5 Ways to Integrate Yoga into Your New Home Schedule in 2 Minutes a Day!

We are living in crazy times right now. The world is bonkers.

My nervous system is way out of whack, and I feel like I’ve been on an extreme emotional roller coaster over the past week. Now more than ever, these ancient practices can really get us through this catastrophic situation with some ease and grace.

My daughter and I started our first day of quarantine homeschooling today. Many of you have been asking how to integrate yoga into your new home routines, so I thought I’d share some ideas.

It’s truly possible to practice these little things for only a couple minutes a day, which potentially could bring peace and calm to these uncertain and, quite frankly, scary times.

5 ways to integrate yoga into your new home schedule in 2 minutes a day:

Choose one idea below and do just that. Or sprinkle a few of these ideas into your schedule each day. Do whatever suits you.

1. Positive Affirmations

Grab some positive affirmation cards or create your own. Pick a card in the morning for yourself or with your child. Normally, I have the card on my desk so I can remind myself throughout the day. But depending on your learning preference, you could use it as a journal prompt, repeat it a few times, meditate on it, or create an art piece with the words. Do whatever suits you, but fill yourself up with positive thoughts – it’ll help both you and your children wire your brains to see the bright side.

positive affirmations for kids | Kids Yoga Stories — **Check out Positive Affirmation Cards for Kids here**

2. Breathe Deeply

Your breath is your anchor to get through these challenging times. Take moments throughout the day to just stop and take a few deep breaths to calm your nervous system. Even in the midst of total chaos at home, remind yourself to close your eyes and take a few deep breaths. Grab some breathing cards and teach your children some fun, new breathing techniques, too. Your breath will help to bring you back to the present moment and to ease your worries about the uncertain future.

Breathing Exercises Posters | Kids Yoga Stories — Breathing Exercises Posters for Kids

3. Yoga Moves

Whether you’d like to try a 5-minute morning yoga video (we followed a Yoga with Adriene video on YouTube this morning), play some yoga games with yoga cards, or create a yoga challenge to see who can hold difficult poses – get creative in adding yoga postures into your daily routine. If it’s a total disaster one day, come back to it another day. Don’t give up; your children will feed off your persistence and enthusiasm.

yoga moves to destress kids | Kids Yoga Stories — **Check out Energizing Yoga Cards for Kids here**

4. Meditate

If you’re like me and have been meaning to get back to daily morning meditation, then today is the day to start. I wrote a prompt for myself in my bathroom as a reminder to meditate each morning, and I put it on our homeschool schedule so I can tick it off. Nothing fancy, just start sitting silently, take a few deep breaths, and see where that takes you. Each night, my daughter listens to meditations on CD to get to sleep. You could also read aloud guided relaxation stories during the day and have the children color as you read.

meditation for kids to calm down | Kids Yoga Stories — **Check out Simple Meditations for Kids here**

5. Yogi Shake

And when all else fails and you’re about to lose your marbles, crank up some music and have a crazy dance party. This morning, my daughter chose a Spanish Christmas (!) station and we danced like mad. We did the yogi shake (shake each part of your body), and it helped to let out the pent-up nerves and anxieties. After ten minutes of silly dancing, my daughter was then ready to sit down for our learning time. And it was a lovely way for us to connect and have a laugh together.

And I just want to say that we aren’t the perfect yogi family. My daughter is totally reluctant to do anything her momma created or is interested in. I’m just like you, exploring these ideas as we go along. My daughter actually said, “This is fun!” today during a yoga pose game, so I can confidently say these ideas work. She’s a tough nut to crack and a harsh critic!

If you’re looking for more ideas in the coming weeks, join me on Instagram and Facebook, where I’ll be sharing some simple ways to add yoga to your schedule.

I would love to hear your stories about how you are incorporating yoga and mindfulness practices in two minutes a day, share below!

Get Updates from Kids Yoga Stories

To find out about other thematic yoga sequences, join our weekly Kids Yoga Stories newsletter by adding your name and email to the box at the top of the page.