By Karen Smith-Patton
Yoga has tremendous health benefits for children. It encourages body awareness, builds self esteem, and promotes relaxation. Frog pose is one of my favorite yoga positions. Kids love it because it is fun and silly! And while they are giggling and having a good time, they are increasing flexibility and strengthening muscles. There are a few variations of frog pose, and this is the one I like to use with my young yogis.
We start by sitting in our “criss cross apple sauce” position. Just like they would sit on the floor during story time at school. Then we take our right foot and put it on our left thigh, and our left foot on our right thigh. This is known as the “lotus position”. This is one of the fundamental seated positions in yoga, and we will use it often.
Next we place our hands and arms in front of our torsos. Begin to slowly lean forward, raising the tail bone off the floor, and balancing our knees. Wrists should line up directly under shoulders, and shoulders should not move over our hands. Hold position for ten seconds and then slowly return to Lotus.
Karen Smith-Patton is a new kind of fitness instructor with a fresh and fun approach on staying healthy! With over twenty years of experience in dance ranging from ballet, to Bollywood, and ten years of experience in teaching. She has worked with kids of all ages, all backgrounds and abilities. Karen has also taught competitive dance, and is an award winning choreographer.
Awesome job, Karen!