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Yoga for all Kids
Susan Kramer
Text and Illustrations copyright 2000-2007 Susan Kramer
Santa Barbara, California
USA
Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Published by Creations
in Consciousness
susan@susankramer.com
Link
to child series index
Link to
more translations
Radiant
Yoga for Teens and Adults
Translations
Dutch
| French | German
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Books by Susan Kramer
Yoga for all Kids, Meditation for all Kids, Meditation for Teens and Adults
***
'Here are hints
that teach and show
How in life we
all should go
Whether we're
young or very old
Yoga's lessons
can be told'
Moving
Poses
15 Poses; moving one
to the next in sequence
Meditations
3 Meditations: Sitting;
Walking; Lying Down
Yoga
Dictionary
40 Definitions of Happiness
Virtues
25 Essays
Links
Stretching, bending, moving, resting
Child's play
Learning their way
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Presented are 15 poses that stretch and strengthen
while promoting balance, coordination, the ability to concentrate and an
increase in vitality through energetic practice.
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The axial movements (moves with the body in
place) include forward bending, backward bending, twisting and sitting
erect, all of which should be done gently without straining.
-
Practiced in order, each one leads smoothly
into the next.
-
All poses and meditations can be done on carpet.
Alternately, practice outdoors on a grassy spot on a blanket or mat. It
is best to exercise before, rather than right after eating.
-
Breathe in to begin the pose, and breathe out
to finish the pose. In between, breathe evenly.
-
Children should remain quiet during practice
to maintain personal concentration.
Note:
Yoga practices are non-competitive.
Each person begins at their current level
of fitness and ability,
and progresses at their own rate.
This makes these gentle yoga poses and exercises,
with adaptations as needed,
appropriate for those challenged.
A note about the illustrations:
The faint vertical line
shows the approximate center of balance.
1. The
Leaf; beginning position with straight spine and then with gently rounded
spine.
Sit with spine straight, soles of feet together,
hands on ankles.
Gently round spine and then return to sitting
straight.
Repeat several times.
Sit with spine straight, soles of feet together,
hands on ankles.
Gently round spine and then return to sitting
straight.
Repeat several times.
2. The
Flower; make little bounces with knees toward floor.
Sit with spine straight, soles of feet together,
hands on ankles.
Gently bounce knees toward floor 10 to 20
times.
3. The
Cricket; head leaning.
Sit with spine straight, soles of feet together,
or sit cross-legged, hands on ankles.
Head and eyes look forward, then up, then
forward.
Next, lean right ear to right shoulder.
Straighten head and lean left ear to left
shoulder, then straighten head.
Repeat several times.
4. The
Owl; head turning.
Sit cross-legged, hands at sides, palms on
floor.
Turn head to look to one side over shoulder,
then over the other shoulder.
If sitting on a firm enough surface,
spin body around once using hands to help
propel spin.
Repeat several times.
5. The
Bird; hands clasped behind back, looking up, shoulder blades pulled together.
Sit with spine straight, soles of feet together.
Clasp hands behind lower back
and pull shoulder blades together slowly,
head tilted back, eyes looking up.
Hold, then release, relaxing shoulders,
back, body.
Head bent forward.
Repeat several times.
6. The
Squirrel; alternately stretch arms to ceiling, then one side and the other.
Sit cross-legged, spine straight.
Raise both arms overhead and stretch one
at a time slowly
towards the ceiling, looking up.
Then stretch arms to side,
making forward and backward arm circles,
large and small, looking forward.
7. The
Chipmunk; keep twists mostly above waist, shoulders remain relaxed.
Sit cross-legged with arms out to sides.
Gently and slowly twist upper body from
side to side.
Head looks at back arm.
Come back to center position.
Now, stretch arms overhead.
Bend to side one way, then the other.
Front of body and eyes remain looking forward.
Repeat several times.
8. The
Rocker; rock gently side to side, but not so far as to fall over.
Sit cross-legged with hands placed on floor
at sides of body.
Later place hands on tops of shoulders.
Proceed to rock so balance transfers side
to side
or forward and backward.
Back remains relaxed.
Child should not rock so far as to fall
over.
9. The
Seal; gentle stretch with body turned toward one leg,
then
the other, then forward; alternate pointing and flexing feet as in illustration.
Sit with legs stretched wide apart, spine
straight.
Turn body to face one leg.
Reach down to hold onto leg with both hands
and gently lean towards the leg.
Hold for 4 slow counts.
Repeat to other leg.
Next, sit up facing forward, hold onto both
legs,
round back, and gently lean forward between
legs,
while looking toward the floor.
Next, sit straight and place palms of hands
on floor alongside body for support.
Point and flex feet and ankles in unison,
then try to point one foot while flexing
the other foot.
Repeat rhythmically.
10.
Salutation Pose; press palms together, back straight.
Sit with legs apart, spine straight.
Legs are stretched but not tightened, toes
pointed.
Press palms of hands together salutation
fashion.
Lower arms should be parallel with the floor.
Release tension; press again,
Extend hands and arms upward then outward
to the side.
Stretch arms up again.
Bring hands back to prayer position.
Relax and repeat several times.
11.
Snake Pose position.
Lie on back, legs touching, knees bent,
bottom of feet on floor, arms along side
of body on floor.
Lower spine below waist presses to floor,
upper back is relaxed.
Breathe in lung area.
Contract abdominal muscles, hold counts
1, 2, 3.
Relax and repeat.
12.
The Turtle position of legs half lowered, arms overhead.
Lie on back, legs touching, knees flexed
up toward the chest,
arms resting on floor above head.
Keeping lower back pressed to floor throughout
extend legs towards sky while pointing toes,
knees stretched.
Lower legs as far as possible without releasing
back from floor.
Raise legs, flex in and repeat.
13.
The Starfish; lift alternate arm and leg.
Lie on back, arms and legs comfortably stretched.
Raise one arm at a time toward ceiling and
lower.
Next, lift one leg at a time toward ceiling.
Later, try lifting one arm and the opposite
leg at the same time.
14.
Cat Stretch; kneeling with rounded spine.
On hands and knees, let back slope toward
floor.
Eyes look forward and slightly up.
Change position by rounding spine,
contracting abdominal and stomach muscles
and looking down to front of thighs.
Repeat several times.
15.
The Swing; upper body and arms stretch gently side to side while standing
balanced.
Part I. For flexibility:
Stand with legs slightly apart.
Stretch arms overhead and let body and arms
bend forward,
knees bend slightly, and then come back
upright.
With arms still stretched overhead bend
to one side,
straighten up, then bend to the other side
and come back up,
lower arms to sides.
Part II. For energizing
the body:
Stand up straight and stretch arms to side
making a fist with each hand.
Hold arms and hands tight counts 1,2,
and release fists and relax counts 3,4.
Repeat once.
Relax arms and bring them down to sides.
Repeat Part I.
and Part II. rhythmically several times.
Now it is time
to go on to one of the following meditations…
Quiet Time
Feeling Fine
2 to 10 minutes
Sit cross-legged, with straight back as in
The
Leaf pose, and face forward. Clasp your hands and let them rest in
your lap. Close your eyes.
Breathe easily and evenly, in and out. Silently
count each breath in as one count, and each breath out as one count, till
50 counts, or another even number.
Example:
Count 1: breathe in
Count 2: breathe out
Count 3: breathe in
Continue…
To finish, take a final deep breath in, slowly
let it out, open your eyes, stand up, and stretch.
At least 2 minutes
This meditation has
2 parts that combine to energize the body and coordinate mind-body (thinking-moving)
functioning:
1. Even breathing.
2. Walking
with arms and legs in opposition.
Walk briskly while
swinging arms easily back and forth. When the left foot steps forward,
the right arm swings forward. And, when the right foot steps forward the
left arm swings forward.
While walking concentrate
on breathing evenly in and out. This practice develops and teaches about
concentration.
Example:
Count 1: breathe in
Count 2: breathe out
Count 3: breathe in
Continue…
To finish, stretch arms overhead; bring arms
down to sides; resume other activities.
2 to 10 minutes
Lying on a piece of carpet, stretch out on
your back as in the pose The Starfish. Close your eyes, let
your body go limp as a starfish laying on a rock.
Lying so still and relaxed, keeping your
eyes closed, visualize walking onto a playground on a warm sunny day.
In your mind, just feel yourself standing
still for a moment looking around, then seeing a child on a swing going
back and forth in a regular rhythm, over and over again.
Enjoy the relaxed feeling in your own body
that is lying so limply and undisturbed. Feel whole and comfortable in
your resting body.
After some time, begin to come back to your
everyday active self by taking a deep breathe, opening your eyes, stretching
out your arms and legs, sitting up.
Good actions
Good reactions
Hints
for Happiness
1. Acceptance—Being
gracious when the outcome is different than expected.
2. Affirmation—Making
firm.
3. Appreciation—Feeling
thankful; saying thank you.
4. Attitude—Attitude
influences our thoughts, words, actions.
5. Blame—Blame
delays constructive action.
6. Body—Aligned
with harmony and love; boundaries unlimited.
7. Caring—When
we help out, we feel useful, we feel good.
8. Choice—Choices
result in like for like outcomes.
9. Clarity—As
we think clearly, the clearer our thinking becomes.
10. Compassion—Listening
carefully then acting in a way that is helpful.
11. Congruency—Acting
as we say we will; accurately describing our actions.
12. Conscience—Our
inner guidance system.
13. Consciousness—Awareness
that grows by Self awareness.
14. Devotion—Doing
what we say we will do, with a good attitude.
15. Discernment—Determining
what resolve is for the best.
16. Duty—Doing
what is required.
17. Empathy—Feeling
another's pain and acting as we would for ourselves.
18. Energy—The
force that flows through us.
19. Faith—Knowing
that right effort brings good results.
20. Friendship—To
have a friend, be friendly.
21. Integrity—Living
in our highest awareness of truth.
22. Intuition—Inside
information brought out.
23. Kindness—Acting
kind, we feel fine.
24. Love—Felt
by loving.
25. Loving—Truly
loving means giving from our heart.
26. Loyalty—Keeping
a commitment when circumstances change.
27. Meditation—The
medication healing ignorance of our joyful nature.
28. Oneness—Ever
one of the parts, Part of the One.
29. Patience—We
maintain our peace by practicing patience.
30. Prayer—Communication
back and forth with our Source.
31. Relationships—Enjoy
possessions; Love relationships.
32. Self-knowledge—Self-knowledge
allows truthful, harmonious living.
33. Sensitivity—Listening
and relating carefully.
34. Serenity—A
calm interior, even with a busy exterior.
35. Sharing—Giving
our best where there is need.
36. Time—We
make time for what we really want to do.
37. Tolerance—Tolerating
differences enriches life experiences.
38. Will Power—Concentrating,
while taking the time and energy to achieve a goal.
39. Wisdom—Applied
discrimination.
40. World Peace—Personal
peace multiplied.
Click link to read more on 25 Virtues
1.
Caring
2. Citizenship
3. Compassion
4. Consideration
5. Contentment
6. Courage
7. Fairness
8. Faith and Trust
9. Friendship
10. Honesty
11. Integrity
12. Kindness
13. Love |
14. Loyalty
15. Manners
16. Peacefulness
17. Respect
18. Responsibility
19. Selfish or Selfless?
20. Steadfastness and Perserverance
21. Tenderness
22. Tolerance
23. Transformation
24. Trustworthiness
25. Truth |
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Susan Kramer, M.A., Ph.D. is an international
author of more than 50 collections and 150 articles on rhythmic movement,
modern dance, ballet, music, philosophy, social issues, relationships,
yoga and practical spirituality for children, teens, adults and those challenged,
and with her husband, Stan Schaap- http://www.powertoshare.com
resides in Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Links to translations and related collections
by Susan Kramer
Looking for a yoga teacher?
Recommended: Directory
of Integral Yoga Teachers Worldwide
Links to others' sites for older children,
teens, adults
1. Autobiography
of a Yogi by Paramahansa Yogananda; book
online
http://www.crystalclarity.com/yogananda/
2. Master Sivananda
of Rishikesh; books online
http://www.SivanandaDlshq.org/download/download.htm
3. Satchidananda Ashram;
classes
and programs
http://yogaville.org
4. Self Realization
Fellowship;
programs
http://www.yogananda-srf.org/index.html
5. The Path
by J. Donald Walters, Swami Kriyananda; book
online
http://crystalclarity.com/kriyananda/
6. Sri Ramana Maharshi;
books
online
http://www.ramana-maharshi.org/written.htm
7. Sri Ramakrishna;
Sri Sarada Devi; Swami Vivekananda; lives
and sayings
http://sriramakrishna.org/rksay.htm
8. His Holiness The
14th Dalai Lama; writings online
http://www.tibet.com/DL/
9. Abundant Well-Being;
teachings,
workshops with Nischala Joy Devi and Bhaskar Alan Deva
http://www.abundantwellbeing.com/index.html
10. Swami Ramananda;
links
to writings
http://www.susankramer.com/ramananda.html
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page first published 2000 | updated
August 9, 2003 with link to essays on 25 virtues | webmaster
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