This is how I do Yoga with my Toddler

I like to do yoga with my kids, especially Cocoa Puff. Yoga is GREAT for kids, even toddlers... even if they don't "do it right." 

We do a lot of the Warrior poses together. Froot Loop has a pretty good handle on it, and Cocoa Puff is TRYING! Haha... look at him try to do the squat part! Warrior 1 and 2 are great poses for kids to try. And of course, "Warrior" is FUN, but I like to portray that these poses are STRONG poses and it helps make them STRONG! 

Well, Cocoa Puff prefers to do Downward Dog this way, and interrupt Mama by giving big, sloppy kisses! Actually, I think I prefer this way too! Both of the boys CAN do Downward Dog well enough, and it's another good one to try. If they can't quite do it, then of course, Forward Bend is just fine. 

Seated Forward Bend is another good one for kids to do... it helps increase flexibility in their hamstrings. Since Cocoa Puff is still so little, he sort of sits in my lap and we forward fold in towards each other, except when he decides to be silly and fling himself backward into corpse pose. Then we LAUGH. 

Another good pose for kids is cobbler pose and/or easy pose and/or figure 4 pose.  Cobbler pose is sometimes also called butterfly, and both knees are bent, pointing outward in opposite directions. Easy pose can also be called "criss cross applesauce". Figure 4 pose has one leg extended, and the other one bent, like Cocoa Puff is doing above. Of course, he was still in silly mode, and kept flinging himself backward, but he still got a good stretch in. Make sure you do both sides. 

I finally got him to do a good wide-leg seated bend by turning him around and helping him gently into the pose. 

We always end our yoga with corpse pose, and he's started doing his on top of me. Whatever. It's funny and it's cute and he relaxes a lot more this way. 

When I've tried to do yoga without him, like doing some lying down poses, he will "attack me!" Silly boy. 

He just plopped his big ol' little belly right on top of me and started giving me kisses. 

I love that little boy.

Anyway, some other good poses for kids to try are cat/cow pose, tree pose, boat pose, chair pose, and childs pose. My kids especially enjoy cat/cow pose. They even add the animal noises when they do them! And we like to pretend to be different kinds of trees when we do that pose. Standing balanced on one leg is SO good for kids and developing their gross motor skills. 

Do your kids work out with you?