Dear teachers, sometimes you may want to take a short kid’s yoga break, but your students may not have yoga mats with them. Dear dads, sometimes you might want to take a short kid’s yoga break with your child while you’re cooking in the kitchen and have fun. Dear moms, sometimes you might want to do kids yoga in the park with your child and their friends without having to take off your shoes. And dear kids yoga instructors, maybe you are writing your own kids yoga flow or story and these twenty-four kids yoga poses will be of great help to you. I hope it will be useful for everyone who wants to benefit. And a big thank you to my little girl…
Banana/Crescent Moon Pose:
Standing tall with hands on the sides, sweep the arms up overhead palms touching. Lean over to one side so that the biceps touch the ears.
Chair/Skiing/Witch Pose:
Stand with your feet together or hip-distance apart. Raising your arms above your head, bend your knees. Bring your thighs as parallel to the floor as they can get.
Climbing/Stairs Pose:
Standing tall, raise one leg slowly up and lift the opposite arm as if you are climbing up.
Elephant Pose:
Standing tall, take your feet wide apart. Reach one arm high to the sky like an elephant trunk, the other arm behind the back. Sway like an elephant swinging its trunk. Move it around as you wish.
Flamingo Pose:
Standing tall, lift one leg back towards your bottom grasping your foot. Lift your other arm up to the sky. Keep the chest out while maintaining the balance as a graceful flamingo.
Giraffe Pose:
Standing tall, we reach our hands up tall, making a long giraffe neck and start walking with your long giraffe legs.
“Hello Sun” Pose:
Stand with the feet hip distance apart. Lift your arms upwards and continue the movement doing a back bend.
House/Tent/Rocket/Cave Pose:
Open your legs wide but a comfortable distance apart. Lift your arms up over your head bringing your hands together.
Monster Pose:
Standing with the feet wide apart, bend your knees. Throw the arms out at shoulder level while bending the elbow and opening all the fingers to be faced in front. Lift your chest and open your shoulders.
Mountain Pose:
Stand with the feet together, big toes touching each other. Keep the stomach tucked in, chest forward, spine stretched up and the neck straight. Bring arms close to your body. Eyes can be open or closed. Focus on the breath and the steadiness of the body.
Parrot/Bird/Toucan Pose:
Open your legs wide. Come halfway up into a flat back. Lift your arms out at your side like wings floating up and down as you fly like a bird.
Penguin/Clown Pose:
Standing with your legs and heels together, arms to sides and palms facing down, now let’s walk and waddle side to side like a penguin.
Scarecrow Pose:
Stand with the feet together, big toes touching each other. Open the arms at shoulder level while standing with the spine stretched up. Bend your elbows into cactus, hands up, palms open and facing forward.
Standing Pelvic Circles:
Standing up, begin hip rotation with taking the hips from the front towards the right, then back, then to the left, making a full circle. Focus on the stretch at the lower back and the hips.
Star Pose:
Standing up, widen your feet placing them far away from each other. Lift the arms parallel to the floor. Extend the arms at shoulder level.
Storm/Tornado Pose:
Standing tall, extend your arms at shoulder level palms facing down. Sweep both hands to the left keeping the rest of the body facing front. Twist one way and then repeat on the other side, keeping your feet on the ground.
Tiptoe Pose:
Stand in Mountain Pose, pressing all the toes on the floor. Raise the body upwards balancing on all ten toes.
Tree Pose:
Standing tall, bend your right knee. Place your right foot on the inside of your left leg either above or below your knee joint. Bring your hands in front of your heart or you can lift your arms up to the sky.
Triangle Pose:
Standing up, step one foot forward and turn the back toes out to the side. Open your arms wide and look over the front extended arm. Bending gradually at the hips, bring your front hand towards the floor. Stretch your back arm up and look up at the raised arm. Open the chest ensuring the body is comfortable.
Warrior 1/Feeling Strong, Brave, Proud Pose:
Standing up, step one foot forward and bend into the front knee. Turning the back toes out, raise the arms above your head, palms to touch.
Warrior 2/Skateboard/Snowboard/Fighting Knight Pose:
Standing up, bring your feet wide apart placing them away from each other. Bend your front knee and bring your arms out to sides. Gaze over front fingertips.
Wearing Boots Pose:
Standing with feet together, bend one of your legs and hold the foot. Extend the leg out in front of you. Drop the head towards the knee and stay in balance.
Windmill Pose:
Standing up, open your legs wide. Come forward bending from the hips and bring the hands to rest on the floor in front of you. Twist from your body and raise one arm up as you press the other hand towards the ground. Look up towards your lifted hand.
Woodchopper/Digging Pose:
Standing up, bring your feet wide apart more than hip distance. Taking the arms behind you, interlace your fingers behind your back. Fold forward letting your arms drop over your head.