Yoga Sun Salutations for you and your friends!
Copy the pictures to do these 12 poses. See if your grownup will do the poses with you! Do your best - it doesn't have to be perfect!
By Leslie Flynn, Ayurveda Health Coach Have you heard of yoga ? Yoga is a type of exercise that began in India more than 3000 years ago! Today, people all over the world practice yoga because it does so many good things for our bodies. You might have even done some yoga at your school! What makes yoga extra special is that it not only helps our bodies become stronger and be limber (or flexible); it also calms our nervous system when we practice the yoga poses. The nervous system is made up of our brain, our spinal cord (or back bone), and our nerves. Our brain and nerves "talk" to each other, allowing us to move our muscles, breathe, and do all sorts of important things (like kick a ball!).
Yoga poses! Yoga poses are called “Asanas” in Sanskrit. Sanskrit is a language that began in India. Many of the yoga poses have Sanskrit names. These Sanskrit names are really “sounds” in the Sanskrit language. The sound of a Sanskrit yoga pose is said to be what calms you and makes you feel good during the yoga practice. Isn’t that interesting?
Sun Salutations! The Sun Salutations are twelve poses that energize your heart and strengthen your body but also keep your brain steady and focused. Doesn’t that sound great?
The word " salutation " means to greet someone, so, we are saying hello to the sun with these 12 yoga moves! You can do the Sun Salutation just about anywhere -- at home, in a park, or at the beach! In our next article, we’ll share more Yoga Poses with you that are practiced standing up and sitting on a mat or on the grass outside. You can practice with your friends too!
