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Yoga for Kids
Susan Helene Kramer
Translations
Dutch | French | German | Greek | Spanish
Books or EBooks:
Yoga for All Kids
Meditation
for All Kids, Meditation and
Spirituality for Teens
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'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'
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Contents |
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
- Presented
are 15 poses that stretch and strengthen while promoting balance,
coordination, the ability to concentrate and an increase in vitality
through energetic practice.
- 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.
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1. The Leaf |
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.
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2. The Flower |
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.
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3. The Cricket |
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.
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4. The Owl |
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.
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5. The Bird |
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.
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6. The Squirrel |
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.
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7. The Chipmunk |
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.
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8. The Rocker |
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.
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9. The Seal |
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.
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10. Salutation Pose |
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.
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11. Snake Pose |
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.
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12. The Turtle |
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.
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13. The Starfish |
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.
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14. Cat Stretch |
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.
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15. The Swing |
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
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1. Sitting Meditation |
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.
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2. Walking Meditation |
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.
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3. Lying Down Meditation |
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
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1. Caring |
14. Loyalty
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Susan Kramer is an international author of more than 50 books
and thousands of articles on rhythmic movement, modern dance, ballet, music,
philosophy, social issues, relationships, yoga, meditation, and practical
spirituality for children, teens, adults and those challenged, and with her
husband, Stan Schaap, lives by the North Sea in
Holland.
Home
page http://www.susankramer.com
Email susan@susankramer.com
Dance for Children http://www.susankramer.com/dance.html
site map
Text
and Illustrations copyright 2000-2016 Susan Helene Kramer
Santa Barbara, California USA
Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Published by Creations
in Consciousness
susan@susankramer.com
Link to more translations
Yoga for Teens and Adults
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 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. The Path by J. Donald Walters, Swami Kriyananda; book online
http://crystalclarity.com/kriyananda/
5. Sri Ramana Maharshi; teachings online
http://www.ramana-maharshi.org
6. His Holiness The 14th Dalai Lama; writings
online
http://www.dalailama.com/teachings
7. Swami Ramananda; links to writings
http://www.susankramer.com/ramananda.html
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first published 2000 | updated August 30, 2016 | webmaster |