spring

Spring Time Yoga Poses

girl in butterfly pose

Spring is such a magical time… and here in the Magical Garden, we LOVE IT so much! The weather gets warmer and flowers begin to bloom. It’s a time for bunnies, butterflies, and flying kites. Join us in celebrating spring with some of our favorite YogaKids poses!

 

Reach for the Sun

  1. Begin in by standing tall in Mountain pose.
  2. Breathe in and reach up high with an outstretched hand.
  3. Grab a piece of sunshine and pull the power into your solar plexus, your inner sun.
  4. Exhale with a “HAH” breath.
  5. Repeat with the other arm.
  6. Alternately reach with the left and right arms.
  7. As you practice, increase the force of your breath.

 

 Circle of Friendship Flowers

  1. Kneel in a circle with a group of your friends. Hold hands.
  2. As you inhale, reach your arms up, lift your buttocks off your heels, and stretch back arching your back and neck.
  3. As you exhale, continue to hold hands and fold down into Child’s Pose.
  4. Repeat a few times imagining all the different flowers that you could be.

 


Butterfly with Antennae

  1. Begin in L-Sitting pose, with your legs straight out in front of you.
  2. Bring the bottoms of your feet together, with your heels close to your body and your knees out to each side.
  3. Stretch your neck and the top of your head toward the sky and make your spine longer.
  4. Place your hands at the sides of your head and stick up your pointer fingers to make antennae.
  5. Pull your arms back like they’re your wings.
  6. Breathe in and out as you flap your wings forward and back, up and down.

 

Kite  

  1. Begin by standing tall in Mountain pose.
  2. Come onto your tippy toes and stretch your arms up and out to the side like tree arms.
  3. Lean to one side and stretch a leg out to the other side.
  4. Change sides.
  5. Play with your balance as you find your way and move with the wind.
  6. Feel your body flying like a kite!

 

Bunny Breath

  1. Get comfortable in a seated pose.
  2. Make your neck and back as long as you can, tucking in your chin slightly and letting your lower jaw relax.
  3. Take short, quick breaths in through your nose.
  4. Twitch your nose like a bunny. Then breathe out through your mouth with a long, smooth sigh.
  5. Repeat, increasing the number of inhalations and the length of your exhalations as your breath power gets stronger!

Learn more Spring Time poses as a Certified YogaKids Teacher!

Spring is in the Air

Cherry blossom tree in park

MATERIALS

  • Name tags
  • Crayons
  • Sharpies
  • Coloring pages
  • Ping pong balls
  • Straws

DISCUSSION POINTS

Spring is March 20 to June 21. When it’s spring in the northern hemisphere, it’s fall in the southern hemisphere (Australia). Share fun facts about spring (Ecological Echoes):

Reach for the Sun – We are closer to the sun in the spring.

Moo and Meow + Pigeon – Many animals have babies in the spring.

Polar Bear – Animals such as bears who hibernate start to wake up and become active.

Finger-Dancing/Salutations to Me – During April, you will see more rain showers.

Circle of Friendship Flowers – May the flowers will start to bloom.

POSES AS PATHWAYS/INTEGRATE THE ELEMENTS

Planting Seeds Yoga Flow

  1. Mountain – Stretch your arms up overhead and say “hello” to the sun and pluck some “seeds.”
  2. Ragdoll – Dig a little hole and plant the seeds.
  3. Standing Half Forward Bend – Lift halfway and pretend to pour water on the planted seeds.
  4. Ragdoll – Pat down the dirt around the planted seeds a bit more.
  5. Mountain – Clasp hands overhead, making a “sun” with raised arms.
  6. Repeat the previous poses one time.
  7. Low Squat – It’s time to see if anything has sprouted! Squat down low. I see something!
  8. Mountain
  9. Tree – Place one leg on the shin and grow your branches up. What kind of tree are you
  10. Repeat the transition from “squat” to “tree” on the other side.

Springtime Activities

Kite

Wind Chimes

Roller Coaster – Amusement parks are open in the spring, and many towns host festivals!

Butterfly with Antenae

Extended Butterfly

Bridge – Some people take trips in the spring to visit family!

WE ALL WIN

Ping Pong Ball Breathing – Give each child a straw. Blow a ping-pong ball around the circle by blowing.

VISUAL VIGNETTES

Print or draw flowers with 4-8 petals and have the students color in the flowers with a light color crayon, then write something they love about themselves on each petal.

QUIET QUESTS

The Cherry Blossoms – “My friend Rengetsu was returning from a pilgrimage when she stopped in a town to rest for the night. Although she appeared tired and hungry, each door she knocked on refused her lodging. As the sun began to set behind the hills, she hiked up to a cherry orchard on the hillside. There she made a little bed of leaves under the trees and fell asleep. But something stirred her in the middle of the night. A beautiful scent fell over her.

Pulling herself up from the sleep, she saw the loveliest of sights, the black sky behind dozens
of trees with pink cherry blossoms, all blooming radiant and shimmering in the moonlight. Rengetsu took in the beautiful experience. Then she turned toward the town, gave a little bow, and said, ‘Oh people of the village, thank you so much for turning me away tonight, for if you did receive me, and give me a place to rest in your home, then I would never have been able to witness such beauty!’” Imagine you are lying in the cherry blossom.”

CLOSING CIRCLE

Namaste

Fountain of Oms

Spring Daffodil Craft

Spring Daffodil CraftDaffodil Craft

We’re celebrating spring with a super easy and adorable daffodil craft.

What is Spring?

How do we know when spring begins? Spring falls around March 20 each year at the time of the spring equinox. An equinox happens when the duration of day and night are approximately the same length of time (12 hours day, 12 hours night) all over the world. So even though it might still be snowing where you live, the spring equinox will always happen at the same time of year, all over the world, because of the way the Earth tilts on its axis as it rotates around the sun.

Usually when we talk about spring, we are talking about the seasonal time when the browns and greys of winter begin to give way to colorful spring blooms, and new, green baby leaves and grass begin to unfurl on their branches and poke up from the ground. Even in places that do not reach freezing temperatures in the winter, and places that stay green all year ’round, spring brings big changes in weather.

Where I live now, in Southern California, it is green and cool most of the winter. It doesn’t rain in the summer here; instead, we have a monsoon season, in which most of our rain falls all at once during the winter, over just a couple months. It is mid-February here, and while some of my friends who live to the north of me are still getting snow, the fruit trees are already flowering here, and the weather is warm and balmy. Soon, there will be fields and fields of golden California poppies – the reason California is called The Golden State. Those poppies and many desert wildflowers are the spring flowers Californians enjoy, while you may see daffodils, tulips, crocuses, rhododendrons, or hellebore if you live further north. Do you know the names of the spring flowers where you live? The latitude of where you live affects what kind of winter you will have. Do you know how to find your latitude? 

In the summer here, it is very dry; so much that all the dried up grass in the foothills and mountains turns gold and remains dead until the first rains at the beginning of winter. When I was a kid, I lived in places like Texas and Indiana, where it rained throughout the year, and experienced what we think of as “traditional” seasons: an explosion of flowers in the spring after a long, colorless winter; hot, green, muggy summers; crisp autumns with changing leaves; and cold, sometimes snowy winters.

Those of us who live in the Northern Hemisphere (North and Central America, Europe, most of Asia, and northern Africa) call March “spring,” and September “autumn.” Did you know that, in the Southern Hemisphere (Africa, South America, Australia, and some southern islands of Asia), it is completely opposite?  Australians celebrate Christmas in the summer!

What is the weather like where you live? What time does spring come, and how do you know (meaning, do you know because you see specific flowers or animals that you do not see in the winter)?

Colorful Daffodil Decorations

What you need: 

  • Yellow construction paper
  • Paper mini-cupcake holders
  • Scissors and adhesive
  • Wood craft sticks
  • Green paint or marker
  1. Cut out the daffodil shape from the yellow paper.
  2. Adhere a cupcake wrapper in the center, to look like a daffodil’s “trumpet.”
  3. Color your craft stick green on one side and glue it to the back of the daffodil to make a
    stem. You may use more than one stick if you want longer stems.
  4. Curl the edges of the petals forward slightly.
  5. Put your daffodils all around to chase away the winter blues!
  6. Daffodils come in many shapes and sizes. Can you figure out how to make some of the colors of daffodil, pictured at the top of this article?

 

 

Spring Daffodil Craft

We’re celebrating spring with a super easy and adorable daffodil craft.

Different types of daffodils

What is Spring?

How do we know when spring begins? Spring falls around March 20 each year at the time of the spring equinox. An equinox happens when the duration of day and night are approximately the same length of time (12 hours day, 12 hours night) all over the world. So even though it might still be snowing where you live, the spring equinox will always happen at the same time of year, all over the world, because of the way the Earth tilts on its axis as it rotates around the sun.

Usually when we talk about spring, we are talking about the seasonal time when the browns and greys of winter begin to give way to colorful spring blooms, and new, green baby leaves and grass begin to unfurl on their branches and poke up from the ground. Even in places that do not reach freezing temperatures in the winter, and places that stay green all year ’round, spring brings big changes in weather.

(click for big picture)

Where I live now, in Southern California, it is green and cool most of the winter. It doesn’t rain in the summer here; instead, we have a monsoon season, in which most of our rain falls all at once during the winter, over just a couple months. It is mid-February here, and while some of my friends who live to the north of me are still getting snow, the fruit trees are already flowering here, and the weather is warm and balmy. Soon, there will be fields and fields of golden California poppies – the reason California is called The Golden State. Those poppies and many desert wildflowers are the spring flowers Californians enjoy, while you may see daffodils, tulips, crocuses, rhododendrons, or hellebore if you live further north. Do you know the names of the spring flowers where you live? The latitude of where you live affects what kind of winter you will have. Do you know how to find your latitude? 

California poppies

In the summer here, it is very dry; so much that all the dried up grass in the foothills and mountains turns gold and remains dead until the first rains at the beginning of winter. When I was a kid, I lived in places like Texas and Indiana, where it rained throughout the year, and experienced what we think of as “traditional” seasons: an explosion of flowers in the spring after a long, colorless winter; hot, green, muggy summers; crisp autumns with changing leaves; and cold, sometimes snowy winters.

Those of us who live in the Northern Hemisphere (North and Central America, Europe, most of Asia, and northern Africa) call March “spring,” and September “autumn.” Did you know that, in the Southern Hemisphere (Africa, South America, Australia, and some southern islands of Asia), it is completely opposite?  Australians celebrate Christmas in the summer!

What is the weather like where you live? What time does spring come, and how do you know (meaning, do you know because you see specific flowers or animals that you do not see in the winter)?

Colorful Daffodil Decorations

What you need: 

  • Yellow construction paper
  • Paper mini-cupcake holders
  • Scissors and adhesive
  • Wood craft sticks
  • Green paint or marker
  1. Cut out the daffodil shape from the yellow paper.
  2. Adhere a cupcake wrapper in the center, to look like a daffodil’s “trumpet.”
  3. Color your craft stick green on one side and glue it to the back of the daffodil to make a
    stem. You may use more than one stick if you want longer stems.
  4. Curl the edges of the petals forward slightly.
  5. Put your daffodils all around to chase away the winter blues!
  6. Daffodils come in many shapes and sizes. Can you figure out how to make some of the colors of daffodil, pictured at the top of this article?

 

 

Spring Cleaning Your Soul

Butterfly on a flower

OBJECTIVES

Celebrate spring with fun poses and learn how yoga cleanses our bodies and relax! The children will have fun while we discuss how yoga cleanses our bodies.

MATERIALS

  • Music player and prepared music
  • Mats
  • Baby wipes
  • Ccarves
  • Audubon songbirds (that really sing!)

CREATE THE MOOD AND TONE

Give each child a baby wipe and let them clean their mat while we talk about spring cleaning. Have you heard of “spring cleaning” and do you know what it means? On the first warm days of spring, you clean your house to get rid of all the dirt and spiderwebs that have collected over the winter. To make your house like new, like how nature renews itself each spring, with flowers blossoming, plants growing, birds singing and making new families, etc. Do you think that YOGA can cleanse your body in the same way? Can yoga massage our insides like you wring out a sponge?

CONNECTING CIRCLE

  1. Say the YogaKids Pledge together.
  2. Introduce the theme: “Spring Cleaning!”
  3. Signs of Spring: Start by talking about signs of spring.
  4. Ask kids about the signs of Spring. Do poses as they come up in conversation:
  • Hibernating animals wake up. (Neck Roll)
  • Flowers bloom. (Circle of Friendship Flowers)
  • Days are longer. (Sunrise/Sunset)
  • Days are warmer (Sun Salutations)
  • Birds migrate. (Stork and/or Flamingo)
  • Butterflies emerge. (Butterfly with Antennae)
  • Trees bloom. (Tree/Leaf)

POSES AS PATHWAYS/INTEGRATE THE ELEMENTS

Every pose we will do today will help us learn how yoga cleanses our mind and body. Pure thoughts, good feelings, and the cleanliness of the body are all part of yoga. While taking a bath cleans the outside of the body, the yoga poses and breathing help rid the organs of toxins/impurities and our minds of impure thoughts. The poses will either give our insides a gentle massage or help us stretch our bodies so that we can give ourselves a “spring cleaning” in every way possible.

Untying the Knots, Shake like Jelly, Ragdoll Ann and Ragdoll Andy – After the winter, do you feel like your body is tied up in knots or your mind is full with cobwebs? Let’s loosen up, untie, shake, flop, relax, and dust off our bodies! Body Benefits

Sun Salutation – The days are getting longer & warmer — feel the sun on your face! Play Here Comes the Sun by Sheryl Crow. This Sun Salutation exercises the organs: the stomach, liver, kidneys, and heart. It also improves concentration and removes fatigue! Ecological Echoes, Body Benefits

Savasana – Lie still, breathing in clean fresh air, and breathing out old, stale air. Let your body renew itself like spring is renewing nature. Feel your body becoming more calm and balanced with each new breath. Continue focusing on your breath as you listen to the birds singing in background. Quiet Quests

Twist and Blow – Give your kidneys, liver, stomach and intestines a massage by twisting to one side and blowing to the other. Play Turn, Turn, Turn by the Byrds. Awesome Anatomy, Musical Musings

Birthday Candle – Let’s give our heart a little workout in this shoulder stand. Did you know your heart beats over 100,000 times a day? Thought to be one of the best yoga poses because it helps balance the chemicals in your body (your endocrine system). Let’s count by 5’s til we reach 100! Awesome Anatomy, Math Medley

Plough –Let’s open up our hearts and breathe through this pose. While we are holding this position, let’s count by 10’s til we reach 200! Math Medley

Bubble Fish – This is a great heart opening pose that also helps keep the abdominal organs healthy and helps stretch your thyroid, which controls heart rate and the speed at which your body works! Body Benefits

Table  of Contents – Ready for some yogi tea to cleanse our bodies! Let’s drink our yogi tea. (Do it as a partner pose with 1 child as table and the other child as the chair.) Bridge of Diamonds

Bug-Pickin’ Chimp – Let’s finish by helping each other get nice and clean. Can you help your friend  — like chimps do? Find some bugs and nits, pick some and pretend to eat them. You’ve cleaned and fed yourselves, too. Now reward yourselves with a banana. We All Win

QUIET QUESTS

Read Relax Kids, Light Meditation by Darsak Shah as we imagine our bodies and minds cleansed and filled with positive energy.

CLOSING

Bridge of Diamonds

Namaste Song

Morning Glory

Happy spring, my bendy friends!

The first day of Spring is Friday, March 20, so I thought we could celebrate with a pose based on one of the flowers from the garden.

In the Yoga Garden game, you will see this pose listed as Morning Glory.

Morning glories are climbing plants that grow up, up, up toward the sun. At sunrise, morning glories bloom with delicate blue, red, white, pink and purple flowers. The beautiful blooms only last for a few hours before the edges of the petals start to curl up, and by late afternoon, most morning glory flowers will be closed.

Then they wake up and do it all over again!

Morning glory is one of my favorite morning time poses.

Instructions:

Start out in child’s pose, like this:

childs pose

Then, grow like a morning glory…

morning-gloryLift your face up to the sun, and sit upright with your legs still folded beneath you. Lift your hands high and wiggle your fingers like leaves in the wind! Take deep breaths and wiggle like a vine. This is a great way to wake up and energize in the morning before school.

Good morning, morning glory!

Morning Glory

Morning Glory Illustration

Instructions

  1. Begin in Child’s Pose.
  2. Lift your face up to the sun, and sit upright with your legs still folded beneath you.
  3. Lift your hands high and wiggle your fingers like leaves in the wind!
  4. Take deep breaths and wiggle like a vine.

 

Activity Ideas for Home or Classroom

This is a great way to wake up and energize in the morning before school!