Yoga Ideas for Passover: Poses and Picture Books
Passover Yoga below.
At Kids Yoga Stories, we do our best to cater to the various cultures, religions, and diverse backgrounds around the world. As an international elementary school teacher and a member of a tri-cultural family, I have always understood the importance of multiculturalism. We are constantly learning and appreciate your suggestions and feedback.
So when Sherry emailed last year asking for some yoga ideas for Passover, we dove in to do some research and learn more. She said:
“I believe we can honor both Easter and Passover in the Spring because of the joint celebration of new life for both holidays. I feel your springtime yoga poster is wonderful for this! Both holidays share a joy of family, peace, justice, and freedom for all.
This year for our family seder, I found a traditional Passover Ukrainian recipe for a cold carrot salad that I made and served with our meal. We also participated in reading a prayer for all Ukrainians and all people looking for peace and freedom to live their lives as they choose.”
Jenn, one of our team members here at Kids Yoga Stories, is married to a Jewish man, and they have brought their son up with the Jewish traditions. She says:
“I love the combination of food, family, storytelling, tradition, and history that goes into the Seder meal. Everyone, even the children, has an opportunity to participate in Passover by reading portions of the Haggadah. It’s super interactive, and I learn something new each and every year.”
Below, you’ll find several picture books I collected from our local library. I enjoyed learning about this week-long springtime Jewish holiday that honors the Jewish people’s freedom from slavery in Egypt thousands of years ago. Passover is called “Peasch” in Hebrew and centers around the family gathering over a seder dinner.
GET YOUR 3 POSTERS HERE
5 Yoga Poses to honor Passover
Below you will find five poses that celebrate the passing of the seder dinner together as a family:
1. Chair Pose: Seder Dinner
How to practice Chair Pose: Stand tall in Mountain Pose with your feet hip-width apart, bend your knees, and keep a straight spine. Hold your hands out in front of you. Pretend to be sitting down at the seder table with your family, ready for reading, eating, and singing songs together.
2. Table Top Pose: Seder Plate
How to practice Table Top Pose: Come to an all-fours position with your fingers spread out and palms flat on the ground. Ensure that your back and neck are in a straight but neutral position. Your shoulders should be over your wrists, and your hips should be over your knees while the tops of your feet are flat on the ground. Pretend to be the seder plate filled with an egg, a bone, some parsley, charoset (mix of apples and nuts), and a bitter vegetable.
3. Child’s Pose: an Egg
How to practice Child’s Pose: Sitting on your heels, slowly bring your forehead down to rest on the floor in front of your knees. Rest your arms down alongside your body and take a few deep breaths. Pretend to be a special egg placed on the seder plate, which symbolizes a new life.
4. Cobbler’s Pose: Haggadah
How to practice Cobbler’s Pose: Sit on your buttocks with a tall spine, bend your legs, place the soles of your feet together. Pretend to be Haggadah book read by the family members at the seder dinner. The story tells of how the Israelites became free thousands of years ago and is an important story to share at Passover.
5. Resting Pose: Matzah
How to practice Resting Pose: Lie on your back with your arms and legs stretched out. Breathe and rest. Pretend to be a matzah (flat bread) that has been hidden in a napkin, which is called afikomen. The children search for the afikomen after the seder dinner, and it’s the last thing eaten during this special meal together.
5 Picture Books about Passover
This article contains affiliate links.
As a non-Jewish person learning about Passover, I enjoyed these picture books:
Sarah’s Passover
by Lisa Buzzard and Constanza Basaluzzo
I enjoy these Cloverleaf Books for holiday and special days because they have engaging illustrations and easy text for readers that capture the essence of the holiday—perfect for beginners.
Passover, Here I Come!
by D.J. Steinberg and Emanuel Wiemans
This is a book from a rhyming series titled “Here I Come,” so if you liked this style, check out the other topics.
Around the Passover Table
by Tracy Newman and Adriana Santos
This delightful story highlights the joy of the seder dinner with family with engaging illustrations and poetic text.
Passover Scavenger Hunt
by Shanna Silva and Miki Sakamoto
This story follows Rachel as she takes over the afikomen by creating a fun scavenger hunt with clues for her fellow family members.
Is it Passover Yet?
by Chris Barash and Alessandra Psacharopulo
This book is for our littlest of readers and shows the excitement and build up to Passover. It would be a great book to use as your introduction to your Passover studies and yoga session.
Storybooks about Passover
If you’re looking for picture books with stories that detail one or more aspect of Passover, check these out:
The Littlest Levine, by Sandy Lanton and Claire Keay
Pippa’s Passover Plate, by Vivian Kirkfield and Jill Weber
Welcoming Elijah, by Leslea Newman and Susan Gal
Miriam at the River, by Jane Yolen and Khoa Le
More than Enough, by April Halprin Wayland and Katie Kath
Passover Board Books for Babies and Toddlers
Passover is Coming, by Tracy Newman
My First Passover, by Tomie dePaola
As Sherry said, the yoga philosophy and Passover share the same goal of celebrating peace, justice, respect, and freedom for all. We hope that these books and yoga poses brought a little extra joy into your homes this Passover!