Sunshine Kids: Travel Around California with Kids Yoga

Join the Sunshine Kids California Blog Hop (information below) and travel around California through books, crafts, and other fun activities. Our way to travel around California is through kids yoga, which is a great way to learn something new through movement and having fun.

Kids yoga inspired by the flora and fauna of California

We went on a mammoth RV road trip last year around the SouthWest of the USA. Three “5 for 5: Five kids yoga sequences in five minutes” inspired by our trip :

5 for 5: Yosemite, California

Half Dome – Mountain Pose

Giant Sequoia – Tree Pose

Peregrine Falcon – Warrior 3

Spotted Bat – Standing Forward Bend

Black Bear – Downward-Facing Dog Pose

Scorpion – Dancer’s Pose

Red-Tailed Hawk – Warrior 3 Pose

Joshua Tree – Tree Pose

Desert Horned Lizard – Plank Pose

Rattlesnake – Cobra Pose

5 for 5: Big Sur, California

Gray Squirrel – Squat Pose

Skunk – Downward-Facing Dog Pose

Alligator Lizard – Plank Pose

Ringtail Cat – Cat Pose

Mouse – Child’s Pose

For pictures of the yoga poses and descriptions, see List of Kids Yoga Poses.

Kids yoga with a book on California

We discovered this book, Our California by Pam Munoz Ryan, while visiting the Warming Hut gift shop next to the Golden Gate Bridge. Beautiful rhyming text and bright, colorful illustrations. A real gem and a fabulous way to introduce children to the wonders of California. A kids yoga sequence inspired by the book:

Our California

A Surfer in San Diego – Warrior 2 Pose
(From standing position, step one foot back, placing the foot so that it is facing slightly outwards. Take your arms up in parallel to the ground, bend your front knee, and look forward.)

A Whale in Channel Islands – Whale Pose
(Lay flat on your tummy, lift up your head and shoulders, bend your knees, and reach your arms towards your feet.)

A Sea Lion in Monterey Bay – Upward-Facing Dog Pose or Cobra Pose
(Lie on your tummy, lift head and shoulders off ground, place palms flat next to your shoulders, straighten your arms, and lift your upper body keeping your chest open)

Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco – Bridge Pose
(Lie on your back, with your knees bent, feet flat on the floor, and lift your buttocks in the air keeping your chest open)

Half Dome in Yosemite – Mountain Pose
(Stand tall with legs hip-width apart, feet facing forward, and straighten your arms alongside your body)

A Fox in Death Valley – Kneeling
(Come to kneeling on your knees, and look up to the moon)

A Swim in the Pool in Palm Springs – Locust Pose
(Lie on your tummy, and swim with your arms and legs)

A Pony Express in Sacramento – Horse Stance
(Stand tall with your legs wide apart, your feet facing slightly outwards, and bend your knees in a firm stance)

A Fruit Tree in Great Central Valley – Tree Pose
(Stand on one leg, bend your knee, place the sole of your foot on your inner thigh, and balance.)

For more info:

Pictures of Kids Yoga Poses and Descriptions

Benefits of Yoga and Storytelling

More Kids Yoga Sequences

Interested in more ways to integrate yoga into your child’s learning? Sign up for the weekly Kids Yoga Newsletter for articles, kids yoga sequences, resources, and kids yoga book updates. Simply add your name and email address to the box at the top of the page!

The Sunshine Kids California Blog Hop celebrates all that is wonderful about raising kids in the Golden State.