Theo and friends in cobra pose – age 5.

A couple of years ago I started practicing yoga regularly. It was life-changing and became a necessary part of my week, for both my physical and mental health. I am glad that Theo has been exposed to yoga from a young age (his preschool teachers incorporated it into their curriculum). I didn’t take my first yoga class until college, so I hope that he will come to recognize its benefits much earlier than I did.

I found this game, Yoga Spinner, online and Theo and I have enjoyed playing it together. They have cards with different poses on them and you take turns completing them. They even have a section of cards that are two-person poses that you do with your child. Even if we don’t have time to play a complete game, we pull out a few cards and move around a little. It’s amazing what just a few minutes of refocusing your mind can do!

I recently learned about an event coming up called Yoga Family Night sponsored by Kidnected World / The Wonderment. It is on October 8 at 7pm and is for the whole family — they will be doing yoga, making mandalas and learning about the origins of yoga from children in a school in India. It sounds great and I am eager to learn more about this organization that promotes global cultural education and understanding in kids.

Several local yoga studios offer classes for children, and often the public library system will have free family yoga sessions available. If you haven’t tried it out, either by yourself or with your kids, give it a chance and welcome the opportunity to quiet your mind for a few moments. I’ll end this post the way my yoga instructor ends every class.

The goodness within me honors the goodness that resides within each of you. Namaste.