Family Yoga at the Lake- Private Session

Last week I had the pleasure of visiting a friend and her two girls (ages 8 & 9) at their new Lake House in New Hampshire.  The girls haven't practice Yoga before and we thought it would be fun to practice outside in front of the beautiful lake! 

It was a bit of an informal session.  We went over the breath work while sitting around the kitchen table in side.  It was interesting because right before I got there, the little one was having a rough day and having a bit of a meltdown.  We went over the different breaths for when you are angry, need to settle down from having too much energy, and are sad and need to refocus yourself.  After teaching and practicing the breaths, I checked in to see how they were feeling.  The oldest flopped down on the floor with her eyes closed in a relaxed slump.  I told her, "that's exactly what it's supposed to make you feel like!"  Then I told them how I felt (after practicing and modeling with them), "my shoulders are really light and I feel a bit sleepy.  I could probably lay down right now and feel completely calm."

After practicing breath-work, songs, and showing my magic mist (lavender essential oil and water)- we were off to the backyard to practice asanas.

It feels so great to see children be patient and listen to the directions.  They try the pose and if they do it, there is so much excitement and feelings of accomplishment.  If they don't do the pose right away, they keep trying! I take the time to model and show them step by step the set up and how the pose is supposed to feel with some gentle adjustments.

If you look close at the photos, you can see the girls looking at me to make sure they are hearing the directions correctly.  They are also looking at each other and it's pushing them to work together!  I loved every minute of this session!