“Enjoy the little things in life for one day you’ll look back and realize they were the big things.”
-Kurt Vonnegut
Let’s take off our shoes more often and just feel what’s underneath our soles. Dig our toes into thick, plush carpet, sand, or even mud; wiggle and stretch those piggies, tickle them, pick things up with them. Yoga is not just a discipline, it can be play, too!
When I did my kids’ yoga training in 2013, I learned the joy of Toe-ga: a yoga game where we picked up pom-poms with our toes and brought them back to our yoga mats (see a video on this fun kids activity).
I like to think of toe-ga as more than just the game in the video, though. Toe-ga is any love we send our tootsies as we move them, stretch them, balance on them, and just sense the Earth beneath us. Yoga is just as much about feeling as it is about doing, and baring my soles is one of my favorite ways to do this, on my own or with my little ones.
Some casual, fun ways to send some toe-ga love to your feet with your kids (or on your own)?
Lie on your back, stretch your legs up the wall, and wiggle and stretch your toes.
Sit in baddha konasana (butterfly pose) and use your hands to stretch your toes, all at the same time or each on individually.
Play “This Little Piggy.”
Foot massage, with or without oil.
Play Toe-ga, as in the video above.
Kneel in virasana with toes tucked or untucked (or alternate both to stretch toes in both directions).
Pamper your piggies spontaneously, or make it part of a longer yoga session. Stretch them in the bath on long car rides (unless you're the driver), or while you sit around on the rug in the living room. Have fun:)
Jai to the little things in life!
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!