When I was pregnant with my twins, prenatal yoga class was a social outing I looked forward to at least four times a week. I felt strong mentally, physically, and spiritually and wanted to feed that energy to my growing babies. It was such an essential part of my ritual that I attended two days before I was scheduled to give birth; I had just turned 41 a couple of weeks before, and my girl-boy fraternal twins were born via C-section two minutes apart. After the invasive surgery and health-related challenges that followed, my doctors advised me to stay off the mat for up to three months. I was devastated. Although I knew my body needed to rest to heal, I thought yoga would help the regeneration process. I’d been practicing for 10 years before the twins were born, after all, and I’d started right after having a completely natural birth with my oldest daughter, who is 11 years older than her brother and sister.
Today, the twins are 6, and without hesitation, they’ll find a nice spot to meditate and practice yoga no matter where we are. It’s beautiful to see how these tiny humans know and deeply understand that they are energetic beings connected to Earth in more ways than one.
I’ve always wished I had learned yoga when I was a child, so I made sure to give that opportunity to my children. I’ve taught them to breathe with every movement, to go from pose to pose on the inhale and then the exhale. They’ve learned to use yoga and breathwork to calm themselves down. Sure, I still deal with 6-year-old tantrums and twin fights, but they usually de-escalate quickly when I remind them to return to their breath. I place my hand on their heart chakra and ask them to breathe deeply, to fill their belly up like a balloon and then empty it out completely. My hope is that these techniques also work for them during their school day when Mama isn’t there to put my hand on their chest – that they’ll use their own hands and learn to manage their emotions.
During Savasana, one of the final resting poses in yoga, the twins learn how to be present by using their imagination. I guide them through this relaxing pose by asking them to imagine their body glowing like a firefly. Next, I call out body parts for them to relax, beginning with the top of their heads and moving down to their toes. As they do this, there is little room to think about anything else, which means they are fully present in the moment. This is also an excellent way for them to prepare for a good night’s sleep before heading to school the following day.
Yoga is also great for setting the mood for their day, and it doesn’t have to take a long time. They’re only 6, after all; an hour-long yoga class can’t keep their attention. However, a 10- to 15-minute routine is exactly what they need to get centered and feel energized throughout the day.
Incorporating yoga throughout the day is also beneficial. Whenever we go to a park we’ll do poses that coincide with nature, like Tree, Star, Half Moon, and Butterfly. Trips to the library often include checking out a kid’s yoga book and then trying out the moves during story time before bed. Breathwork practice can also take place nearly anywhere, including the grocery store. As we peruse the aisles, checking things off our grocery list, we engage our breath by breathing deeply in for a count of four, holding for a count of four, and then exhaling for up to seven seconds. It becomes a game that we all enjoy!
One of the most important things that I want them to learn from practicing yoga is to honor the emotions they feel and have ways to manage them. This skill is beneficial at any age, but the earlier one can learn, the better. Yoga has helped them feel a stronger connection to self and the world around them. I continued my practice to show them the benefits without forcing them to do it with me. Early in the morning, I’d get my mat out and begin short stretches to wake my body up. Slowly, I’d see one or both twins get a mat and place it beside me. Eventually, this became our morning stretch.
In recent years, I’ve felt called to deepen my Kundalini yoga practice, which increases self-awareness and consciousness through breathwork, meditation, chanting, and movement. It’s typical to wear all white during the practice, including a white head wrap to protect the crown chakra. As I dress for my practice each day for 40 consecutive days, I always make sure my twins are present and watching. Their little eyes observe me getting dressed and wrapping my head. I often play calming meditation music as I do this and stop sporadically to pray by simply closing my eyes and holding my hands over my heart chakra. It wasn’t long before they started imitating me, and seeing it was so beautiful. These days, they dress up with white garments and head wraps, mimic the chants I recite, and sing the closing “Longtime Sunshine” song word for word.
My twins don’t have to be yogis for life or become certified yoga instructors like I did. Still, I feel it is essential to teach them yoga, meditation, and other mindfulness practices early on in their lives to provide them with tools for living a balanced life. This doesn’t mean they won’t face challenges; it just means they’ll know how to overcome obstacles without feeling defeated.
Zayda Rivera is a PS contributor. She has been a professional writer for more than 20 years. Z is a certified Reiki Master Teacher, a yoga and Zumba instructor, a mindfulness and meditation guide, a tarot reader, and a spiritual mentor.
