5 Tips For How To Do Yoga with Toddlers

These last few weeks, I have been learning a lot about the benefits of yoga as well as how to teach yoga to a toddler.

Havona Madama of Tuesdays at Ten, Ltd. recently launched a new DVD, produced by Loft 49 Films, Inc., entitled TOT YOGA: Yoga for You and Your Toddler from 10 Months to 3 Years Old.

Tot Yoga is an instructional DVD for parents and toddlers to use together. Havona says it is the first and only DVD, which provides yoga instruction at this important developmental stage.

Even if you have never done yoga, you can do Tot Yoga.

The program is designed to benefit every level of experience. In fact, all the parents in the video have little or no yoga experience, and this video was shot live with the participants following the routine for the first time, specifically to ensure that it is easy to follow for beginners.

The more you practice, the more strength and flexibility you can achieve through this low impact relaxing routine, allowing the program to grow with you as you progress without changing the routine.

Following are 5 tips that demonstrate the best way to teach yoga to toddlers:

1. Get down on the floor and crawl. Crawling is one of the most important developmental tools young children have and they do it naturally. Parents can benefit from crawling as well.


2. Keep poses simple and don’t expect your child to follow along. Be willing to follow poses that your child creates, and give the pose a name, or let your child name it.


3. Act out stories incorporating yoga poses, many poses are named after animals, so children can imagine they are a cat that chases a monkey who becomes a frog and lands on a lily pad sticking out its tongue and taking a rest. The options are only limited by your child’s imagination.


4. Don’t forget that making noise is part of yoga, growl like a lion to exercise your throat muscles and relieve stress.


5. Get eye level with your toddler and call them by their name so they can focus. Give them small tasks to follow, which will lead to a more difficult routine over time.

To learn more about Tot Yoga, visit TotYoga.com. To purchase, click here or visit The Mom Entrepreneur Holiday Co-op Shop. The company is offering free standard shipping and free gift wrapping!

We continue our interview with Havona Madama the creator of Tot Yoga

Last week, I talked with Havona Madama of Tuesdays at Ten, Ltd. about her company's new DVD released December 2009 by Loft 49 Films, Inc. entitled TOT YOGA: Yoga for You and Your Toddler from 10 Months to 3 Years Old.

Inspired to fill a void in the marketplace and her own DVD library, Havona engaged Khadi Madama, a registered Yoga teacher and a Yoga therapist, registered with the International Association of Yoga Therapists (IAYT).

Khadi is a pioneer in the field of applied therapeutic yoga, and the host of a cable TV show, Yours Truly Yoga. She was tasked with specifically designing a program to meet the needs of toddlers and their parents.

The Tot Yoga program does not expect you to follow a specific routine with your child. No two sessions are exactly the same. By allowing your child to direct part of the program there will be plenty of surprises to hold their attention.

Havona heavily stresses parent interaction throughout her Tot Yoga DVD. "The importance of giving parents of toddlers techniques to use rather than a strict program to follow was immediately apparent. It was also clear that the program had to provide fun, interactive exercise to reduce the frustration of being a toddler and the parent of a toddler."

There are many benefits to teaching Yoga to toddlers:

• Promotes Calmness
• Reduces Stress
• Increases Confidence
• Improves Concentration
• Develops a Healthy Body

To learn more about Tot Yoga, visit TotYoga.com. To purchase, click here or visit The Mom Entrepreneur Holiday Co-op Shop. The company is offering free standard shipping and free gift wrapping!

Next week, Havona will share five tips and examples for how to do Yoga with toddlers.

TOT YOGA: New DVD teaches parents and toddlers the benefits of yoga

When my children were very little, I was not aware of any programs or videos for kids that offered yoga instruction. I didn't even know such an exercise even existed, so I did not search for any.

Recently, I had the opportunity to speak with Havona Madama of Tuesdays at Ten, Ltd. about her company's new DVD released December 2009 by Loft 49 Films, Inc. entitled TOT YOGA: Yoga for You and Your Toddler from 10 Months to 3 Years Old. I was fascinated to learn about her program and the many benefits yoga offers children, including relaxation and self esteem.

Tot Yoga, which focuses on traditional Hatha Yoga, is an instructional DVD for parents and toddlers to use together. It is the first and only DVD which provides yoga instruction at this important developmental stage. Tot Yoga encourages parents to use traditional yoga movements to increase exercise and reduce stress for themselves and their children.

Many failed attempts to timely attend the local toddler-preschooler yoga class, left Havona searching for a DVD instructional program she could do on her own schedule. To her surprise, all the DVDs were aimed at pre-crawling babies and children over 3 years old. She was inspired to create a program that would benefit a child from 10 months to 3 years old as well as the parent.

Tot Yoga refreshes and revitalizes all participants by creating a cool down for toddlers, promoting a post workout nap, and a warm up for parents, who are encouraged to continue the video for a complete workout and relaxation session while their child naps.

The video features three distinct sections:

1. The first section - Toddlers Teach Yoga - parents learn to mimic their child’s natural movements to create simple stretching and strengthening poses. Parents are encouraged to follow their child’s natural movements. This section focuses on younger children therefore most poses are on the floor instead of standing to avoid frustration.
2. The second section - Parents Teach Yoga - parents learn how to engage a child between the ages of 10 months and 3 years in focused and relaxing playtime exercise. These are primarily animal based poses that the parents can use to make a story and engage their child in playtime exercise.
3. The third section - Parent Yoga - parents follow a simple routine of strengthening and stretching poses intended to reduce stress and increase strength and flexibility. This section is meant for parents to follow when their child is napping or otherwise occupied. The DVD ends with a refreshing rest period.

To learn more about Tot Yoga, visit TotYoga.com. To purchase, click here or visit The Mom Entrepreneur Holiday Co-op Shop.

Join us next week when we will continue our interview with Havona of Tuesdays at Ten, Ltd. about her new DVD Tot Yoga and the many benefits for having toddlers do this type of exercise.