Beach Yoga

Bring the beach to your home, classroom, or studio through beach yoga!

What are your fondest memories of the beach? Is it making sandcastles, listening to the sounds of waves crashing, or paddling in the water? One thing is for sure – everyone loves playing at the beach! Bring your fun memories to life through movement and imaginary play with these beach yoga ideas for kids below.

Explore the beach by having discussions, reading books, and doing related kids’ activities and art projects. Take the learning further by using breathing techniques and yoga poses. Brain research shows us that adding movement to the learning experience stimulates children’s thinking, ultimately making learning more fun and engaging.

August Theme: BEACH YOGA

Our tenth theme is “beach.”

Welcome back to our monthly “Easy Yoga-Easy Spanish” theme project with our friends at Spanish Playground. These simple monthly plans give you one thing to focus on each month so it’s easier to bring the benefits of yoga to your children.

We have put together a monthly theme post that includes:

one breathing technique
one focus yoga pose
a three-pose flow sequence
one focus yoga book
Spanish-integration ideas
links to other “beach” resources

The “BEACH” FOCUS BREATH is ocean breath.

Ocean breath is associated with practicing vinyasa yoga, when we link movement to breath. In yoga class, we commonly refer to ocean breath as our “ujjayi breath.” This translates as “victorious breath” in Sanskrit.

To practice ocean breath, come to sitting or standing comfortably. Close your eyes, if that feels comfortable, or gaze gently down in front of you. Take a few deep breaths to calm your mind and body. Come to the present moment. Breathe in and out through your nose with your mouth closed.

On your next exhale, make an audible sound with the back of your throat. Exhale audibly for a count of three, followed by an inhale for another count of three. Think of making ocean sounds with your breath. Then turn inwards and imagine that you are sitting on the beach, listening to the waves crashing on the beach. Continue with this three-count “ocean breath” for a few minutes. Then, when you are ready, open your eyes and breathe naturally.

The “BEACH” FOCUS YOGA POSE is Downward-Facing Dog Pose.

Start out on all fours. Spread your fingers and press your palms flat onto the floor. Lift your buttocks, straighten your legs, and make an upside-down V shape. Send your heels gently to the ground. Relax your head and neck and look down between your legs. Think of squeezing your shoulder blades together, creating space between your shoulders and your ears. You could peddle out your legs by slightly bending each knee one at a time. Then come to a still position and enjoy this inversion. Imagine being a sandcastle.

The “BEACH” FOCUS YOGA FLOW is Downward-Facing Dog Pose, Pigeon Pose, and Hero Pose.

1. Downward-Facing Dog Pose – pretend to be a sandcastle.

From a standing position, bend down and place your palms flat on the ground. Step your feet back to create an upside-down V shape with your buttocks high in the air.
Straighten your legs, relax your head and neck, and look down between your legs. Imagine being a sandcastle.

2. Pigeon Pose – pretend to be a seagull.

From Downward-Facing Dog Pose, bring your right knee to rest behind your right hand, placing your right foot slightly inwards.
Perch like a seagull.

3. Hero Pose – pretend to listen to sounds of the ocean.

Step your right foot back and rest upright on your heels. Place your palms on your knees.
Imagine listening to the waves crashing on the beach. Try practicing your “ocean breath.”

Images above are from Luke’s Beach Day

Repeat this sequence again, but bring your left foot in front for Pigeon Pose.

You could also exchange Shark Pose (Locust Pose) for Hero Pose.

You can flow gently over and over through these three poses. Talk to your children about what else you might see or do on the beach. Invent your own beach yoga poses or check out our Yoga Poses for Kids page for inspiration.

Throughout the month, you could use these three beach-inspired yoga poses as a base and add other beach yoga poses or breathing techniques to extend the children’s learning. Follow their interests and needs. You will know if their yoga experience should be more calming or if they need something more dynamic and active to help release their pent-up energy. Check out our other beach yoga sequences listed below, as well.

The “BEACH” FOCUS YOGA BOOK is Luke’s Beach Day.

Luke’s Beach Day was inspired by my years living in Australia and my own experiences with taking students on field trips to the beach. The ocean and the beach were a couple of my favorite topics to teach inside and out of the classroom. This story follows Luke and his classmates on a class trip to the beach.

Readers act out what the students see and hear, hopping like a kangaroo, perching like a sea gull, and resting like a sea star. Australian white-sand beaches are magical, and I hope that the yoga book inspires readers to research more about Australian beach animals. Luke lives in Sydney, loves being active outdoors, and enjoys science. Our Australian yoga book series:

Luke’s Beach Day

The ABC’s of Australian Animals

Luke's A to Z of Australian Animals Alpabet Coloring Book Image

Luke’s A to Z of Australian Animals
Coloring Book

DOWNLOAD MONTHLY KIDS YOGA THEMES EBOOK

Quick and easy monthly kids yoga ideas!

To spark your imagination, each monthly theme includes one breathing technique, one focus yoga pose, a three-pose flow sequence, and one focus yoga book. This 55-page eBook is for teachers, parents, kids yoga teachers, caregivers, and health practitioners looking for simple, convenient ways to add yoga into your curriculum, classes, or home life. Age group: Toddlers to Early Primary, ages 3 to 8.

“Great resource for children’s yoga teachers, preschool teachers, classroom teachers, and parents.” – Anita

Purchase your Monthly Kids Yoga Themes 55-page eBook here

Spanish and Yoga “Beach” Activities

Check out these links below from Spanish Playground and Kids Yoga Stories for your celebration of the beach:

Spanish Beach Fun for Kids	Ocean Yoga
Beach Yoga	28 Summer Learning Activities
Summer Book Exchange	14 Screen-Free Summer Activities

Other Easy Spanish-Easy Yoga Themes

Click on the links below to see the other easy yoga ideas in our monthly theme series:

November: Gratitude Yoga
December: Kindness Yoga
January: Winter Yoga
February: LOVE Yoga
March: Spring Yoga
April: Earth Yoga
May: Animal Yoga
June: Summer Yoga
July: Rainforest Yoga

Sign up for our Kids Yoga Stories Newsletter

For yoga tips and kids yoga resources, sign up for our weekly Kids Yoga Stories newsletter by adding your email address to the box at the top of the page. Add one of our yoga books for kids to your yoga resource collection.