During my 200-hour yoga teacher training, I was a full-time preschool teacher. In order to process and integrate all of the information I was given, I taught it to my preschool students.

It all started one day when a student came to me and said, “Miss Katie, should we throw this elephant toy away? It’s missing a tooth.” And I said, “Oh no! We can’t throw this away. Do you know who this is? His name is Ganesh.” I sat the class down for circle time and did my best to retell the ancient Indian myth as best as my teacher told our YTT group. The children loved it.

I was terrified of teaching yoga to adults (which was required of me to graduate the program). So, I practiced on my preschoolers. They were great sports and did their best to mirror the complicated poses I was demoing – even when I fumbled with the words. From then on, all movement activities in my classroom centered around yoga. I’d even instruct them how to meditate before going outside or during transitions.

I had to be creative, and it was a lot of fun. But, I’ll admit, I was relieved and overjoyed when I noticed my yoga studio (Breathe Together Yoga!) carried Mariam Gates’ collection of children’s yoga books, featuring cleverly-sequenced poses, complete with rhymes and beautiful pictures. I immediately bought them all, and my students have since enjoyed them. Now, they’re my go-to gift for all the kiddos in my family. But, don’t take it from me; here’s what children of all ages have to say about them:

Yoga Friends

“I like when we put our backs together because it was so good.” –Maddox, 4 years old

“I like when we were feet-to-feet because we fell down.” –Ashlee, 4 years old

“I like the heart pose because we hold hands.” –Sylvie, 4 years old 

“I liked the part that we were staring in each other’s eyes – like a blinking contest.” –Christian, 5 years old 

“I like all the colors and the cute chickies. And I like that one of the books has all partners.” –Jackie, 7 years old 

Good Morning Yoga

“I like mountain pose because it’s very special.” –Alexa, 4 years old 

“I like this pose because it’s tree pose, and I like trees.” –Theo, 4 years old 

“I like how it shows all different climates and weather (not just sunny). If I was 8, I’d pick this [book] up.” –Elijah, 10 years old

Good Night Yoga 

“The tree pose was funny because we fell down.” –Jasper, 4 years old 

“It was so good, and I wish I could do it all the time.” –Makenna, 4 years old 

“‘Cause I just like yoga.” –Megan, 5 years old 

“I like that we were statues.” –Lucia, 3 years old 

Breathe with Me 

“I like this book because it rhymes, the illustrations are vibrant, and it’s all about breathing.” –Ruby, 10 years old 

“I love the marching one because it has a band.” –Alexa, 4 years old