Do you get sleepy at the end of the day? Do you sometimes have trouble falling asleep? Yoga is a great way to relax and stretch before bed, and can even help you sleep better!
Join us on a relaxing bedtime adventure! Our yoga guide Kathryn will take us on a journey through the dark forest into a cozy bear cave. Listening to the sounds of the forest and nibbling on blueberries, we will become bear cubs on their way to sleep.
Parents, you and your kids can use this as a guide while you listen to the podcast. Or, try listening to the podcast first and going through the moves, letting your kids follow their instincts. Then, check back in here to see if their moves were correct.
Bear Breath:
Take a big long breath in through your nose, and reach both of your bear claws up to the sky. Open your mouth and let your air out, bear mouth open, while you lower your bear paws back down.
Blueberry Picking (aka Standing on Tiptoes):
Stand up on your bear toes and reach up high to get the berries at the top of that bush. Reach. Bend your knees and reach your paws in front of you to reach some berries down low.
Bear Crawl (aka Cross Crawl):
Come onto your hands and knees. We can take a few crawling steps.
Fur Patting (aka Seated Toe Touch):
Come into a seat with your legs out in front of you. Wiggle your big furry bear toes. Reach your furry bear paws up high. Pat the fur on one leg all the way down to your toes. You might need to bend your knees to touch your toes. Now try the other leg. Let’s reach your paws way up over your head again. Reach way up! Lean forward and pat your toes again.
Sleepy Bear (aka Child’s Pose):
Come onto your hands and knees and put your forehead down on the ground. Reach both of your bear paws out in front of you-- good stretch.
Hug pose (aka Apanasana or Knees To Chest Pose):
Roll onto your back. Give your knees a big bear hug. Maybe your body wants one more hug. Now, stretch your feet and hands out as wide as you’d like. If you need to move a bit more to get a little more comfortable, that’s ok. Now with your eyes open or closed, start to notice the sounds around us.
In this episode, we listened to the sounds of the forest and ate some blueberries before going to sleep in our bear cave. What is your pre-bedtime routine like? Do you like to listen to calming music, or eat a special snack? Having a routine before bed is a great way to get a good night’s sleep. After the episode, ask a friend or parent to write down a list of your bedtime routine. Make sure to add some yoga to your routine!
Teachable Moment Questions:
In today’s yoga adventure, the bear ate some blueberries before he went to sleep. A blueberry is a kind of fruit. Can you name at least 3 other fruits?
We learned a word that describes when a bear goes to sleep for the winter-HIBERNATE. Can you name any other animals that hibernate?
What do you notice about how you feel after you’ve had a really good night’s sleep? Or when you didn’t have such a good night’s sleep?
Bears like for their caves to be nice and cozy when they go to bed. How can you make your space nice and cozy for bedtime?
A fun part of a bedtime routine can be to recall good things that happened during the day, or to make a gratitude list. After naming a few, you may take a big breath in together, and send a great big “thank you” to all of your gratitudes as you exhale.