‘ONE, TWO, THREE, THIS IS THE UNICORN POSE, YOUR MUMMY DOESN’T EVEN KNOW ABOUT! Good Vibes, Love & Kindness: Wag your tails, and stroke a unicorn pose to send good vibes to the Universe!’ We’ve been watching the (highly-recommended) Yoga for Kids with Alissa Kepas video by Alo Yoga and read quite a bit on Yoga International so here’s seven tips to help practice yoga with your kid on the beach or on the mat wherever exotic that might be, yay!

Create a lesson plan but be ready to change things up! Arriving prepared with a theme, pose list, and complementary games and stories (as opposed to, “So…what do you guys want to do today?”) sends the message that yoga class is not a free-for-all. But don’t be too rigid. Gauge the energy of the room. If the kiddos are antsy, skip the story and go right into a warm-up game.

Ease up on alignment. Alignment doesn’t matter, movement does! Are they safe? Are they having fun? Great! No need to be picky. Your aim is to give kids a positive experience of yoga, not to ensure that everyone’s front leg is at a perfect 90-degree angle in warrior II.

Act out animal and plant poses with younger kids: ‘Round your spine, look at your belly… this is called 'cat pose’ - let me hear you say what a cat says, meowww. 

Accompany class with sound (instrument, nature sounds, cool music): this could be a xylophone, a gong or simply the sound of the waves...

Deep Meanings in Simple Poses That said, use your audience to nourish their (and your) imagination, ask for your childrens’ insights, and then genuinely listen to what they have to say, ‘Do you know there’s strength in being kind?’ In Yoga, there’s lessons to be learnt via body movement so kids' responses can be great chat-starters…

Be Playful and… well, inventive. ‘Aeroplane wings got them? Make sure they are really strong so you can fly!’ 

Use Kid-Friendly Positive Feedback. While positive feedback is important, “good job” loses all meaning if you utter it after every asana. Cut back on open-ended affirmations and offer specific feedback instead—as in “Wow, Mike, your back leg is super-straight and strong!”