Yoga to families, check out our online course.