5 Ocean Yoga Poses for Kids

Ocean yoga. Being from Vancouver, Sydney, and Boston, we are definitely an ocean-loving family (and that includes ocean yoga poses too). I grew up near Vancouver, British Columbia, in a beachside town, and we spent our summers camping down the Northwest Coast. Some of my favorite childhood memories were playing on the West Coast beaches and looking for little critters in the tide pools.

Maria Explores the Ocean was inspired by the animals that live in the Pacific Ocean. Through the story, young readers join Maria and her grandfather as they explore underwater to learn about the various animals. You’ll act out twelve ocean animals while learning mini-facts about each ocean creature.

Maria Explores the Ocean: a Kids Yoga Storybook | Kids Yoga Stories

After your sea animal yoga adventure, you can read the “10 Ways to Save the Ocean” at the back of the yoga book to learn about little actions we can take to make a difference.

This ocean yoga book was written for toddlers and preschoolers, but it could certainly be adapted for older children. They could read the book independently or use it as a springboard to create their own ocean yoga books.

Below you’ll find five colorful ocean animal yoga poses from Maria’s Explores the Ocean. If you’re looking for more poses, our Ocean Animals Yoga Cards for Kids includes twenty ocean animal yoga poses. And don’t forget to download your Ocean Yoga Poster below, as well. Lots of ways to enjoy ocean yoga!

1. Pretend to be a sea jelly.

How to practice Standing Forward Bend: From Mountain Pose, bend your upper body forward, keep a straight spine, and reach for your toes. Pretend your arms are the tentacles of an orange Pacific sea nettle jellyfish.

Standing Forward Bend Pose | Kids Yoga Stories — Standing Forward Bend

2. Pretend to be a shark.

How to practice Dolphin Pose: On your hands and knees, bend your elbows and rest your forearms on the ground, with your palms flat. Lift your knees to straighten your legs, and look forward. Pretend to be a great white shark darting through the water.

3. Pretend to be a seahorse.

How to practice Kneeling Pose: Stand on your knees, open your chest, look up, and wiggle your feet, pretending to be a red Pacific seahorse swimming through the ocean.

Kneeling Pose for Kids | Kids Yoga Stories — Kneeling Pose

4. Pretend to be a crab.

How to practice Reverse Table Top Pose: Come to sitting with your palms flat behind you and the soles of your feet flat in front of you. Lift your buttocks to create a table. Pretend to be a yellow crab scuttling toward a tide pool.

reverse table top | Kids Yoga Stories — Reverse Table Pose

5. Pretend to be a sea turtle.

How to practice Tortoise Pose: Sit on your buttocks with your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor. Then take your feet out wide and be sure you are sitting with a tall, straight spine. Slide your arms under your knees and place your hands flat on the floor outside your legs. Bend forward, keeping your back and neck straight. Pretend to be a green sea turtle cruising through the ocean.

tortoise pose | Kids Yoga Stories — Tortoise Pose

What’s your favorite ocean animal yoga pose?

Now that you’ve acted out some of our favorite sea creatures, you might also enjoy reading more ocean books and making ocean crafts together. What a fun way to bring the ocean to you this summer!

Here are some more book recommendations from our friends:

Ocean picture books for preschoolers
Great big list of Ocean books for kids
12 ocean books for little kids
25 outstanding ocean books for kids