The warm weather and possibilities of summer offer great incentive to enjoy the outdoors and breath. What follows are entertaining yoga poses inspired by the season, as well as insight for a super food to boost your munchkin’s and your own immune system.
For me, summertime calls to mind the beach, water and fresh air. Likewise, let’s take a yoga journey to the beach.
Ocean Breath
When traveling to the beach, encourage your children’s involvement in a few decisions. Perhaps allow them to choose three toys to take or activities to try to support with self-regulation and manage expectations upon arriving surfside. Then when you get to the beach, lead your family in doing an ocean breath to bring calmness to everyone and help kids transition to the shoreline. Lead the ocean breath by asking the gang to breathe deeply by inhaling through the nose and exhaling through the mouth. It’s just like fogging up a mirror. For the second breath, ask them to exhale with their mouths closed. Do this a handful of times to calm the breath. To facilitate the process, tell everyone to breathe in sync with the sounds of the ocean. When the water comes inland, everyone inhales; when the waves go off to the shore, everyone exhales. As the exercise gets your family harmonized with the environment, it dually provides reassurance. Children are reassured in hearing the ocean through the echoing sounds of the ocean and consequently feel centered at the beach. As an aside, while this a technique known as Ujjayi breathing, or a way to maintain an even and smooth breath, your kids might appreciate the other names for the technique: ocean and Darth Fader breath!
Critters on the Beach
With an abundance to choose from, beach critters are an appealing way to assist with core strengthening. Just use your imagination to turn the critters your family sees into yoga poses. Round up everyone to look for critters and the like, such as shells, clams and crabs. For a shell pose, have children sit with their feet together. In this position, they touch their toes to their noses and then peek up. Next act like clams by folding over to lend a nice stretch to the back and enhance the core when lifting again. If kids want to get adventurous, have them do the crab pose by walking with their bellies in the air and hands and feet turned to the side on the sand as crabs would. Ask children to take three steps in each direction. And maybe sing a song like “Under the Sea” while you revel in the moment with them.
Row, Row, Row
Often beautiful boats appear in the ocean. Fittingly, boat pose is wonderful for fostering core strength. Have children lift one leg at a time with their bottoms on the ground and their backs elevated as they pretend to row with imaginary ores. Sing a rowing song like “Row, Row, Row Your Boat” as the kids continue to lift one leg at a time and row. This allows the brain to prepare for both legs to be lifted. Then at the end of the song, ask them to raise both legs for five seconds. Along with assisting core strength, the activity supports a strong immune system because 80 percent of the immune system is in the gut. Next time, encourage kids to lift both legs simultaneously, and maybe get siblings involved by touching the rowers’ feet as everyone rows intermittently. If you have an infant, put the tot on your lap and row with him or her. It’s all about getting the entire family together and enjoying the pose.
SUPER FUN FOOD
Our super fun food for the summer is pineapple! Filled with vitamins and minerals, this citrus fruit aids with hydration. As it’s naturally sweet, pineapple is delicious mixed in a smoothie with some banana and coconut water. If you have a juicer, mix pineapple slices with a little celery and carrots. Your child will know that those amazing veggies are in there. The drink is great for getting the vegetables in their system and helping to build a strong gut.
About the author-
Kami Evans – ERYT – 200hr, Children RYT and Holistic Health Coach
ELAHI-HOLISTIC : YOGA & FOOD
It’s where Ommm meets Yummm
Check out upcoming workshops and trainings with KAIAYOGA in Westport CT
