1. Yama
Question: Can you explore the 8 limbs of yoga with a young family?....YES, YES Absolutely YES. In this series I will be offering ways for Yoga to enhance your family life not just the time you are exploring Asanas (postures).
1. Yama. this is the first limb of Patanjali's 8 Limbs of Yoga.
There are 5 strands to the Yama which are here to enhance our integrity, ethics and HOW we practice our yoga.
non-violence
truthfulness
non-stealing
self- restraint
non-hoarding.
Lets translate how we can begin to explore this within a family with young child/ren.....
Story yoga
When selecting story books you may like to look out for ones that offer narratives around enhancing the Yamas. Incorporate this into your yoga and your discussions around the story and characters. Read it and act it out from the perspective of different characters, explore feeling the characters may have and feelings we may have as the reader......basecally just S L O W it down. Read the book once as you do any of your story books, read it the second time adding in your asanas and the 3rd time start to drill down into the narrative, characters etc more.
Games
sharing games and turn taking games are all great for exploring the essence of the Yamas with young children. Also wait, stop and go games are wonderful for practising self restraint.
Family Promises
Instead of 'Family Rules' I am calling this 'Family Promises'. Creating this with your children and using their words within your Promise Paper (which you can decorate and display) is imperative! Use this as a positive guide for EVERYONE!!! This is for you the adult as much as for the children so let them pull you up on your mistakes and use this as a way to model how to graciously communicate, accept, understand and re-build.
We want to positively guide our children, so if they make a mistake with one of the promises we want to teach and expand their experiences and thinking on this. if we look at things from all the angles, listen to our children's voices there is so much space for not only our children to learn but for us as adults to expand. I am going to explore this with my gang as part of our New Year celebrations.
A note on yoga parenting:
This is very much about tuning into the rhythm of your child. listening to them and understanding the what (what has just happened here - e.g my child is screaming = communicating) so you can clearly see the why (why has this happened) and then the how (how you can comfort, assist, guide/explore).
non-violence and truthfulness are what we are constantly exploring with our children and through yoga you can enhance this through story yoga, yoga games and yogic communication.
Aparigraha (non hoarding) for young children is tricky because they are starting to connect with the world around them in a way that is anchored in a sense of self. Rather than trying to get them to separate with their belongings to take to a charity shop lets take the pressure of and scale it back to phase 1 which is modelling to them. Take a look around your home, what bits and bobs do you NOT NEED? what clothes do you not wear?..... collect these up into a pile (as you do so be talking your way through the process so your kids can hear). Invite your child to help you bag it up and take it to the charity shop....... model to them talk to them about what you are doing and why. Don't rush this. You may want to sit down and really chat about it.
The Sanskrit word ‘Parinamavada’ is the teaching that ‘everything is in a constant state of flux’. Change is ALL around us, it is our life, second by second changes are occurring. Aparigraha can free us!! It can take us out of the constant per-suite for the end goal and instead allow us to focus on the moment. In the moment, in those tricky parenting moments, just LET GO of all the baggage and the expectations that drag around behind you. CUT THEM LOOSE, and listen to your gut, your soul your heart……..get out of your head, your ego, the ‘poor me’ voices and just be in the moment, be the universe that you are to your child.
xx Colette xx
Id love to hear how you get on with exploring your Yama at home and what wonderful ways you create yourselves to incorporate this limb into your child's life experience.
Get in touch;
Insta: @colettebruceyoga
If you love exploring yoga with your family why not branch out and train to teach Preschool Yoga for 2-5year olds! Check out the Diploma that my Teacher Training course is part of with Blossom & Berry
contact blossom and berry: admin@blossomandberry.com
