Stressed out? Try practicing yoga with your children. It requires no equipment, except for an optional mat or towel, and tones your body while relaxing your mind.

Family yoga is a creative way parents can bond with their children and build the foundation for a healthy and fit lifestyle – it’s easy, fun and relaxing. Benefits include strength, flexibility, focus, self-confidence and happiness.

“Children naturally move into yoga poses, and it is a wonderful way to nurture these fluid movements that we lose as we grow and become more stiff,” says Amy Kassis, a local certified yoga instructor and owner of Yoga Mama Karma Kid, which offers yoga classes for children and expectant mothers. (www.yogamamastudio.com)

While doing yoga, children are learning important life skills and having lots of fun at the same time.

“Kids’ yoga is silly, but it all has purpose,” Kassis says. “Yoga practice encourages focus on the task at hand, as well as transitioning smoothly between activities, gross motor development skills, self-confidence and ability to self-regulate emotions for a peaceful, happy mind.”

Kassis says kids enjoy watching their parents perform yoga poses.

“Having a parent enter the world of the child is such a treat. When Dad does a silly pose you can see the joy on his child’s face.”

There is also a sense of pride when a child can do the pose that is challenging for the parent – this is a great bonding opportunity.

“Children are so excited to offer advice to their parents on how to do the pose.”

Kassis recommends about 30 to 45 minutes of yoga at one time for children of preschool age and younger; older children can endure longer sessions. There is no right or wrong when on the yoga mat, and each practice offers a new challenge to embrace.

She suggests incorporating breathing, relaxation and massage techniques into a yoga routine to enhance the experience.

Kassis, whose second child is due this month, and her daughter Noelle, 4, demonstrate some easy yoga poses parents can do with their child.

Tandem Bikes

Recline on your back with knees bent, touching toes with your child. Press feet together as you both lift your feet with your knees 
still bent. Begin pedaling with your child.

Tip While warming up your bodies in this

fun partner pose, creatively talk with your child about the things you see as you take a bike ride together along the beach.

Ship Captain or King of the World

Partner, sit or stand with knees bent as the ship. 
Child stands on your thighs facing out as the “captain.”

Hold firmly onto the captain’s hips.

Captain leans forward leading with chest with 
arms open wide.

Tip Imagine the wind in your face as you sail through the sea. Have your child say, “I am king 
of the world!”

Rainbow Pose

Lie on your back. Bend your knees with feet 
flat on the floor. Extend arms up and back behind your head with fingertips pointed towards your feet.

Breathe in and press evenly into hands and feet.

Breathe out; lift body off ground while arching your spine.

To release tuck chin into your chest, lower down and curl into a ball.

Tip Partner helps support the child’s spine as she gains strength in this back bending pose. Hug knees for a safe spine and say, “Thank you, Rainbow,” appreciating the 
hope a rainbow represents.

Sea Plane

Partner, recline on your back with knees bent.

Child stands in front of your bent knees facing you.

Partner, place the soles of your feet evenly on child’s chest/belly area. Hold hands with child and slowly begin lifting her into the air with your legs.

Tip For a hamstring stretch, bend and straighten legs to fly the seaplane over the beach. Extend legs straight and release child’s hands as they glide through the sky.

Surfer Pose (Warrior 2)

Begin standing on your mat with legs about one leg length apart. Turn your right toes out to the top of the mat. Open your arms out wide.

Bend your right knee over your right foot.

Lean slightly to the right with hips forward.

Repeat on the left side.

Tip Lie down on your surfboard and swim out to catch a wave. Here comes a great wave, jump up to standing. Step your left foot forward and open your arms. Check to see if you look like a star and then bend your left knee forward and ground your right foot to keep balance. Cowabunga, dude!

Shark Ride

Directions for the child

Lie down on your belly. Clasp your hands together 
behind your back. Breathe in and grow your shark fin 
by lifting your hands to the sky while arching your back 
and lifting your chin.

Directions for the Partner

Stand over child’s back. Assist child in lifting her 
arms (shark fin) to the sky allowing a deeper stretch in this heart-opening pose. Squat down over your child 
strengthening your leg muscles to ride the shark!

Tip Roll up into a little seashell (child’s pose) when finished to curl the back into the counter pose. Partner applies 
pressure to lower back to thank the shark for the fun ride.

School of Fish

Arrange your mats into a fun shape or direction for your fish to swim together. Sit up tall on your mat with legs straight.

Lean back onto your forearms. Touch your head to the floor arching your spine. For a more advanced pose, join your hands together behind your back. Hold for five to 
six breaths.

Tip To release, take your chin to your chest, press hands into the mat and roll up. Then fold forward and touch your toes for a counterpose to protect your spine.

Singing Starfish

Stand on your mat, open your legs one leg 
length apart. Rotate your feet until they are parallel to each other and the edges of the mat. Extend your arms out to your side, with palms facing down (Star Pose). Place your right hand on your right foot. Take your left hand high towards the sky. Hold for three to four breaths.

Repeat on the alternate side.

Tip Singing “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star” together

is a great way to smile and have fun while warming 
up your yoga bodies.

Sea Turtle

Begin by sitting with the soles of your feet together 
and knees out. Slide your hands between and under your knees. Place your hands on the mat on the outside of feet. Press into your hands and lift bottom off of 
the ground.

Tip Play the Hello Mr. Turtle Game, which strengthens the muscles as well as encourages balance. To play, go into Turtle Pose and hold for two breaths. As you exhale lower your bottom and forehead toward the ground. On the next inhale lift up again, saying in a deep voice, “Hello Mr. Turtle.” Take turns with your child.