Going Places with Yoga
What do you get when you cross a monthly educational theme of “In Transit” and a love of yoga for young children? Transportation yoga, of course!
At The Malvern School, we’re big advocates of yoga for our young friends. We practice it from the Infant room to our Kindergarten Enrichment class, year-round, indoors and out. We not only believe firmly in the benefits that yoga provides children, we see them continually – from enabling kids to develop body awareness and release physical energy in a healthy, focused way … to helping to build concentration and increase mindfulness.
This month, we’re going new places with yoga by putting a transportation twist on traditional poses with the help of the creative Kids Yoga Stories blog, whose poses are detailed here. See how our friends at The Malvern School of Malvern and The Malvern School of Medford are revving up their yoga practices with the moves below, and follow along with your child for a fun and different at-home workout!
(Left) Car pose (Mountain pose)
Stand tall with legs hip-width apart and feet facing forward. Grasp a pretend steering wheel as if you are driving a car.
(Center) Helicopter pose (Mountain pose variation)
Stand tall with legs hip-width apart, feet facing forward and knees slightly bent. Swing your arms back and forth like the blades of a helicopter.
(Right) Fire engine pose (Seated twist)
Sit comfortably cross-legged then twist to each side as if you are looking both ways while driving your fire engine.
(Left) Motorbike pose (Lunge pose)
From Downward-Facing Dog Pose, step your right foot forward to rest just inside your right hand. Keep a flat back and open your chest. Pretend to be a motorbike cruising down the road. Switch sides and repeat the steps.
(Center) Digger pose (Standing forward bend)
From Mountain Pose, bend your upper body, reach for your toes and pretend to dig up sand like a digger.
(Right) Sailboat pose (Triangle pose)
From a standing position, step one foot back, pointing your toe slightly outwards. Take your arms up parallel to the ground, bend at your waist and tilt your upper body to the side. Reach your front hand to gently rest on your shin and reach your other arm straight up. Pretend to be a sailboat gliding through the water. Switch sides and repeat the steps.
Up for another challenge? Work with your child to think up a creative transportation yoga move, then head over to our Facebook page to share with our Malvern School community. Good luck, yogis!
