Oh boy could we all use a little zen right about now. Whether you’re still powering through the unique morass that is working from home while your kids are there, or you’re hitting the streets with said kids on the daily to protest systemic racism and police violence, or you’re dealing with the outbreak of the novel coronavirus in your family or community, or likely all of the above, one thing is for sure: June 2020 is a time in history when parents and kids alike are tired.
And while we wish we could help you combat this existential exhaustion by pressing a button to fix racism, defund the police, cure COVID-19, and hey, while we’re at it let’s fund universal childcare — unfortunately it ain’t that easy. We as parents must continue to fight the good fight as well as teaching our kids to do the same. A couple tools that can help energize us all for the important work ahead? Yoga and meditation.
Whether you’re a yoga newb yourself or a seasoned yogini looking for a way to intro the next gen to the practices of asana and meditation, the wealth of beautiful, mindful children’s books out there can provide a great inroads to the conversation about mindfulness for both parents and kids — and can even make the yogic practices a bit more fun.
As a 250-hour trained yoga teacher in vinyasa, prenatal, and yin practices, I have some Opinions when it comes to the yoga industry in the United States — especially how we present it to our children. By introducing modern American kids to yoga, are we appropriating an ancient practice that has largely become whitewashed and commercialized? Are we teaching them to glorify thin, bendy, predominantly white female bodies? These are all important questions to keep in mind when diving into yoga with your kids, and they’re all the more reason to prioritize yoga books that feature diverse kids (and, you know, diverse yoga animals, duh) of different shapes and sizes and skin colors. This collection ahead does a pretty bang-up job.
So grab a few of these books and share their stories, whether to begin a regular yoga practice with your child or just to reiterate to them that it’s okay to take a break, take a breath, and sit still. Yes, that goes for you, too, parents.
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‘Let’s Make Yoga Magic’
Image Credit: Amazon. Perhaps the most interactive yoga book ever made, this adorable edition lets kids pull switches and spin wheels as they learn the yoga poses from a cast of kid characters. Add the brilliant illustrations and we’d call this book magic indeed.
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‘Yoga Bug: Simple Poses for Little Ones’
Image Credit: Amazon. Nature’s creatures are pretty much always a great way to get kids into yoga poses. What toddler doesn’t want to bark like a dog in Downward Dog? This book, however, takes an even more interesting approach, pairing the poses with squirmy, crawly bugs. Littles will be in love as they copy caterpillars, grasshoppers and more.
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‘Good Night Yoga’
Image Credit: Amazon. “A pose-by-pose bedtime story”?! Frankly, this book is genius. Good Night Yoga tells kids a sweet tale of the whole world going to sleep — all while walking them through a gentle nighttime yoga flow.
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‘Good Morning Yoga’
Image Credit: Amazon. And, yep, you guessed it: There’s a wake-up version too! Rouse sleepy kids with these poses and stretches guaranteed to get them wide awake and ready for what the day brings.
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‘You Are a Lion!’
Image Credit: Amazon. My four-year-old’s personal favorite, this book has beautiful woodcut-like illustrations and invites kids to roar like a lion and meow like a cat. And, you know, rest quietly in savasana eventually.
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‘Breathe Like a Bear’
Image Credit: Amazon. This one is less focused on the yoga asanas or poses; it’s about pranayama, or the breath practice. Translation for kids? Breathing exercises to calm, center, and as my child says, “get the fuss out.” Who couldn’t use some of that?
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‘Yoga For Kids & Their Grown-Ups’
Image Credit: Amazon. This fun and interactive yoga book for kids includes seemingly endless (ok, 100+) activities you and kiddo can practice together to center yourselves. We love that it’s not marketed as “mommy and me” yoga — because dads can get their asana on, too!
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‘ABC Yoga’
Image Credit: Amazon. This one has kids and animals both, paired with fun yoga poses and vibrant illustrations reminiscent of Eric Carle’s caterpillar et al. The littlest yogis will have so much fun learning the alphabet and asanas alike.
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‘Meditate With Me’
Image Credit: Amazon. This book breaks down meditation for kids as young as four or five, with step-by-step instructions and suggestions to help them slow down and focus on their breath. And seeing as many of us parents are also at a 4-year-old “reading” level when it comes to meditation how-to, we appreciate this too!
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‘I Am Yoga’
Image Credit: Amazon. This beautiful book goes beyond just illustrating the poses (although it does that, too, wtih lovely watercolors); it teaches kids that yoga is all about unity, and that unity is inside us all. An apropos message for these trying times if we’ve ever heard one.
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‘Llamaste & Friends’
Image Credit: Amazon. You guys. Her name is Llamaste. She teaches Tiger and her other friends how to calm down in this “yoga story about being kind,” which clearly just took your toddler’s already-existent obsession with the Llama Llama books and ran with it. We’re totally okay with that.
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‘Listening With My Heart’
Image Credit: Amazon. We love this collab between Latina author Gabi Garcia and Malaysian illustrator Ying Hui Tan, in which a young girl named Esperanza learns to look inwards and listen. It’s also available in Spanish as Escuchando con mi Corazón.
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‘Listening to My Body’
Image Credit: Amazon. Another beautiful book by the same author-illustrator duo, Listening to My Body teaches kids not only to notice their emotions (ie listen to their heart); it also encourages them to name their feelings and understand the physical sensations that often arise alongside them. Basically, we need both tactics — and both books!
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‘Yoga for Children’
Image Credit: Amazon. More of a manual than the other books on this list, this book is mostly for the adults to read and share their learnings — and the 200+ fun poses — with the kids. It’s written by a registered yoga teacher with experience educating kids in the classroom, so get ready to apply her knowlege if you’re stuck resuming homeschooling this fall (gulp).
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