By now we all know Yoga has been proven to have mental health benefits. More specifically, according to Psychology Today, Yoga increases body awareness, relieves stress, reduces muscle tension, strain, and inflammation, sharpens attention and concentration, and calms and centers the nervous system. I dabbled in it pre-baby but once motherhood began there was no more room for dabbling.
Anyhow, fast forward 18 months later, Maddi and I moved to Atlanta. When we moved to Atlanta we knew a handful of people all who lived rather far away from us. As a result, I searched the web day in and day out for things to do. Well, one day Madison and I ended up going to (free) Yoga in the Part at Atlantic Station. I would’ve love to go alone but with no sitter, I had no choice. Well I did but I’d rather go with her than to stay home with “nothing to do”.
The first week it was tough as she was busy and disinterested in “being still” lol. Of course I received unpleasant glances from other yoga participants, but I just gave them the “I’m sorry” shrug and asked her to quiet down. As time went on, we continued going to the sessions (when my scheduled allowed). Madison would play nearby on her mat with toys stopping occasionally to try a pose.
Naturally, over the past year, I’ve been practicing yoga more and more with my clients. A couple of weeks ago, I thought why not do the same with Maddi. So we’ve been indulging in the ABCs of Yoga (the poses are of animals/objects young children can relate to). I absolutely love it. Although it’s not easy to keep her attention, we do it in small increments of about 15 minutes and her attention span has been increasing.
Benefits of doing Yoga with your little ones:
- Spending quality time with them
- Making Memories
- Teaching invaluable coping skills
- Exposing them to regular exercise
- Being mentally and physically healthier
Soooooooo we are sharing our experience and encouraging you to do the same with your little one(s). Grab your mats or towels and practice some basic poses like these:
A is for airplane – lay flat on your tummy with your arms out and chest up (away from the ground)
B is for butterfly – sit on your bottom with your legs bent and the bottoms of your feet touching.
C is for cat – on all fours with your back arched. (Flat back is cow) — clearly by the time we got to C she was over it lol.
Have you practiced yoga with your little one? If so, how was it?
Comment below and tag us in your pictures using #CHParentSquad.
Ash & Maddi
Love this! Thanks for sharing
My younger sister is a self-proclaimed “yogi” lol and introduced True to it. She seems to really enjoy it (moreso now gang her attention span is longer) but this article made me want to do it myself with her because I love all the mommy and me moments I can get!