Yoga comes in a variety of forms and is often associated with quiet contemplation. Moving the body into stillness through a series of yoga asanas is a way to achieve a strong and flexible body whilst also calming the mind. However, this being said…! Yoga with your baby or toddler is a different experience altogether!
Suitable for mothers with babies over 3 months. If you have had difficulties with the hips and pelvis during pregnancy, take this pose nice and slowly, only opening out the hip when you feel ready. Pull in the pelvic floor muscles during the pose. The foot can be placed anywhere on the balancing leg. Bare feet is a must for this pose so you can both feel grounded to the floor and not slide down the supporting leg!
Todders especially are big fans of this pose and you can encourage them to lift the leg and raise their arms. I guess you could call this the Sapling Pose!
*If you have difficulty balancing to begin with, work near a wall so you feel secure.
Start in a balanced standing pose, feet together, spine lifting with tummy held a little in. Lift one leg (use the hand to place the leg) and regain your centre. Try not to let the hip push out to the side, making the body crooked and keep the body facing forwards. The knee and hip should be opening. If you can balance, place the hands together in forward prayer position. Check the body is tight and breathing is even. Focus the eyes ahead of you or around 45 degrees down towards the ground. Then if you are strong in the pose, lift the arms. You can take various arm positions in tree pose, lift the arms as high as they will go and reach tall through the middle finger or keep the elbows bent and pulling back a little. Alternatively, you can open the arms to a parallel position and open the fingers. Experiment with what feels good for you.
Tree is one of my favourite poses and I often visualise the body as the tree according to yoga philosophy, with the legs being the roots of the tree, grounded and sturdy and the upper body being the trunck and the branches, reaching up towards the sun.
REASONS TO DO TREE POSE/VRKSASANA:
Improves balance, strenghtens and tones thighs, lengthens the spine and improves flexibility in the knees and hips. Also improves concentration.
This week Heidi is my special guest for the second time. She has increasingly been joining me in my daily practice and enjoys yoga so much. Thus I thought it would be a nice idea to look at yoga for toddlers where mum can either join in or simply encourage your little bag of energy to stretch and explore what he or she can do. Little bodies ache when they grow and get tired after all that running around and yoga is great practiced at a time when your toddler can focus, after a play session or before bedtime (this should also help quieten your child and get them in a relaxed state for sleep). You can start todder yoga as soon as you feel your toddler wants to. If you let them watch you practice the likelihood is they will join in without being asked and of course is you have a yoga baby like Miller who has been brought up with yoga from the early days, they will see it as part of their routine. If yours are anything like Miller and Heidi they will get in the mood as soon as they see the yoga mat being rolled out!
Miller takes a break as big sister Heidi steps in to do some toddler yoga.
Jill & Miller x
