Children’s Yoga Flow: Dance Theme

Let’s Have Some Fun! Children’s Yoga Flow: Dance Theme

Click here for the PDF version for a grid, which can be used for children’s yoga flows or in the driveway, using chalk to make the grid as shown with the names of the poses and playing “musical yoga,” which is similar to “musical chairs” except, when the music stops, the child not in the square containing the name of the pose just called or in the wrong square is “out.”

Another game is a youth empowerment game where parents are asked to cut out each pose from the grid and children create their own yoga flows by either “picking from a hat,” “scrambling” the cut-outs, or inventing their own moves and poses, which can be incredibly empowering.

Cues:

1.     Hero’s Pose (Virasana)

This will be our starting pose and I will explain that this lesson is focused on transitions and fluid movements much like a dance performance.

2.     Squat (Malasana)

The squat position we will think of a stretch before we begin our performance.

3.     Fish Pose (Matsyasana)

The fish pose will be the first position in our “dance routine” that we will use to open our chests and focus on the connection of our torso

4.     Bridge Pose (Setu Bandha Sarvangasana)

I will then invite the kids to flow into the bridge pose and have them focus on lifting their hips from the ground and using their shoulders as a balance agent.

5.     Wheel (Urdhva Dhanurasana)

From the bridge pose we will transition into the wheel pose which will be our first difficult trick of the “performance.” Since this is a difficult pose I will offer modification suggestions that are easier on the body

6.     Shoulder Stand

I will then invite the kids to lower their shoulders, place their hands under their hips and transition into a shoulder stand. This is another difficult component and may need slight modifications, but will be good for the children to focus on extensions much like they would do in a dance routine.

7.     Half Lord of the Fishes Pose (Ardha Matsyendrasana)

This next position we will transition to will be our ending pose of the performance. We will focus on rotation and opening up the chest to one side.

8.     Revolved Half Moon (Parvritta Ardha Chandrasana)

Next, I will invite the children to come to a standing position as they gear up to walk off of the stage. I will encourage them to focus on balance and switching between pointing their toes and flexing their foot before switching sides.

9.     Mountain Pose (Tadasana)

For our final pose we will use mountain pose as a breath of relief and congratulations as we have completed our routine and can focus on breathwork.