Yoga for Everyone: Meet a Special Group of Yogis
Yes, yoga is for everyone!
We asked our readers to tell us about their super kids and what makes them unique. Our goal was to highlight that yoga is for everyone, no matter how different we may seem. We sent out an email to our Kids Yoga Stories community last summer, explaining that we wanted to create a pack of cards that show yoga really is for everyone and that we wanted to use their super kids as inspiration.
We aimed to feature children from diverse backgrounds and life circumstances. In some way, each represents diversity: children with glasses, in wheelchairs, with additional needs, with interesting hairstyles, and from various cultures, religions, countries, or geographical regions.
From an overwhelming response from around the globe, the “Yoga is for Everyone Cards” were created. In this blog post below, we wanted to introduce you to these amazing children. Please note that:
- Some of the children featured below have noticeable differences to celebrate, including glasses, a leg brace, hair loss from chemo treatment, or Down Syndrome.
- Others have overcome tremendous challenges—including brain and heart surgery and stomach operations—that are no longer visually noticeable.
- Some illustrations were inspired by children who live with challenges others might not “see,” such as speech delays, anxiety, dyslexia, and autism.
- You’ll also meet children from cultures around the world, including Chinese, Hispanic, African, Singaporean, Indian, Israeli, American, and Puerto Rican.
We send our deepest gratitude to all the families whose willingness to share made these cards possible.
Meet the Super Kids
We asked the families the name of their child, what makes their child unique, and the child’s favorite pose or breathing technique. Here’s what they had to say:
1 | Please meet Joseph, who loves Feather Breath.
He loves playing music with his different instruments and playing with footballs or tennis balls.
He is four years old, and when he was one, he had a brain surgery to have part of tumor removed. After the surgery, he lost his sight, and we’ve been in chemo treatments since then, because the tumor is still active. The sudden loss of his sight, followed by more surgeries (to put in a valve and a catheter, follow-up MRIs, and a chemo treatments makes him feel very angry, so I’ve been trying to practice yoga with him and teach him how to use breathing as well as the different asanas, to deal with these emotions. Instead of doing it visually, I do it tactically. I also try to include music during our practice to keep him engaged.
2 | Please meet Clara, who loves practicing Tree Pose.
She loves dancing, singing, “reading” books, and creating art.
Clara spent the first two and a half months of her life in the hospital due to a heart and stomach defect. She had surgery to repair and mend her heart and stomach. This strong, smart little fighter is now two years old. She has an amazing, joyful personality and loves yoga! She received a baby yoga book when she was born, and she participates in mommy-and-me yoga classes. She even had a yoga birthday party for her second birthday!
3 | Please meet Rory, who loves practicing Eagle Pose.
He loves reading and playing video games.
Rory has autism spectrum disorder and has a deformed knee from osteomylitis as a baby—he often says, “My knees are not twins!”
4 | Please meet Morgan, who loves practicing Dancer’s Pose.
She loves to swim.
Morgan has Irlen Syndrome and wears dark-purple lenses in her glasses. She has SPD, dyslexia, and anxiety.
5 | Please meet Grace, who loves practicing the Warrior Poses.
Grace loves eating desserts, singing, and snow tubing.
Grace completed chemotherapy for leukemia, and her hair is just starting to grow back. She practiced breathing techniques and yoga postures while she was in the hospital to help get through the treatment.
6 | Please meet Nevaeh and Brianna, who love practicing Warrior 2 Pose together.
They love swimming, dancing, and yoga.
These two sisters are American Hispanic.
7 | Please meet Dylan, who loves practicing Plank Pose.
She loves going to the park.
She’s 25% Chinese with blonde hair and wears Hello Kitty glasses.
8 | Please meet Michael, who loves practicing Downward-Facing Dog Pose.
He loves practicing Downward-Facing Dog to do somersaults.
Michael wears glasses.
9 | Please meet Eilley, who loves practicing Three-Legged Dog Pose.
She loves doing art and practicing yoga.
My girl is fierce and determined but also very sensitive. She is also a comedian and has an amazing sense of humor at the age of four! She has been wearing glasses since she was twelve months old and also wears an eye patch several hours each day.
10 | Please meet Declan, who loves Bubble Breath.
He has super-awesome curly dark-brown hair.
11 | Please meet Jarod, who loves practicing Child’s Pose.
He loves riding his bike.
He has speech problems, but that doesn’t faze his interactions with others.
12 | Please meet Ayra, who loves practicing Monkey Pose.
She loves to dance and practice yoga.
She has been able to sit together with me to meditate since she was two years old.
13 | Please meet Ava, who loves practicing Boat Pose.
She loves drawing and writing stories.
14 | Please meet Guli, who loves practicing Fish Pose.
Guli is an enthusiastic girl, who is a careful listener.
15 | Please meet Reagan, who loves practicing Bridge Pose.
She loves spending time with her cousins.
Reagan lives with both epilepsy and cerebral palsy. She wears glasses, sometimes a patch on one eye, and AFOs (ankle-foot orthosis brace).
16 | Please meet Dario, who loves practicing Resting Pose.
Dario loves swimming.
He’s a special kid from the shining star of the Caribbean, Puerto Rico. He was diagnosed with autism (highly functional) when he was four years old. He’s such a beautiful boy who shows compassion toward others and is very sensible to others’ needs. He practices basic yoga, like Sun Salutations, with his mom. He also practices breathing while using different mudras, and he loves to chant, “I think good thoughts, I say good things and I do good things.”
17 | Please meet Sasha, who loves practicing Easy Pose.
Sasha has Down Syndrome and absolutely loves practicing yoga.
We certainly hope you enjoy these “Yoga is for Everyone Cards” as much as we enjoyed putting them together!
Check Out Our Yoga is for Everyone Cards
Yoga is truly for EVERYONE…
We’re thrilled to share a special product co-created by our special Kids Yoga Stories community.
We asked our readers to tell us about their super kids and what makes them unique and we included them in this very special deck!
This one-of-kind deck includes:
- 47 colorful and engaging digital cards
- 20 yoga poses based on children in our community
- 20 corresponding description cards
- Yoga tips and how to best use these cards
- Detailed instructions for each yoga pose provided
Enjoy bringing yoga to every kid!
Purchase Yoga is for Everyone cards here.
PIN IT FOR LATER
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