Yoga: 4 Articles

Learn how yoga can help kids and teens become more mindful

Late Summer Relaxation

As summer winds down, many families are taking one last opportunity to rest and restore themselves before the fall rush. If you need a reason to encourage your kid to take it easy, August 15 marks National Relaxation Day.  According to the website, “National Relaxation Day advocates chilling out and promotes stress relief through meditation and other relaxation techniques. Managing stress requires relaxation, which leads to a clearer and calmer mind.” Relaxation means different things to different people. Magination Press has books that explore different approaches to relaxation including yoga, mindfulness, and meditation.  Bee Still: An Invitation to Meditation by Frank J. Sileo, PhD Bentley is a lovable, calm honeybee.  When the queen tells the bees to get busy, it sends them scrambling into a tizzy. But not Bentley. He chooses to be patient and wait. He decides to look for a place to meditate. Bee Still is a child-friendly introduction to meditation. Includes a Note to Parents and Caregivers with more ideas for introducing meditation into your child's life “Through this engaging introduction to the benefits of practicing meditation, children and adults will learn how to focus emotions and relieve stress and anxiety…" —Foreword Reviews Relaxations: Big Tools for Little Warriors by Mamen Duch This book uses gentle affirmations to improve and enhance confidence, self-esteem, concentration, and creativity. “So many kids are dealing with stress in many ways and it manifests itself in ways you may not expect. This book explores some of the basic concepts of relaxation and how you and your kids can find more ways to relax…. The visualization and breathing exercises were great and really allowed you to find an inner-calm within yourself. This is a great book that I highly recommend!” —Dad of Divas A World of Pausabilities: An Exercise in Mindfulness by Frank J. Sileo, PhD Told in rhyming verse and beautifully illustrated, A World of Pausabilities is an inviting introduction to mindfulness. Following a neighborhood on a summer day, readers will learn how to apply mindfulness to simple, everyday moments, and how days are filled with endless possibilities to take a pause. Includes a Note to Parents and Caregivers that further discusses mindfulness and ways to introduce pauses into your child's life. King Calm: Mindful Gorilla in the City by Susan D. Sweet, PhD, and Brenda S. Miles, PhD Marvin isn't like other gorillas. He doesn't stomp his feet and he never ever pounds his chest with a thump thump roar. Marvin is mindful. He's focused. He's calm…and he's about to teach his grandpa to be a king of calm, too! Includes a Reader's Note loaded with information about living mindfully and ways to become more calm, focused, and tuned in to the Great Big World around you. “King Calm is a wonderful gateway for teaching mindfulness to children. The narrative manages to give explicit instructions on being mindful without being pedantic or dull.” —Seattle Book Review Fantastic You by Danielle Dufayet There's one special person that kids get to spend

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Late Summer Relaxation 2021-08-11T12:45:49-04:00

Have a Calm Summer: Yoga and Mindfulness for Kids

Celebrate International Yoga Day with Bentley Bee. He'll be practicing all his favorite poses from Bee Calm: The Buzz on Yoga by Frank J. Sileo, PhD. And International Yoga Day is just the start. Bee Calm and other Magination Press books about calming strategies and meditation can help your child have a soothing summer.  Bee Calm: The Buzz On Yoga by Frank J. Sileo, PhD Bentley Bee sees his friends doing some funny positions in the garden. It's yoga! His friends teach him how to do several of the poses in this kid-friendly introduction to yoga. “This sweet book introduces yoga to children in a loving and engaging way. With friendly characters, beautiful illustrations, and a gentle rhyming cadence, it’s a joy to read, easy to practice to, and quickly becoming a favorite with our 2- and 6-year-old daughters.” —Jennifer Cohen Harper, Founder of Little Flower Yoga, Author, and Mother Check out Bentley Bee’s other books, Bee Still: An Invitation To Meditation, and Bee Heartful: Spread Loving-Kindness. Mindful Bea And The Worry Tree by Gail Silver Bea is anxiously waiting for her friends to show up for her birthday party. When the worries start to grow around her like tree branches, she uses breathing exercises and visualization techniques to calm herself down. “Children who struggle with anxiety will be able to relate to Bea and find some of the strategies helpful. It can help a child realize they are not alone and that others have the same worrying thoughts.” —Oregon Coast Youth Book Preview Center Relaxations: Big Tools For Little Warriors by Mamen Duch This book uses gentle affirmations to improve and enhance confidence, self-esteem, concentration, and creativity. Breathe by Inês Castel-Branco Breathe is a conversation between a boy and his mother at bedtime. But this conversation can happen at any time, in any place. This introduction to mindfulness presents a collection of illustrated exercises to help little ones become aware of their breath and their body. “With practice, the child discovers how these tools can rob fear and sadness of their power to keep us awake at night. This book speaks to children with the confidence that they can understand how and why attention to our breath is so powerful.” —Mindful A World Of Pausabilities: An Exercise In Mindfulness by Frank J. Sileo, PhD Following a neighborhood on a summer day, readers will learn how to apply mindfulness to simple, everyday moments, and how days are filled with endless possibilities to take a pause. “Sileo invites readers to explore the potential in "pausabilities"…he offers a wealth of ideas for how children and families can stay engaged in the present.” —Publishers Weekly Check out even more books for kids about mindfulness.

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Have a Calm Summer: Yoga and Mindfulness for Kids 2021-06-21T15:14:03-04:00
Mom laying face-up on a yoga mat while holding a baby and smiling

Introducing Yoga to Children

Children live in their bodies, and since yoga is a form of mindfulness practice that focuses on the body, it is a natural fit for parents and professionals who are teaching children to become more mindful. But contrary to common media portrayals, yoga is not about being able to achieve awe-inspiring, acrobatic pretzel poses. In fact, there is a saying that yoga is not about being able to touch your toes; it is about what you learn on the way down.

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Introducing Yoga to Children 2018-04-18T12:22:28-04:00