When Roland sees the tiny gift waiting for him under the tree on Christmas morning, he is unimpressed. Wishing and wishing for something bigger, he finds that his present does indeed grow and grow, until finally he finds a rocket and jets into space, looking for bigger and bigger things. It is only when Earth is reduced to a tiny speck, disappearing in the vastness of space, that Roland realizes sometimes tiny things can be precious indeed… Enjoy the story with nineteen kids’ yoga poses.
Roland was eager for Christmas Day. He raced downstairs to see what was waiting for him (Stair: Standing tall, raise one leg slowly up and lift the opposite arm as if you are climbing up.). At that time his parents and sister were sitting on the sofa (Chair: 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.).
But when he saw his present, he was not impressed. It was the smallest gift he had ever seen (Gift – Child’s Pose: Sitting on your heels, bend forward. Rest your forehead on the mat in front of you. Place your arms wherever you feel comfortable, they can be extended or down by your sides.). Had he waited the whole year for this tiny gift? Roland closed his eyes and hoped and wished as hard as he could for a bigger gift (Wish: Sitting tall and crossing your legs, bring your hands together in touch in front of your chest, in prayer position.). And when he opened his eyes, there was a bigger gift (Bigger Gift – Gift Box: From a seated position, bring the soles of your feet together. Fold forward, resting your hands on your feet. Your head should hang down toward your heels.)!
“You call that big?” Roland asked. He had been wishing for something much bigger. He closed his eyes and wished a little harder (Wish: Sitting tall and crossing your legs, bring your hands together in touch in front of your chest, in prayer position.). And a gift of his own size appeared before him (Mountain: 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.). “Ha! That one isn’t much bigger than me,” Roland said. “I want a bigger gift!” he shouted. “That’s not even as big as my house!” he yelled (House: Open your legs wide but a comfortable distance apart. Lift your arms up over your head bringing your hands together.).
Roland put on his boots and stomped off (Wearing Boots: 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.). Sure, there was a bigger gift for him – somewhere. In the distance, he saw a present wedged between two buildings (Mountain with Arms Up: Stand with the feet hip distance apart. Lift your arms upwards.). Roland thought that is pretty big. But still not big enough!
Roland was determined. So, he set off to search the universe (Warrior 3 Arms Out: Standing straight with your feet together, bend your upper body forward bringing it parallel to the floor. Balancing on your right leg, raise your left leg and stretch it behind you. Extend the arms out at shoulder level.). He searched and searched, but all he could see were billions of stars (Star: 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.). He peered into his telescope (Standing Half Forward Bend: Standing nice and tall, come halfway up into a flat back.). He could just make out a tiny dot in the distance. Earth (Planet – Goddess: Standing with your legs wide, bend your knees and squat down. Bring your arms out like a cactus, opening all the fingers to be faced in front.)! His home, his family… now just a speck, growing smaller and smaller. Roland realized that he was very, very, very far from home and that if he waited a heartbeat longer, that little dot would disappear. He never thought he’d want something so small so badly (Cosmic Egg: Sitting on the floor, bend your knees. Placing the feet close to you, hug your knees to your chest. When you are ready, lift your feet off the ground balancing on the sitting bones.).
He closed his eyes and hoped and wished with all his might for that tiny speck – the smallest gift (Wish: Sitting tall and crossing your legs, bring your hands together in touch in front of your chest, in prayer position.). As the rocket headed toward it, the dot grew bigger and bigger (Warrior 3 Arms Out: Standing straight with your feet together, bend your upper body forward bringing it parallel to the floor. Balancing on your right leg, raise your left leg and stretch it behind you. Extend the arms out at shoulder level.). As his rocket landed gently (Standing Forward Bend: Standing tall, bend forward at the hips. Take the upper body downwards bringing it close to the legs.), he realized that the smallest speck was his biggest gift. Roland was home (House: Open your legs wide but a comfortable distance apart. Lift your arms up over your head bringing your hands together.).
Relaxation:
When Roland sees the tiny gift waiting for him under the tree on Christmas morning, he is unimpressed. Wishing and wishing for something bigger, he finds that his present does indeed grow and grow, until finally he finds a rocket and jets into space, looking for bigger and bigger things. It is only when Earth is reduced to a tiny speck, disappearing in the vastness of space, that Roland realizes sometimes tiny things can be precious indeed…
He learns that more isn’t always better and rediscovers the magic of home, as well as the value of family. Good things may come in small packages. The people in our lives can be the greatest gift of all. And then he feels grateful.
Gratitude means being thankful for what you have in your life. You do not have to be grateful for material things. In fact, you can be grateful for your breath, for people in your life who loves you. Now I want you to think about three things you are grateful for. Put your attention on your heart and say to yourself “I am grateful for…”
When you feel ready, you can slowly start to move your fingers and toes. Pulling your knees to your chest, give them a big hug. Rolling over to one side, lift up to a comfortable sitting position. Bring your hands together in front of your chest. Thank you for doing yoga with me today. Namaste!