I have been teaching kids yoga for over 15 years and I always end my kids’ yoga classes with my song, “Namasté”. The lyrics are:

Namasté, thank you for today!

Namasté, glad you came to play!

It’s funny because I constantly hear myself jokingly apologizing to parents for my silly kids’ songs that get stuck in their heads. But for the love of kids, I have no shame…I think this song is so fitting!

How do we shift our busy mindset, be thankful, and be able to look at each other with eyes of gratitude? The lyrics continue with:

You are special.

I am special.

Namasté, thank you for today.

For me, these moments happen when I am able to slow down. Moments like the wee morning hours before the sun rises when I’m cuddling with my babes, during the pause in my day when I lay down and breastfeed my 3-month-old, or at night when my family and I reflect on our favorite part of the day.

In my work, I’m constantly trying to facilitate those bonding moments between parents and kids. To be honest, these moments are what I lacked growing up. I’ve learned that these are the moments that will not only shape our children but truly help us as parents to grow into the best versions of ourselves. If we are able to step back and be a witness, then we will see that these little ones are truly our little Gurus, constantly teaching us potent lessons and giving us so much love.

But how do we slow down into a mindful space and have these sweet moments of gratitude, when we enter into busy seasons? I don’t know about you, but I deeply feel the collective bustling energy of the world being FULL. Full minds planning and organizing every minute to keep our calendars full. We forget to make time for rest.

I personally would love to make this FULL shift with grace. Here and now is where I’m harvesting gratitude with yoga and mindfulness exercises.

Below you will find practices for parents, kids, and the community to incorporate more mindfulness into your life.

Parents

• Put one hand to your heart and one hand on your belly and breathe.
• As you breathe, focus on not only lifting your heart but bringing the breath all the way down to the belly.
• Inhale something you are thankful for and exhale the stress.
• Try this 5 times.

I know it can be hard to find the time but this can be done in your car, right before school pick up, in the bathroom, or right before you go to bed if these are the only moments you get alone. If I can do this with two little ones, so can you!

Kids

Now is the perfect time to learn the meaning of Namasté and the Prayer Mudra (Anjali Mudra in Sanskrit, this is where you join your hands in prayer at the heart center).

• Turn on the song “Namasté” from the Wee Yogis Play Album.
• Teach your kids to bring their hands together at their hearts and then listen, sing, and discuss the song.
• When the lyrics sing, you are special, guide them to point at you or anyone else in the room.
• When the lyrics sing, I am special, guide them to point at themselves.

Namasté means the divine in me bows to the divine in you. The lyrics of the whole song are:

Join your hands, by your chest 

Bow your head, to your heart

You are special

I am special

Namasté, glad you came to play

Namasté, thank you for today

The simple words remind us that we all have a light which is the inner teacher that guides us and makes us special. Our light and love connect us in this space of being thankful!

Together

• Before going to bed, ask your little one, what happened in your day that you are grateful for?
• And share with them what happened in your day that you are grateful for.

Answering this question together before your little one(s) are falling asleep can completely change their attitude about the day and month. This is a simple exercise that can rewire our brains to focus on the positive.

Community

As I’m constantly searching for new spaces that are supporting families with yoga and mindfulness, I was super sad to hear that Shannon, owner of Pomegranate Yoga, is no longer offering her program. Even with her farewell, she helped ignite a new community to grow. I would love to give a big hello and welcome to the Yoga Mama Co-op. They are offering monthly yoga pods for prenatal, new moms, and moms. You can learn more at yogamamacoop.com.

Play, connect, and grow,