While I was taking my Yoga Teacher Training in Amman, my sister and her 2.5-year-old daughter, Noor, were visiting from Dubai. Every evening after I returned home from a long day of training, my niece excitedly greeted me at the door, jumping up and down and shouting ‘HOGA HOGA HOGA’ (meaning yoga in her vocabulary). She held my hand and pulled me to the living room where she demonstrated her Downward Facing Dog (a common yoga pose).

This pose was the only one she knew and learned entirely by herself just by watching me do it. And then it occurred to me: why don’t I teach her more poses? Besides, children are far more flexible than adults, so why not try? And from there, our bond over yoga was established. I chose some simple yoga poses and I figured that she would memorize poses with animal names such as ‘Upward Facing Dog’ and ‘Butterfly’ as well as those related to babies and children like ‘Child Pose’ and ‘Happy Baby Pose’. To my surprise, not only did she memorize the names and poses by heart, but she was so good at them too!

There are so many great things about practicing yoga with your children. For the younger ones, it is a creative way for them to make a connection to things they are already learning especially when it comes to animals and nature (many poses have animal-related names). Even if it was just one or two poses, it is something you can share and enjoy with your child. For slightly older children (say over the age of 5) yoga has so many benefits. It is a safe way for them to build body awareness, it helps with their strength and flexibility and refines their balance and coordination. Many gyms and yoga studios now offer ‘mommy and toddler yoga’ and ‘kids yoga’. If you do not have the time or resources to go to one, then just go on YouTube and you will find many videos to help you practice with your children from the comfort of your home. Noor and I both cannot wait to see each other again, we have so many plans for our yoga play time together.