“I Can Be” - A children’s book about yoga

How can today’s parents teach their children to slow down when they themselves are typing on their laptop, constantly using their smartphone, or “unwinding” in front of a television bombarded by product placement and savvy commercials? I know that I am guilty of trying to get in one more post on Facebook or typing a “quick” email on my blackberry. Yoga can be a great resource to help both parents and children learn how to slow down and bond together as a family. But, how to squeeze a family yoga class into the already jam packed schedule? Read a book or two. I started a project about highlighting my favorite children yoga books on this blog for parents looking to introduce their families to the teachings of yoga.

Today, I had the pleasure to use I Can Be: A Child's Whimsical Introduction to Yoga by Christine Sumner in my toddler family yoga class for the first time, and the response to the book from both the parents and the little yogis was phenomenal. I Can Be is a great tool for parents and teachers to introduce children to the wonders of yoga. It goes through obvious poses like downward facing dog, but the most impressive pose was a simple practice of meditation and the title of the book. As we got to the page about “being,” the yogis and parents all sat down with legs crossed and stayed silent for...a moment! We could have heard a pin drop in that short wonderful moment! In a class with toddlers with lots of energy, that was quite a feat to have accomplished. We reinforced this accomplishment cheering the little yogis on with positive reinforcement that it is great to just “be” for that moment. The little yogis are special indeed and taking time to slow down and read to your yogi about how great it is to “be” is a sound investment to bond with your child in the ancient art of yoga.