Teaching Your Two-Year-Old

Last night I was doing some yoga poses to relax before bed, and my two-year-old son started to copy me. He really seemed to enjoy it. Is this a good age to start showing him some poses? Which ones would be most appropriate? —Samantha from Vancouver

Read Gurmukh's reply:

Dear Samantha,

This is a perfect time for your son to start practicing yoga—if he’s interested, don’t wait any longer. At Golden Bridge, we take the children in our Mommy and Me classes through stretching and poses as early as six weeks of age. As they get older and become crawlers and walkers, they watch mom, and by the time they’re two, they begin copying the postures.

You might want to look for a Mommy and Me or toddler class in your community. Or buy a videotape to practice at home. There’s a wonderful book by Shakta Khalsa called Fly Like A Butterfly, which covers some simple poses that children can do, such as Tree Pose, Down Dog, Crow, Cobra, and Child’s Pose.

Most important, have fun! If your son sees you having fun, he’ll grow up wanting to do yoga for the rest of his life. Remember, children copy!