“My dear leg, you will have to hold me up…”
When teaching yoga to children you have to come up with ways to keep them focused, grounded and safe plus also interested in staying in the classroom and doing the next pose and then the next, and then the next still… And yes, make the experience lighthearted, yet meaningful, also make it fun, and … keep it all “up in the air” for the length of the yoga class – all 30 minutes or even 45, or even longer. You want to give your young yogis and yoginis some useful ‘tools‘ that they can use in their daily lives: making focusing on different tasks easier, getting over upsets and disappointments without tantrums possible, falling asleep on their own not a dreaded activity and so on. We use our breath, concentration, yoga games, positive affirmations, focusing (our gaze on something that does not move, and/or on our breath, and/or on surrounding sounds) to achieve all that. And of course, we all know that different poses deliver different benefits, too!
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While teaching the Tree pose, for example, you would concentrate on focus and balance as it is the best known balance pose! It did not occur to me that by teaching the Tree pose I was giving tools needed to make it to the end of a hike!
My story goes as this:
We usually start our preparation for the Tree pose with gently patting our one leg and saying out loud : ”My dear leg, you will have to hold me up!” We then step into that leg, placing the foot firmly onto the ground. Then we lift our other leg and let the tippy toes still touch the ground, while the heel is placed and then resting on the “firmly planted” leg. Then, when ready and focused, we let our arms “grow into the most beautiful branches of the trees…” and we always ask : ”What tree am I?” (As the time goes by we also learn to lift the other leg up, away from the ground, and place on the standing leg.)
I was delighted to receive a short video clip of one of my yoga kids, Sebastian, a wonderful 5 year old boy, teaching our Tree pose to his mom, who was in the middle of some stretching exercises after work. Play the Video And, of course, I am smiling a big smile when I watch the tutorial and can’t help but feel proud of the new generation of yoga teachers, helping their parents find their balance in the Tree poses and beyond.
A couple days later Sebastian’s family was attempting a local hike up the mountains and, when half way up Sebastian grumbled about being tired his mom reminded him of his strong yoga legs. So, apparently in those moments of exhaustion Sebastian started patting his legs and saying : ”My dear legs, you will have to hold me up…” and then continuing on up the trail. His determination and the strong yoga legs did hold him up and he made it to the top! I am sure I speak for everyone reading this and also everyone who has ever pushed and coaxed, and bribed and tried to somehow motivate a child to continue along the trail when the going gets tough, that we all feel gleeful knowing that he did it! And that yoga helped!
Thank you Sebastian, for remembering that when tired and doubting our own abilities and not sure how to keep going, we should take a deep breath and just say: ”My dear legs, you will have to hold me up!”, and then believe it, too! I invite us all to remember it!
And I am sure that with those reminders at hand (and at heart!) we will all make it to the top of that (or another) trail!
Written by Indra Strong, Certified Let It Go Yoga teacher
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Wonderful story!! Out of the mouths of babes…. Great lesson for our adult selves. Thank you for share the inspiration.
Indra, You are are spreading positivity and teaching life lessons where ever you go and whatever you do. Thank you for that! And this is a wonderful story and well told.
Thank you, Sanita, for your kind words. It is my honor and privilege to teach yoga to children. And as we all know, they teach us more than we can ever teach them! I am in the process of … for ever learning from “my yoga kids”. Namaste.
You are a gifted teacher Indra! It has been amazing and inspirational for us to see Sebastian apply Yoga in his life at such a young age.
Thank you, Miriam, for your kind words and for doing a marvelous job bringing up a wonderful human being! Thank you for trusting the process of yoga! Please, send my love and big hugs to Sebastian and good luck with his future adventures! Namaste.