Boat Pose

Sit down with knees together in front of you. Extend arms straight out in front of you, near your knees. Lift your toes slightly off the ground and find your balance on your bottom bones. Once balanced, try and straighten your legs out fully. Strengthens core muscles, tones kidneys.

Here’s an idea!
• Sing ChildLight Yoga’s ‘Row Your Boat Song’ while moving your arms in a rowing motion.
• Inflate your float boat. Start off as a deflated float (Ball Pose) with your arms wrapped tightly around your legs, head down on knees. Very slowly, inflate your raft boat with each deep breath – all the way into boat pose. (Note: Young children often want to rush to inflate and may take in too much oxygen. Skip the deep breaths with little ones and again, encourage a very slow transition with all ages.)
• Rock the Boat – Roll into Ball Pose and try to come up and balance back in Boat Pose. For even more of a challenge, hold the toes or feet in Boat Pose, roll back and come to sitting Boat balance. Very challenging – great for older children.
• Half Boat – From boat pose, lower yourself half way down using your stomach muscles. Hover, hover, hover...then, SAVE YOURSELF from sinking by pulling back up into full Boat Pose. Can you do it again?

Could also be: LEAF, BOWL, SLEIGH, NEST, CUP, BOOMERANG

Excerpted from the ChildLight Yoga Teacher Training Manual, copyright 2007, 2008, 2009 Join us for our next training - CLICK HERE.