112 Yoga for Speech-Language Development
Figure 8.2 Owl pose with a rolled-up mat to represent a tree branch
The yoga mat could also serve as an abstract type of boat such
as a canoe, kayak, rowboat, or sailboat as the child assumes the
relevant pose. In a yoga journey activity the yoga mat could
represent a magic carpet for a flying carpet ride, which transports
the child to various imagined destinations. In terms of adding
language, children could name and elaborate on the different
sights they encounter along their journeys, which supports
decontextualization and expressive language. The emergence of
decontextualized language in play after three years of age is related
to later success in literacy (Westby 2000). Emergent literacy
skills, a precursor to reading and writing, will be addressed in the
following chapter.
Miniature replicas of animals or objects can serve as props for
three- to four-year-old children who could perform the pose of
an animal or object selected from a small bag or other container
such as a pillowcase. This can be done with a group or adult-child
dyad. For example, if the child chooses a miniature toy table from
the bag, the child or group of children perform a flat back table