Over 8 years of having kids, and having fitness as a priority in that process, yoga has shaped my experience of motherhood. Starting with my first prenatal yoga class that I went to weekly on Thursday nights—leaving my stressful workplace early with a grin and rushing on the subway from Manhattan to a YMCA in Brooklyn—my experience of yoga has also been shaped by mothering.
It is as a mother that I have experienced how yoga fits into my everyday and adds value to it.
We All Need a Combination of High Impact and Low Impact Activities
I’ve always been more of an intense athlete—soccer my whole life, competitive swimming and tennis in high school, and more recently, HIIT workouts and distance running as my go-to exercise methods.
But, the reality of life and especially mothering, is that our bodies need a combination of high and low impact activities to be at their best. For every mile that I run, stretching and restorative/muscle relaxing and rebuilding becomes important. And for overall stress relief, low impact workouts have been proven to be more effective at lowering cortisol levels, preventing adrenal fatigue and failure (the real, very present BURNOUT that I see so many moms on the verge of, and have personal experience with navigating).
Add to that the changes that each pregnancy works on the body, the natural recovery and rebuilding time in postpartum, and I’ve found that I need to have a fitness practice that I can keep with me for all of those moments and seasons of life, providing consistency and routine.
For all these reasons, I am continually led back to yoga (I mean this loosely as in the postures I’ve learned as well as stretching of all kinds) as a positive and important part of my daily routines and overall lifestyle. It’s sort of one of my secret weapons for getting through the long days in an energized, calm and grounded fashion (no, I’m by no means perfect…)….and some days my kids at 6pm will hear me saying—“I’m going out to my yoga porch for a moment” (And yes they often follow me out there)–which is my way of coping and giving myself the permission to re-center and come back into their midst closer to my best self…
But yoga has not just been my routine, it has become a natural part of our family life and kid life as well.
How Yoga/mindful movement Practice Has Shaped My Kids
When having kids and encouraging them to build fitness habits and bodily awareness and appreciation, we’ve done a lot of the typical things: swimming, ballet, gymnastics, running (love family race events!) and dabbled in soccer (the girls haven’t taken to it but something tells me that it may be Ambrose’ sport of choice).
However, since they also see me, often, at home, building in time for my own workouts, if I can’t make it to the gym—-and I DO love showing them that the habits can begin at home, yoga has become a natural fit for something playful, relaxing, that we can do together and stretch ourselves in, without being rushed through a workout.
I remember when Corinne was an infant and I’d be doing lots of HIIT videos and pilates/barre videos, she’d want to hang on me, and be part of it all, and I’d do almost half the workout holding her in various positions or incorporating her in. It got more challenging the heftier she got. Can any other moms relate?
When she was a toddler and able to follow along, she’d boss me if I wasn’t going hard or fast enough, and participate…my mini-me was hard-wired to love movement, and to need it—as I do—for her daily mood and behavior/attitude.
Just ask my husband (and why he always makes sure I get time to work-out during the weekend, as needed): I’m a grouchier me if I’m not able to stay physically active, in some form. And yes for kids, it’s built into a lot of their play and playground time, which I’m a huge fan of, but it also may need to be channeled more directly and specifically with certain kids, as we’ve found we need to do with Corinne.
Using Movement to Help with the Tough Developmental Phases
With Corinne, over the past 2 years—as we’ve navigated with her the challenging developmental phases of a BIG, strong personality going through toddler years, pre-school, and up until now—giving her stretching, playful movement tools and opportunities has actually helped our mother-daughter relationship, and these challenging growing phases, immensely.
Sometimes when we’re in a heated power struggle about something, for example, putting on shoes or what’s for the next meal (I’m not making this up), I’ll turn to yoga as an calming outlet for both of us. Or if she’s mad at me and trying to calm down, I’ll suggest, “Hey, let’s go do some yoga together,” and her frown will turn upside down. I know right away that she’s going to guide me through the poses and coach me, making sure I’m doing it the right way…(Oh, I can’t express to you how much she reminds me of myself :0).
We’ll have reconnecting or “make-up” yoga sessions, where she will literally (as she always has)—-want to climb on top of me, do poses on my back, wrestle and be playful, and she’s such a physical kid that this is part of her love language—quality physical time together.
So over the past 2+ years, following these cues from my mini-me, I’ve made it more of a habit to incorporate the kids into my yoga practice, as a great way for them to get time with me, to learn new things, move their bodies, and for me to benefit from the session as well (in whatever ways I can: if I need my own alone time for restorative/uninterrupted flow, I’ll make sure I get that too with another yoga session at another time of day).
You’re going to have to embrace a flexible mindset when it comes to your workout “goals” and what the kids will want to actually do, but I find when it’s playful, experimental, and you’re encouraging them to just try new things and challenge their own physical awareness and movement, the benefits will be innumerable, and you’ll enjoy knowing that every day will look a little different, but you’ll see their grins throughout the process.
So…How Early Can They Start?
In terms of how early you can start kids with yoga, I’ve been doing yoga with them in my bellies, and by 9-10 months they are usually able to enjoy the aerial poses with you (but sometimes in the early days I just do it during baby naps for simplicity and focus on the toddler).
By one and a half, Ambrose was very aware of being part of my yoga practice and would be yelling “mommy yoga” when he saw me preparing for it, just like he cheered me on and welcomed me home with appreciation after “mommy run!” (followed by, “mommy, sweaty…!” when I hug him).
By this age, he was doing active poses with me, one-legged downward dog being his favorite (go-to) pose of choice. By two or three years old, they can really follow some of the book prompts that teach them to do simple flows from one basic pose to the next. Corinne loves these (linked below).
And last month, after doing a lot of yoga in the summer out in the yard on blankets, we set up our yoga porch, which allows us to have this dedicated space that encourages the habit, and allows us to make sure we’re inspired to do something daily—both myself and the kids. When I got them their own mats, they were thrilled, because frankly those aren’t super easy to share, and it gave them a sense of involvement they hadn’t had before.
Now, they will bring their friends out to the yoga porch and lead sessions on rainy afternoons (and by lead, I mean, Corinne will yell at her class to try these challenging wheel poses, etc and get mad at them if they don’t do them…so we do need to work on her teacher finesse, and class management skills).
Keeping it fun, forming healthy habits
It made my heart so happy in that moment, to see that she understands this as something she loves, is good at, and it’s good for her (and others)…and I hope that these habits continue to serve all my kids, throughout life. Any serious athlete will tell you the importance of stretching/limberness and healing the body through mindful movement—connecting mind and body.
Kids, like all of us, face a lot of stress and fast-paced days, and I love knowing that a yoga practice can help set them up to be aware of their breath and heart-beat, to spend time in gratitude for their healthy bodies, minds and spirits, and even lead them into prayer, as it does for me.
For those of you looking for a more directly religious/Christian based stretching/workout regimen, check out Soul Core and Pietra Fitness.
This fall, I’ve solidified a morning routine that works for this phase, and that I love. We get the girls fed, lunches made, chat with them, and they’re out the door to school with dad as the first thing, since they have to be out early. I don’t push myself with early wake up times when I’m pregnant (if it happens by accident, great), and then from 8-9 am, I give myself (and Ambrose) time for a leisurely tea, prayer time, yoga and stretching session—sometimes following a yoga flow, and other times just doing my own practice that fits with the needs of my ever-changing pregnant body. This is my key self-care time before I go into business owner momma mode, and the juggling of texts/social/emails/kids/lovely outings, and all that goes into the day. Needless to say, I’ve started to get very protective of this (unplugged), calm morning time, and find that it sets up the tone for the rest of the day and how I can bring my best self to the table–with a spirit of service and joy.
I always do my prayer and journaling for the day along with this (and affirmations/gratitude practice), and they flow together beautifully. For me, discovering a daily yoga practice is my way of giving thanks for my body, and LIVING gratitude for it with movement that is also calming, grounding and prayerful.
Ambrose loves doing his yoga poses alongside me for a few minutes, then he will often let his interest wander to his trucks, or his driveway toys, and he’s off and running. But those moments of connection, and on rainy mornings he’s bouncing around the yoga porch, and beautiful and meaningful for me, even as I feel his little brother stretching and kicking within me as we do a “happy baby” pose together or he climbs on my back when I’m in pigeon or down dog pose.
COMING SOON: Another More Complete Morning Routines Post (see my IG TV episode on it for starters, and to share your thoughts on ideal mornings–I’d LOVE your input)
Resources for Starting Out Doing YOGA With Your Kids
Some tips and resources:
*Find a good time of day that is a time when they maybe need a grounding experience, but also are calm enough to focus well. For some families, mornings might work well. I’m going to try to start a mini session with them before the rush for school.
Sometimes, at 5pm—our witching hour around here after school, is when we go out to our yoga porch together and I show them a pose or 2, nothing crazy, but bringing new things into their awareness is very fun for them.
*Grab these kids mats from GAIM yoga. I love the thickness and durability of their adult mats, and while the toddler size mats are a little thinner, they are excellent quality and fun designs. I have gotten the kids size mats and stayed away from the true toddler size, as they will outgrow those faster, but either way, your little one will love having their mat rolled up next to yours, or laid out ready for them at any moment.
*Pick the right environment, minimize distractions. In the dead of winter, the living room is the best spot, so we put the mats out there (once it’s tidied) and light candles or do something to help them focus in on it. In the summer, a yard or garden could lend itself to the right mood, and chances are kids will want to be outside with you, anyway.
*There are some great videos for yoga with kids, although I would also suggest keeping it flexible, my kids don’t always want to watch a video/focus their attention there when we’re already setting up the poses and having a good connection—I think it’s about reading into their needs and trying different things. I’ve had better success with cute yoga books for kids, that we can have with us and reference, pose by pose, for inspiration, but that isn’t taking their attention or causing a distraction.
Cosmic Kids Yoga is a great starting point if you want to use videos to gain confidence and get the little ones into a routine with it. I just encourage you to do yoga outside/in fresh air, and unplugged as much as possible, as it will change their experience of it (and yours) dramatically.
Here’s some of the books I recommend–can get at the library or on amazon.
Yoga Bear: simple animal poses (and related books in the series)
*For your adolescent, or teen, it might serve you well to do yoga for beginner videos with them, and let them gain confidence following someone else’ lead. A great resource, one that I personally use most often, is www.yogawithadriene.com…she has TONS of free yoga flows on you tube, for everything from 15 min morning flow, to hour long practices based on certain needs—like relaxation, anxiety, weight loss, low back pain, etc.
That’s it folks, enjoy this bonus content/reflections on how stretching and yoga fits in well with a balanced life (just one of my many tangents that my editor aka sister puts up with from me here:)—and what a gift to give that awareness to your kids early on in life.
Additionally, if you want to learn more about what we do with our other healthy kids practices, check out the snacks and recipes on the blog, and our tips for building a strong nutritional foundation for these little bodies and their many needs.
I’d love to hear: did this inspire you in your practice, or beginning yoga with kids? What are your stories and experiences from your own homes and families? I love the conversations that develop from this.
