What is a magic yoga moment? And how do I experience one?
Do you ever stop to ask yourself, “Why do I teach yoga to kids?”
It’s a great question to reflect upon. Often, there is that one moment we’re trying to capture or go back to. That magic moment where you truly see the joy in a child’s eyes when they finally get themselves into a particular pose or when a classroom of students fall silent, and it’s like the world has paused for a second.
What are magic yoga moments?
Our community is extremely diverse. We come from all over the world. We are parents, teachers, yoga teachers, health practitioners, librarians, daycare owners, and school support staff. Some of us are complete beginners to yoga, and some have been teaching yoga to children for over a decade.
But the one thing we have in common is that we all have magic yoga moments.
Recently, I asked our Kids Yoga Stories community to share their magic yoga moments. I’ve shared a few of these stories in this video.
What is your magic yoga moment? Share with us below or on our Kids Yoga Stories Facebook page here.
What’s a typical Magic Yoga Moment? Show me.
Yoga can truly be a magical experience when you witness your children execute a challenging yoga pose or as you watch a wave of calmness wash over their typically overactive body. These are the moments that remind us why we teach yoga to kids.
When I asked the Kids Yoga Stories community to share their magic moments teaching yoga, the one modality that was brought up time and again was breathing! Focusing on the breath is the simplest, yet most profound aspect of the practice of yoga. The cool thing is that you don’t need any equipment; you can practice anywhere—and with anyone.
In this video, I share one of my favorite breathing techniques that I frequently do with my daughter.
The three steps I use involve the mind, body, and breath.
- Mind: I start by promoting a growth mindset and ask my daughter to think positive, happy thoughts.
- Body: To bring awareness to our bodies, I ask her to rub her hands vigorously together.
- Breath: Then I ask her to take three long, deep breaths.
We repeat this a few times, and it never ceases to amaze me how well it works! It helps to invite calm and either transition to a new activity or get us ready for bed.
Now it’s your turn. Watch the video and then share with us your favorite breathing techniques below in the comments section or on our Kids Yoga Stories Facebook page.
How do you find your magic yoga moments?
In this third video, I’d love to explore the question of how we find these magic yoga moments.
We’ll start by sharing one of the yoga principles, which states:
“The practice of yoga will be firmly rooted when it maintained consistently and with dedication over a long period.”
This is a powerful statement that I hold near and dear to my heart. I have dedicated my life to living a yoga life, and I know that it will be a lifelong journey.
How do you find you magic yoga moment? Share with us below or on our Kids Yoga Stories Facebook page here.
Kids Yoga Monthly
When you sign up for Kids Yoga Monthly, you’ll receive fun and easy resources each and every month so you can take time to practice yoga rather than researching yoga.
And Kids Yoga Monthly is different from many other yoga-related resources. As a former teacher and someone who has lived all over the world, I aim to expose children to different cultures and people through the yoga stories. I also choose educational themes that incorporate well into your learning experiences.
Wondering if this makes sense for you?
- Why join Kids Yoga Monthly?
- Save time finding new yoga resources.
- Decrease stress trying to figure out what to do in yoga class.
- Spend less time working after hours.
- Have more time to spend with your family and friends.
- Deepen your own practice through yoga challenges.
- Connect with and get support from other wonderful people teaching yoga to kids.
I have some magic yoga moments to inspire you!
Below have a read of these incredibly inspired and heartwarming stories of magic yoga moments from our community:
“I’ve been working with my son (high-functioning Autism) for two years to work on his breathing during a meltdown. He finally did it last week! We use a pinwheel for visualization. The kids love it!” – Bethany
“My yoga magic moment was when my daughter proudly announced in front of her friends that her mom is a yoga teacher. My little girl at six has given me a reason to continue it even during my struggling phase. Superb feeling!” – Poleen
“When I decided to take the leap and signed up for YTT, which starts in October.” – Billi
“When a dad asked if I would teach his kids yoga every day because they’re so much happier and well-behaved after class.” – Emma
“My favorite magic yoga moment as of late is when an entire class of preschoolers is lying down in Savasana and there is actually a moment of complete stillness and quiet breath.” – Jessalyn
“My magic moment came last school year when a mom of one of my pre-k students sent me a photo of her daughter teaching her dad a yoga position that she thought might help his sore back.” – Leslie
“My magic moment was yesterday, when my nine-year-old son (who after a rough day of coping with anxiety issues) came downstairs to tell me he’d just finished making his bed, written in his gratitude journal, and completed his own three-pose vinyasa yoga routine. All on his own volition. Then he thanked me for teaching him good habits that help him reach his potential.” – Jeannie
“My son plays football, and just before he did a penalty kick, he stopped, closed his eyes, and took a deep belly breath. Then he scored the winning goal. At the end of the match, he said namasté to everyone! Magical!”- Patricia
“My Miss 5 surprises me sometimes and makes me realize they do take it in, and they do learn what they live (and observe). I recently had a magic moment with my daughter when she asked me to send loving kindness blessings with her at bedtime. She also likes to teach me ‘new’ poses she really thinks I should teach in my classes.” – Michelle
“After five days of summer school where I taught children to breathe every morning before learning. Magical moments were when I asked what they learned, and they said, ‘I belly breathe!’” – Borka
“Being a single mum working full time, it’s tough. We had a magical moment this summer when after not having done yoga for a while, my daughter decided that we all needed to do some yoga, and she got out our yoga mats and her yoga book (Nighttime Yoga) and asked us to join her. It was totally spontaneous and at her suggestion – so lovely to see and hear.” – Thea
“Magic moment is when kids tell me that they can use some techniques during their daily lives (for example, the deep breathing when they are anxious). I also love our relaxation session (especially in a charity class that I teach). The kids lie their backs and ‘hum’ in harmony together. There is so much peace in the room, and this is absolute magic for me!” – Birgit
“I create and lead a Family Yoga Storytime at the Riverside Library in Evans, Colorado, and the kids and parents really get into doing the animal-named poses and making the animal sounds. One day after Storytime, a mom told me her three-year-old daughter was at the park doing yoga and another mom asked her what she was doing. The mom of the girl said, ‘Yoga.’ I was so excited to hear that story and that the child remembers how to do the poses and enjoys doing them out in public.” – Cassandra
“I read Julieta y un Dia en el Jardin to a class of preschool students with Autism at the school Manos Unidos in Cusco, Peru. I was moved to tears when the class was quietly lying on the ground for Shavasana at the end. This was most likely the first time the teachers at this school experienced the students calm and content together. When the opened their eyes, I held a rainbow above them for them to look at. Lots of smiles. The head teacher gave me a kiss afterwards and said, ‘Que Bonita!’” – Bridget
“We experienced a MAGICAL yoga moment yesterday at our afterschool yoga club—FIVE FULL MINUTES OF SILENCE during meditation!!!! I opened my eyes because it was so quiet, and every one of my kids had their eyes closed, holding their hands in the mudra I’d taught them. It almost brought tears to my eyes. This group is usually very rowdy after school, and this time, there was a shift, and it is BEAUTIFUL.” – April
“In the winter, we often do relaxation before bed. We grab some cushions, yoga mats, and blankets and lay them down on the wooden floor. Often it’s the children who get it all set up. We have lots of windows and can see the moon and stars through the windows and skylights. We turn off all the lights, and it is completely dark (except for our relaxation fairy lights). We live in the Highlands of Scotland, so we have short days and long nights in the winter. In fact, my four-year-old son asked when it was going to get dark enough to see the stars before bed.” – Thea
We would LOVE to hear about your magic yoga moment! Tell us in the comments below!
