Let’s talk about Yoga

Let’s talk about yoga.

Yoga is a set of principles and practices from Ancient India. The “asana” or “postures” you tend to see or think of when you hear the word Yoga is actually one of 8 limbs that make up the practice. Yoga poses are only a small piece of the pie.

For me, yoga is a practice that helps me connect to myself, others and the world around me. The word Yoga in Sanskrit translates to “to yoke” which essentially means to “to unify”. We can think of yoga as a way to unify the many parts of ourselves, breath, body imagination. We can also think of yoga as a way to unify with ALL of the people and great nature. It’s a way to connect the personal life to universal life, or better yet, to participate in that connection. 

Take a look at #kidsyoga on Instagram and you'll see that some of the most popular photos are of hyperflexible children. Some are photos of actual contortionists creating shapes with their bodies that are not only inaccessible to most people, but aren’t even actual yoga poses. This is not yoga. I’m hoping that we can end the narrative that says it is. To reduce yoga to extreme stretching and contortionist tricks is to strip yoga of its true essence and to miss what it’s all about. Yoga is inherently spiritual and a way of life.

You can teach a child how to do a downward facing dog, cat cow, and all the other animal named poses you want. At the end of the day, if you’re not teaching children to connect with their internal experience, you’re not teaching yoga.

Regulating ourselves as caregivers is an essential part of teaching yoga to our kids. Teaching our children how to say no and set boundaries is an essential part of teaching yoga to our kids. Teaching our children that their emotions are valid, is an essential part of teaching yoga to our kids. Teaching our children about racism and privilege is an essential part of teaching yoga to our kids. Teaching our children that yoga comes from ancient India and is inherently a spiritual practice, is an essential part of teaching yoga to our kids.

The poses help connect kids to their body and their breath. Yoga poses are absolutely useful for helping kids to empower themselves, soothe themselves, play and find joy. 

And, postures that aren’t rooted in a deeper exploration of the principles and theory are missing what yoga is all about. 

Does the way you communicate with your children reflect the principles of yoga that you want your family to uphold? Our voice is our opportunity to practice what we preach. 

All in all: mindfulness and social emotional learning are essential to a yoga practice. For me, yoga is mindfulness in action. Practice doesn’t make perfect. Practice makes more practice.