Best Baby & Parent Yoga Poses for Beginners!
After adding a new baby to the family, getting back to our exercise and yoga practice can prove…challenging! As a mom to six, I am all too familiar with the trouble in finding the time, energy, and safe movements. As babies become mobile, the challenge steps up a notch too! Have no fear, I’m gonna share with you the best baby and parent yoga poses you can do right at home, the park, or the studio.
One thing to consider and accept early on-your exercise and yoga practice will need to be adapted to fit into this new era of your life. This means that the movements will differ, the speed will change, the duration and frequency will change too. That’s ok! After all, yoga is more than asana (poses). The sooner you give yourself permission to fully accept that 10-15 minutes of exercise and/or yoga asana is just as valuable as 60 minutes, the happier you’ll be and the more fulfilling the practice will be.
Now, onto my favorite yoga poses to do with your baby or toddler!
Airplane pose. Lie on your back, lift baby onto your shins, and engage your core as you breathe. Rack up those frequent flier miles! (note: baby should be able to hold head independently).
Tree pose. Hold baby on hip or in a carrier. Be sure to engage your pelvic floor (especially if you gave birth), squeeze the glute, and lift the rib cage. Grow together from here.
Plank pose. Place your kiddo slightly underneath you (feet under your gaze/eyeline) and with each exhale, give kiddo a kiss. If planking causes doming in your abdomen or arching in your lower back, opt for table top or an adapted plank with knees on the ground.
Wide-leg seated side stretch. Place baby on their back in front of you, or toddler’s back to you and stretch together while whistling (so they can feel your breath!). This is a great stretch to really feel your lungs expand.
Reverse warrior. Set baby/toddler on your thigh or let your kiddo drape themselves over for extra fun. Feel strong and grounded together as you strengthen your legs and stretch through your ribs.
Side plank. A whole-body pose that reawakens muscles long-forgotten! Place baby alongside you and smile at them as you narrate what you are doing or encourage toddler to reach up toward the sky as you both do the pose. Bottom leg can be placed on ground if you feel too much intra-abdominal pressure or feel like your alignment is not optimal.
Downward dog. Ruff-ruff! Stretch your back as you make silly faces and sounds at your kiddo. Mobile babies can crawl under the down-dog tunnel for some sacred play together. Be sure to breathe and interact with your kiddo to make it super special.
Upward dog. You have to stretch that chest and psoas after downward dog. Baby can be on a blanket in front of you so that you can flow, or your toddler can go on top of the tunnel (just be really mindful that they are not placing too much pressure on the spine and that they can be gentle).
Starting yoga with your kids in infancy can be really special and of course, models to them how important movement, self-care, and time together really is. Join us in our awesome group for short family yoga videos you can do right from home!
