Our 5 Principles of a Family Yoga Class
Curious about family yoga? Taking the class with your family or teaching the class for other families? Family yoga is one of my favorite parts of my job…and it can be challenging.
What is family yoga? Family yoga is…
...a yoga class for children and their grown up(s).
...open to whatever your family looks like.
...includes a wide range of ages and abilities.
...may have moms, dads, aunts, uncles, cousins, siblings, grandparents, family friends, etc.
...a time for play and connection.
The Joys and Challenges of Family Yoga
Family yoga is a designated time for families to participate in an activity together without any distractions. This time allows for families to bond and for grown ups to see children in a different way, while children can see their grown ups in a new way too! The class encourages play and ways to bring yoga/mindfulness practices into the home.
Family yoga can be challenging to teach because it is possible that either a grown up or a child does not want to be there, but instead was dragged to class by another member of the family. It can be tricky to cater to all ages, depending on the age range. Finally, a grown up might feel intimidated or embarrassed by a child’s behavior, comparing themselves to other families.
It is your job as the teacher to create and hold a welcoming, inclusive, safe enough space
Here are 5 components to family yoga that I have found to be “best practices” as well as some other musings about the topic.
Movement
Include traditional sun salutations, as well as variations.
Build community through name games where participants share their names and favorite animals to co-create poses.
Dance parties can easily be turned into yoga by playing “freeze dance yoga style.”
Breathing
Explore the breath with visuals such as scarves, a breath ball, cotton balls, etc.
Place one hand on your heart and one hand on your belly and notice how your heart is beating. This is called biofeedback - gathering information about the body from the body.
Play
Include a variety of yoga games or traditional games that can be adapted for yoga.
Encourage the family to be a class within the larger class.
Connection
Encourage touch in subtle ways.
Include partner poses.
Explain how you can include different poses, breathwork, or other activities into their home life.
Stillness
Have the grown ups model rest for the child.
Let the grown ups know that it is okay for them to close their eyes, pause, and reset because you are there making sure their child is safe.