Practicing yoga with little ones, especially toddlers, can be a great way to slow down while still using your body, developing gross motor skills and being active. It promotes physical activity, improves flexibility and balance, enhances cognitive and emotional development, and helps them learn mindfulness and relaxation techniques at a young age. While yoga can be a quiet, meditative practice, feel free to tailor the mood for you and your family. It can be a quiet reflective practice if that’s what works best, but feel free to be silly and engaging, put on music, count your breaths together, learn the names of body parts, make faces or even take a “woof” when you get to downward facing dog. Have fun, and embrace wiggles as they come!

Start out in Savasana.

Start out by lying on your back. Have your little one set their hands on their tummy and encourage them to feel their hands go up and down with each breath. Stay here for a few breaths.

Rock up!

 

Next, while on your back grab onto feet or ankles, and try and rock back and forth a few times until finally landing in a seated position on the floor.

Child’s Pose

 

From here, get on all fours. Show your toddler how to place their hands under their shoulders and their knees under their hips. Root your hands and feet down into the ground, encouraging them to feel the floor. Push your body back while extending your arms so your forearms, forehead, shins, and tops of your feet rest on the floor. Feel free to use a small pillow or towel to support your head. Encourage your little one to fill their belly while they breathe and notice how it feels nice.

Cat & Cow

Press yourselves up back on all fours, hands, shins and tops of feet rooted in the ground. For cow position, take a deep breath in, raise your gaze toward the sky and send your belly down to the ground for a gentle back bend. Moving into cat position, exhale as you drop your head and send your spine up towards the sky. Cycle through this as many times as feels right in your bodies. Model for your kiddo how to keep breathing through it—inhale as you lift your head, exhale as you drop your head.

Downward Facing Dog

When you’re all ready to move on, while still on all fours, tuck your toes, press your hands into the ground—reminding your toddler how strong their arms are! Lift your knees off the ground, and straighten your legs as you extend and straighten your arms. Send your hips up toward the sky. This is downward facing dog. Count together as you take five breaths in this position. Feel free to use props as needed, maybe a stack of books under your arms or maybe pedal your legs as you settle into the pose. Wiggling is natural and welcomed!

Bound Angle Pose

From here, find yourselves a seated position on the ground. Let your feet find each other, and hold onto your ankles. If this is uncomfortable, try putting something under your knees. It  could be a small towel or any kind of cushion you have handy. Notice which parts of your  bodies are making contact with the floor. Ground yourselves through those parts, and feel the support of the floor as you breathe in and lift through the top of your head, neck and spine.

Namaste

As you wrap up, take a second to remind your little one how well they’ve done during this yoga practice! Take a deep breath, as you prepare for the rest of your day.