“Always find a reason to laugh. It may not add years to life but it surely will add life to your years.”
I’ve heard the question again and again: “Can kids really do yoga?”
It depends on what you mean by yoga. If you mean being silent and stoic while doing a sequence of poised, perfect postures on a yoga mat, then you are missing a whole branch of yoga that can be fun, spontaneous, and easy to do with your little ones!
The longer I practiced and taught yoga, the broader my view of it became. Like most people, I thought of it as mainly a physical discipline, with postures, movements, and breathing practices. Slowly I began to see it’s also a state of mind, a spiritual path, and an opportunity to connect to yourself and others.
And what better way to connect with kids than laughter? Now and then when my daughter is descending into a meltdown, if I can find just the right thing to say, the humor lifts her out of her funk. Not to say I should rescue her from every difficult emotion, but I like to show her that sometimes, when we lose perspective, humor can bring us back to earth.
I find, too, that as a mom, laughter has saved me from many a funk. There have been times at the end of the day, once the kids are down and my husband and I are sitting on the couch and all I want to do is watch something funny. Watching comedy has definitely been one of our favorite pastimes.
And laughter is so therapeutic, but I’ve discovered that I also don’t need a particular reason to laugh. I know it sounds crazy, but laughing for no good reason can be just as refreshing as laughing at a good joke. That’s what laughing yoga is all about: just laughing for the sake of it! It’s so much easier to laugh for no particular reason when we can call it laughing yoga. Try it! Laugh like no one is watching...or like you’re watching the most hilarious thing.
Does that feel weird? Here’s a yoga-fied (and perhaps less awkward) way to add some laughter into your day with your little ones. It might even turn into real laughter after a bit! (An added note: choose the pace or rhythm of the activity below, depending on your energy or your kids’ mood. You can even start slow and gradually speed up; kids love that!)
Every Friday I’ll post ideas and inspiration for practicing yoga with kids and every Tuesday I’ll share a micropractice that helps busy moms (and dads and kids, and really anyone) to incorporate brief yoga practices into their day. Here’s the post to kick off this biweekly series that will last until the end of the year!