Yoga for You and Your Child: The Step-By-Step Guide to Enjoying Yoga with Children of All Ages

293 Pages·2016·8.07 MB·English

by  Mark Singleton

YOGA FOR YOU & YOUR CHILD
YOGA FOR YOU & YOUR CHILD
THE STEP-BY-STEP GUIDE TO ENJOYING
YOGA WITH CHILDREN OF ALL AGES
MARK SINGLETON

“You are the infinite ocean,
In whom all the things of the world
Rise and fall like waves.
Oh child,
There is nothing to gain,
Nothing to lose,
You are already pure awareness.”
Ashtavakra Gita, 15:11–12
contents
foreword by tara fraser
introduction
how to use this book
chapter 1: young, open, growing, aware
growing up fit and strong
building confidence and focus
your inner yoga space
getting started
chapter 2: waking up and warming up
checking in
expressing emotion
shavasana sandwich
rocking the boat and dead bug
rolling twist
dynamic easy bridge
rocking chair
shaking it up
tiptoe tree and windy tree
helicopter
puppet
the growing seed
greeting the sun
the full sequence
chapter 3: posture building blocks
mountain
tree
triangle
half moon
arrow
warrior
sitting sandwich
half butterfly
sailing boat
camel
rocket
topsy-turvy pose
chapter 4: animal magic
albatross
cockerel
pigeon king
eagle
lion
kicking mule
mouse
cat
snake
mosquito
little butterfly
big butterfly
spider
chapter 5: activities, journeys and games
sorting the rice
stirring the porridge
chopping the wood
cradling the baby
rowing the boat
cycling
building a bridge
walking the dog
toad walking
crow walking
bunny hops
knee walking
swamp monster
crab walking
swimming
mirror, mirror on the wall
asana tag
stick in the web
whodunnit yoga
asana obstacle race
chapter 6: journeying inward
what is pranayama?
pranayama exercises
what is meditation?
meditation exercises
the sleeping yogi
chapter 7: putting it all together
wake me up
calm me down
pick me up
a day in the life …
chapter 8: yogis at school
learning with confidence
the gift of attention
exams the yoga way
conclusion
bibliography and further reading
index
acknowledgments
foreword
As a small child I went to yoga classes with my mother. We did huge backbends and wobbly
handstands; we also roared like lions, hissed like snakes and hummed like bees! There was no
performance or competition in these classes, they were just fun. Although I wasn’t conscious of it,
we were encouraged to be open to the present rather than to strive for a “goal”. There was no
comparison with others in the class, you just did your own thing.
It was my good fortune that these early experiences of yoga were so positive. I was a deeply
unsporty child and this could have resulted in my avoiding any kind of physical activity at all. I
loved yoga, though – it gave me a sense of joy in physical being and an appreciation of the power
of mental focus without the competitive pressure of team games. The simple practices I learned
as a child have stood me in good stead in later life.
My son Milo, now aged four and showing signs of being very sporty, also enjoys yoga. When we
practise together, he likes to “correct” me (you can see him doing this on page 31) and he loves
animal poses. Despite the fact that I am a yoga teacher, our sessions often end chaotically, with
us both rolling on the floor in fits of giggles. We are no more a perfect TV-advertising-style “yoga
family” than anyone else! You and your child can do yoga just as well. It can happen right now in
your living room, even if you haven’t vacuumed the carpet. Just clear a space in the toys and
begin!
Yoga provides a special time for both of you – the benefits are not all one way. So often children
can remind us to just play and not to try to “learn” or “progress” through conscious effort. Many
parents would love to do yoga with their children but are worried about getting it “right”. You could
not have a better guide than Mark Singleton, an unusually accomplished yoga practitioner and a
patient, intuitive teacher. This book is a really comprehensive guide to practising yoga safely and
creatively with a child of any age from toddler to teenager. It includes all the essential dos and
don’ts, traditional postures that you will recognize from your own yoga classes as well as lots of
imaginative new ideas to encourage exploration and experimentation. Mark’s good-humoured and
playful teaching style comes across on every page. The gentle and generous quality of his
teaching is abundantly clear in his writing.
It is always a challenge for yoga teachers successfully to integrate the philosophical concepts of
yoga with the practice of postures and breathing exercises. Perhaps the greatest strength of this
book is the seamless melding of philosophy with physical practice. The simple practices shown in
this book can form a rock solid foundation from which a child can face the inevitable ups and
downs of life. And, at the very least, you will have hours of fun roaring like a lion, hissing like a
snake and humming like a bee!