Opening – How I explain the rules of yoga storytime: stay on your mat, and keep your hands to yourself.
(Skip to my Lou – from Jim Gill)
Stomping feet, one and two
Stomping feet, one and two
But if my feet were covered in glue
I’d stick to the glue, my darling.
Clapping hands, one and two
Clapping hands, one and two
But if my hands were covered in glue
I’d stick to the glue, my darling
(hands in Anjali mudra, or prayer position)
Extend and Stretch
Frere Jacques
Extend and stretch (sit in sukasana – easy seated pose, or crisscross applesauce- and do seated side bends)
Extend and stretch
Twist and turn (seated twists)
Twist and turn
This is yoga, (hands overhead on “this,” then bring to prayer position on “yoga”)
This is yoga
Om sweet om, (hands in prayer, bow forward)
Om sweet om
Source: I got this from Kids Yoga Guide teacher training, but here is another from Be Grace Yoga
Song: Sarah Pirlte’s “My Roots Go Down”
roots – hero/virasana, leaning forward and tapping the floor
pinetree on a mountainside – mountain/tadasana
willow – tree/vrksasana
flower – flower pose
waterfall – seated forward fold/paschimottonasana Inhale arms up. Exhale and let the “water” cascade to the ground. Repeat 3 times.
Cookie Dough relaxation
I wasn’t sure how this would work because I could see the kids getting so excited about it that it would actually rile them up, versus calm them down.
Source: Kids Play Smarter
Crown, Heart, Tail. I saw this when I observed a Kids Crave Yoga class. Ask the kids where their head or crown is. Then where is their heart. Then tail (or where their tail would be). Repeat. Shake up the order: Heart, tail, crown. Tail, tail, crown, heart. Go faster and faster, and then slow it down. I love that these movements correspond to the 1st, 4th, and 7th chakras.
Open the Book
Arms, legs, both
Close the book. Open the book. Turn the page.
Start seated with arms stretched out in front of you, palms touching. To “open the book,” stretch the arms wide. To close it, bring them back together. To “turn the page,” open just the right arm and close it, then the left arm and close it. Repeat “turning pages” until the kids giggle. Repeat the whole sequence using legs instead of arms. Then try arms and legs together.
Book – I Just Want to Say Good Night by Rachel Isadora
Fish – locust pose/salabhasana
cat – cat/cow
bird – eagle/garudasana
goat – downward facing dog/adho mukha svanasana with goat kicks
monkey – gorilla pose/padahastasana
chicken- malasana
ants – table pose, march up and down your mat
dog – puppy pose/anhatasana
rock – child’s pose/bhakasana
book – seated, open arms wide like opening a book
moon – seated side bends
Goddess pose/ utkata konasana – Breathing in, stand up straight. Exhale into goddess x 3. Last one exhale into wide leg forward fold
Falling star
Kissy Knee
baddha konasana/butterfly
bridge pose/ setu bandha sarvangasana
happy baby/ ananda balasana
Wishy Washer – Seated twists/ parivritta sukhasana with arms in cactus- Make sure the kids twist to the right first (mirror them) to aid in digestion before bed.
Tumble Dry
Savasana
Song: Kira Willey’s “When You Sleep”
Peace begins with me
Hold both hands overhead. On the word “peace,” touch the thumbs and pinky fingers together. On the word “begins,” touch the thumbs and ring fingers. On the word “with,” touch the thumbs and middle fingers. On the word “me,” touch the thumbs and pointers. Repeat this four times, the first time loudly and hands overhead. The second time, bring the hands down a little and speak a little softer. The third time, bring hands lower and whisper. The last time, bring hands to knees and speak words silently to self.
Source: Kids Yoga Guide Teacher Training
Namaste!
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