Living the 8 Limbs of Yoga with Toddlers
I added another book to the Living the 8 Limbs of yoga series. This one is an eBook all about the toddler years, only available here in the shop. A long time ago I wrote a book entitled Lifespan Yoga®: Developmental Psychology Meets the Practice and Teaching of Yoga, Newborn to Age 18. I was inspired to organize my work by the life stages set forth by psychologist Eric Erickson. I spent a lot of time in that book on childhood development, especially the toddler years as they pose a challenge to parents. That old book is archived now, but I decided to add Living the 8 Limbs of Yoga with Toddlers to my 8 limbs series as an eBook.
The toddler years are not a reason to quit yoga. They may be one of the best reasons you’ve ever had to fully live it.
Here’s what struck me when I started writing about this: every single one of those eight limbs maps directly onto the experience of raising a toddler (and parenting in general). Not metaphorically. Literally. Let me show you.
A Sneak Peek: Limbs in Action
Limb 1 Ethics — Yamas
The first limb is a set of moral guidelines — nonviolence, honesty, not taking what isn’t yours. Sound familiar? It’s basically the job description of every parent teaching a toddler to share toys, stop hitting, and tell the truth. The twist is that the practice starts with you. Toddlers don’t do what you say. They do what you do. Every time you model compassion, patience, and honesty — even imperfectly — you’re practicing the first limb of yoga. And planting seeds your child will grow into for the rest of their life.
Limb 4 Breathing — Pranayama
Have you ever seen a toddler hold their breath to get attention? They’re accidentally discovering something yogis have known for centuries: the breath is something you can control, and controlling it changes what happens around you. You can turn this into one of the most fun parts of a toddler yoga session. Try bubble blowing — slow, steady exhales, exactly like a pranayama exercise. Or put a stuffed animal on their belly and ask them to make it rise and fall. They think it’s a game. It is also yoga.
🧸 Belly Breathing for Toddlers (2 minutes, any time)
- Ask your toddler to lie on their back (or on your lap — however it works today).
- Place their favorite stuffed animal, rubber ducky or toy boat on their tummy.
- Say: “Let’s make the toy go up and down like a boat on the ocean!”
- Breathe in together and watch the toy rise. Breathe out and watch it fall.
- Do it 5 times. That’s it. That’s pranayama.
Free Coloring book when your child begins to color:
All these books are in the shop as pdf and/or on Amazon if you like paperbacks
The 8 Limbs of Yoga Journal (2016)
Living the 8 Limbs of Yoga (2021)
Living the 8 Limbs of Yoga with Baby (2022)
Living the 8 Limbs of Yoga with Kids (2023)
The Kids book includes 3 coloring books.