A Family Affair

Practice yoga together and create a deeper bond with your family.

By Mary Bolster

It's never too early to introduce your kids to yoga, but making it fun is crucial. Charu Rachlis, a yoga teacher in the San Francisco Bay Area says her nine-year-old daughter, Shanti, is more eager to jump in when yoga is presented as a spontaneous, playful possibility rather than a disciplined practice. "When we go to the beach," Rachlis says, "I might say, 'Let's stretch or do a pose.' It's never an imposition."

Another strategy is to practice in front of your children. "Kids are curious and great imitators," Rachlis says. "They see you doing Downward Dog and they think, 'Oh, I can do that.'" But the experience goes far beyond the physical. For Rachlis, whose husband Sahajo also practices, the biggest benefit is the deeper love she feels for her family. "You feel each other's closeness," she says. "You melt resistance, and it brings you closer together."

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