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april 2016yogajournal.com.ausays Christen Bakken, founder of Young
Warriors, a children’s yoga program in
Denver.
“Kids remind us of who we intrinsically
are and to let go, just be, and play.” Bakken,
who has been teaching yoga since 2oo6 and
teaching children specifically since 2oo8,
says that a playful practice helps us let go of
fear that holds back our practice. “When
we’re having fun, we’re more willing to take
risks, such as kicking up into Handstand or
moving into a variation of a pose, such as
Parsva Bakasana (Side Crane Pose), that we
didn’t think we could do or that a moreserious attitude would have never allowed
for,” she says.
Reconnecting with our natural childhood
senses is essential to realising the benefits
of sukha, according to San Francisco–based
Jodi Komitor, founder of Next Generation
Yoga (nextgenerationyoga.com), an
international children’s yoga program
that began in 1998. “Kids are playful,
spontaneous, innocent, and creative
beings—all qualities that we, as adults,
tend to suppress,” Komitor says. “We
learn to stop talking openly, to cover our
mouths when we laugh, and to abandon theconnection that we once had with our inner
child.” In order to cultivate a childlike
practice on the mat, Komitor encourages
both her adult and child students to
embody the essence of the pose they’re
assuming, which helps adults in particular
loosen the body and mind and feel
younger in spirit. For instance, in
Bhujangasana (Cobra Pose), hiss, stick
out your tongue, and slither like a snake.
In Adho Mukha Svanasana (Downward-
Facing Dog Pose), you can lift and wag
your tail, ground paws into the mat,
yelp, bark, and maybe even chase ajoyfully
MOV E
Find a young friend—perhaps your child or
another little loved one—to share your
practice with. Practicing with a child helps
keep your yoga light and more playful,
but you can also do this sequence solo.
1 SUNFLOWER
Begin in Uttanasana (Standing Forward Bend),
with feet hip-distance apart. Bend knees slightly
and take hold of your opposite elbows (A).
Moving in a circular motion, on an inhale, travel
upward toward the left with the right elbow
leading, hinging at the hip (B), until you’re
standing upright, facing forward, with elbows
held overhead (C). On the exhale, allow the
body to move downward to the right, with
the right elbow still leading and hinging at the
hip (D). Repeat 3–5 times. Finish in Uttanasana
(Standing Forward Bend), holding opposite
elbows. Repeat on the other side 3–5 times, with
the left elbow leading. As you move through
this pose, imagine yourself as big as possible,
stretching your body as far as you can. This pose
is called Sunflower because it encourages us to
be flexible, feel big, and move toward light and
growth opportunities, much like the beloved
yellow flower does.1
A
C
B
B
D