🌿 Nature Yoga: Exploring the Outdoors with Kids

June is the perfect time to take yoga off the mat and into the fresh air. With longer days, warm sunshine, and nature in full bloom, outdoor yoga becomes a simple way for children to move, breathe, and connect with the world around them.

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🌳 Why Outdoor Yoga?

Practicing yoga outside helps children:

• Feel more connected to nature
• Engage their senses (what they see, hear, and feel)
• Release energy while also finding calm
• Build mindfulness in a natural, playful way

Even a small backyard, park, or patch of grass can become a meaningful space for movement and imagination.

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🧘‍♀️ Simple Nature Yoga Flow

This short sequence invites children to connect movement, breath, imagination, and sensory awareness.

Each pose follows a gentle rhythm:

Move → Sense → Imagine → Say

Encourage slow breathing between poses and allow children to move at their own pace.

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🌼 Why Add the Senses?

Sensory awareness helps children:

• Stay present in their bodies
• Calm their nervous system
• Focus attention without pressure
• Connect movement with real-world experience

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🌳 Tree Pose — “Strong and Steady”

How to do it:

• Stand tall on one foot
• Place the other foot on your ankle, calf, or inner thigh
• Bring hands together at your chest or reach them upward

Sense:

• Feel your standing foot pressing firmly into the ground
• Notice small adjustments as your body finds balance
• Feel your breath moving slowly and steadily

Imagine:
You are a tree with strong roots growing deep into the earth and branches gently moving in the breeze.

Say:
“I am strong and steady like a tree.”

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🦋 Butterfly Pose — “Light and Free”

How to do it:

• Sit on the floor
• Bring the soles of your feet together
• Let your knees open wide like wings

Sense:

• Feel your knees gently rising and falling
• Notice the stretch through your hips
• Feel your breath becoming soft and even

Imagine:
You are a butterfly resting in a warm garden, gently opening and closing your wings.

Say:
“I am light, free, and full of joy.”

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🌸 Flower Pose (Low Squat) — “Growing and Blooming”

How to do it:

• Squat low with feet flat or heels lifted if needed
• Keep your chest lifted
• Bring hands together or open them outward

Sense:

• Feel your legs supporting your body
• Notice warmth in your thighs and feet
• Feel the ground steady beneath you

Imagine:
You are a flower slowly opening toward the sunlight.

Say:
“I grow and bloom and reach for the sun.”

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☁️ Cloud Stretch — “Letting Go”

How to do it:

• Stand tall with arms reaching overhead
• Gently lean side to side

Sense:

• Feel the stretch along your side body
• Notice your arms moving through open space
• Feel your breath expanding through your chest

Imagine:
You are a soft cloud drifting slowly across the sky.

Say:
“I can float, dream, and let go.”

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🐞 Ladybug Rest — “Safe and Calm”

How to do it:

• Kneel and sit back on your heels
• Fold forward and rest your forehead on the ground
• Let your arms relax by your sides or in front

Sense:

• Feel your body fully supported by the ground
• Notice the weight of your body softening
• Feel your breath slow and steady

Imagine:
You are a tiny ladybug resting safely on a soft leaf.

Say:
“I am safe, calm, and peaceful.”

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💛 Closing Moment: Gratitude in Nature

End by sitting quietly together. Invite children to place a hand on their heart and silently or aloud say:

“Thank you, nature, for helping me feel calm, strong, and happy.”

Take a moment to notice the sounds, air, and feeling of being outdoors.

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🌍 A Final Note – FREE eBooks for International Yoga Day

As we move through June, it’s also a wonderful time to recognize International Yoga Day (June 21st)—a global reminder of the benefits of breath, movement, and mindfulness for people of all ages.

📚 Explore our collection of kids’ yoga stories, designed to support mindfulness, movement, and imagination in a simple and engaging way.

👉 Download your FREE eBooks on June 19, 20, and 21

Featured Titles:

• The Impossible Dream
• Forever Friends
• Peace and Quiet
• Kahuhu
• The Magic Peach Tree
• The Wish Fish

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These resources are ideal for:

• Parents looking for calm, screen-free activities
• Teachers and educators
• Therapists and group facilitators
• Anyone supporting children’s emotional wellbeing

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🌿 Wishing you a peaceful International Yoga Day filled with movement, breath, and moments of calm.

XOXO,

Kathe and Mel

💦 April Showers & the Magic of Water 💦

April is a time of gentle change—rain taps on windows, puddles appear, and the earth begins to wake up. In yoga, the element of water represents flow, emotion, adaptability, and creativity. Just like rain nourishes the soil, water energy helps us soften, feel, and grow.

For children, this is a beautiful concept to explore. Kids naturally understand water—they splash in it, watch it move, and feel its calming rhythm. Water invites us to notice how we feel inside and to move with those feelings rather than against them. When children practice flowing movements, gentle breathing, and imaginative play, they learn that emotions, like rain, come and go, and that every feeling helps something new grow.

You can invite your child to think of themselves as part of nature: sometimes sunny, sometimes rainy, always changing. Yoga becomes a way to move like water—soft, steady, and free.

Before starting the story, try this simple Rain Breath together:

• Sit comfortably or stand tall
• Inhale, and round the arms overhead, lifting your hands up high like clouds in the sky, stretching your fingers wide
• Exhale, and slowly wiggle your fingers down like falling raindrops while making a gentle “shhhhhh” rain sound
• Let your hands fall all the way down to your hips like rain reaching the ground 

Repeat 3–5 times, inviting your child to imagine a light drizzle with a quiet, slow breath. 

This helps children connect breath with emotion and introduces the calming, flowing quality of the water element.

We hope you enjoy the following short yoga yoga story with your kids, please allow them to move through each pose as the adventure unfolds.

The Journey of a Little Raindrop

High up in the sky, a little raindrop rests in a big fluffy cloud, floating above the mountains.                                                            

(Mountain Pose - Stand tall, feet together, arms by sides)

The sun warms the cloud, and the raindrop stretches and gets ready to fall. 

(Upward Reach / Crescent Stretch -Reach arms up and gently stretch side to side)

Down, down, down the raindrop falls from the sky.

(Forward Fold Pose - hinge at the hips, fingers flutter to the ground like rain)

It lands softly in a puddle with other raindrops.

(Chair Pose - Bend knees, sit low, arms out in front)

The puddle begins to ripple and flow as more rain falls.

(Cat-Cow Pose - On hands and knees, flow between cat and cow, rounding and arching the back like water moving)

The rain soaks into the ground, helping a tiny seed wake up.

(Cobra Pose - lie on the belly and lift the chest like a sprouting plant)

The seed grows roots and reaches up into a beautiful flower.

(Low Lunge Pose -Step one foot forward, lift arms like a blossoming flower, repeat on the opposite side)

Soon, a whole garden of flowers grows, reaching toward the sky after the rain.

(Star Pose -Stand wide, arms open big like a field of blooming flowers)

The rain has passed, the sun is shining, and everything is calm and growing.

(Rest Pose / Savasana - lie on your back, arms and legs relaxed, eyes closed)

This playful sequence helps children embody the water element—learning that movement can be gentle, emotions can flow, and growth takes time. 

Remember, practicing yoga through storytelling not only builds strength, balance, and flexibility but also nurtures emotional awareness and imagination.

XOXO

Kathe and Mel 

Celebrate National Reading Month

March is National Reading Month, and it's the perfect time to reimagine story time as something a little more playful, calming, and connected. 

At A Yoga Storytelling Adventure, we believe reading can be more than just words on a page - it can be a moment to move, breathe, and connect with your child. 

Here are a few simple ways to bring mindfulness and movement into your reading routine this spring:

Make story time interactive 

Pause as you read and invite your child to share how they think a character feels, what might happen next, or how they'd move like the character. This keeps kids engaged and builds emotional awareness. 

Add gentle movement

Try reading a page, then acting it out with a simple yoga pose or stretch. Movement helps children focus, remember the story, and express themselves in a natural way. 

Create a calm reading moment 

Before you begin, take three slow breaths together and do one gentle stretch. A calm body helps create a calm mind - perfect for settling into a story. 

Take story time outside

Spring is a wonderful opportunity to read outdoors. A blanket, fresh air, and a few nature-inspired poses can spark creativity and joy. 

If you are looking for a story that gently supports calm, focus, and relaxation, you may enjoy Peace and Quiet, a mindful story designed to help children slow down and feel grounded. 

Grab the FREE ebook March 20, 21, and 22

👉Get it here >https://getbook.at/peaceandquiet

To support your reading routine, we've also created printable activities you can use along story time. 

👉 Download free printables here > https://www.ayogastorytellingadventure.com/freebies

However you choose to read this month, remember: there's no perfect way to do story time. The most important thing is sharing the moment together. 

Wishing you a calm and joyful spring!

XOXO,

Kathe and Mel 

💖 Celebrating Friendship, Kindness, and Honest Hearts This Valentine’s Day

 

Valentine’s Day isn’t just about chocolates and cards, it’s a beautiful opportunity to talk with children about kindness, honesty, and friendship. These are the values that shape how children relate to others and how they see themselves.

That’s exactly what inspired Forever Friends, a children’s yoga storybook created to help young readers explore meaningful life lessons through movement, imagination, and connection.

A Valentine’s Gift With Heart 💕

Forever Friends follows a gentle, wisdom story that encourages children to:

• Practice kindness toward others

• Learn the importance of honesty

• Build strong, supportive friendships

Playful yoga poses follow the storyline, inviting children to move their bodies, calm their minds, and reflect on what it means to be a good friend—both to others and to themselves.

More Than a Storytime

This book is perfect for:

• Families looking for screen-free connection

• Classrooms and libraries exploring social-emotional learning

• Yoga studios and educators teaching mindfulness in a playful way

By combining storytelling and yoga, Forever Friends turns reading time into an interactive experience that inspires calm, confidence, and compassion. 

A Meaningful Way to Celebrate Valentine’s Day

This Valentine’s Day, consider giving children a gift that lasts longer than candy. A story that helps them grow compassionate hearts and honest voices.

Whether shared at bedtime, in a classroom circle, or during a yoga session, Forever Friends is a reminder that love begins with kindness and grows through friendship.

👉 Learn more about Forever Friends and discover FREE resources at
www.ayogastorytellingadventure.com

XOXO,

Kathe and Mel 

A Thanksgiving Invitation: Roots, Reach, and Radiant Gratitude

 

As the season turns toward gathering, reflection, and thanks, I invite you and your family to a quiet moment of pause, a gentle stretch into the present, and a chance to let the spirit of yoga and gratitude guide your hearts. We begin by rooting and grounding, then opening and reaching, and we end with radiant gratitude.

Rooting

When we sit together at the table, we’re invited to root ourselves—feel our connection to the earth, the food, and the generous hands that prepared it.

This Thanksgiving, ask your children: “What supports you today? Who helps you feel safe and loved?”

Reaching

Once grounded, the yoga tradition invites us to reach upward—like a tree lifting its branches toward the sun. On this Thanksgiving, we open to gratitude.

Ask: “Who in your life has been a generous branch for you? What kindness has lifted you this year?”

Radiant Gratitude

Yoga encourages us to practice generosity with radiant gratitude. On Thanksgiving, we embody both giving and receiving: we receive with appreciation, and we give with love.

Try a simple family breathing exercise:
Inhale: “I receive.”
Exhale: “I give.”
Repeat three to five times, then invite your children to name something they’re thankful for—and someone they can offer kindness to this week.

A Gift for Your Family

Parents, you ground and lift your children. This Thanksgiving, you have the opportunity not only to cook, serve, and host, but also to model the deeper gifts of yoga philosophy: steady presence, openness, and generosity.

If you’re looking for a meaningful way to enrich your family’s Thanksgiving tradition and introduce yoga wisdom through story, consider adding The Magic Peach Tree to your home library.

It is a gentle, accessible story for ages 4–8 that weaves together social-emotional learning, mindful movement, and imaginative play. Humility, generosity, and abundance abound in this timeless tale.

✨ The ebook is FREE November 24, 25, and 26.
Get it here: https://mybook.to/themagicpeachtree

Then visit www.ayogastorytellingadventure.com for the paperback, plus free toolkits and printables to enrich the experience for children.

Make it a Thanksgiving tradition: read the book, practice Tree Pose, share your reflections, and carry gratitude into the week beyond.

May your Thanksgiving be full of grounded roots, reaching branches, and generous fruits of heartfelt thanks.

XOXO,

Kathe and Mel

Chumbala: A Halloween Yoga Storytelling Adventure

 

As the nights grow longer and the veil between seasons thins, Halloween invites us to pause and listen to the whispers of story and spirit. For children, this season often shines with playful costumes and sweet treats—but behind it lies something deeper: the magic of imagination, courage, and connection.

It’s that time of year again where I share the Latin-American folktale, Chumbala, at the Boys and Girls Club with kindergarten through second graders. Through story and yoga, we explore how light and shadow dance together, how breath can calm fear, and how the body can be a safe, strong home even when the world feels mysterious.

Each posture flows with the story—stretching tall like a spooky tree, folding forward and touching the floor, and breathing deep while reaching toward heaven. Together, we discover how yoga teaches us that every season, even the spooky ones, carries lessons of balance, trust, and joy.

Chumbala aka The Skeleton’s Ball is a lively folk-tale-in-song, where the skeletons gather as the clock strikes each number. It is so much fun!

With every chime, we move into a posture—matching each number to a yoga pose that rhymes with it. The nonsense chorus, Chumbala Ca, Chumbala Ca, Chum bum ba, repeats until the skeletons have danced their way through the hours.

This blend of rhyme, rhythm, and repetition offers children a way to celebrate Halloween in a way that is fun, mindful, and a little bit magical. Through story, song, and yoga, we discover how laughter and imagination can chase away fear, and how movement helps us feel grounded and free.

As the skeletons finish their dance and the clock rests at twelve, we are reminded of the passage of time and the way all things move in circles—day to night, seed to flower, beginning to end. Halloween helps us notice these changes with curiosity instead of fear.

Just like the seasons, our lives are always moving and transforming. By sharing story, song, and yoga, children learn that every moment is special, every breath is a gift, and that even endings are simply the start of something new. 

Happy Halloween!

xoxo

Kathe and Mel

p.s. If you'd like a copy of the story/song, contact us at movingtale@gmail.com

Back to School: New Beginnings

A new school year is like opening a fresh notebook — the pages are clean, the pencils are sharp, and anything can happen!

In yoga, we have a Sanskrit word for this feeling, sukumara which means beginner’s mind. Someone with a beginner’s mind looks at the world with curiosity, excitement, and an open heart — similar to the way a child approaches a new experience.

We’re here to help you encourage your little ones. When we roll out our yoga mats, each pose is a little adventure, a new experience. We might wobble in Tree Pose, or feel our spine wake up in Cat Pose. School is the same way, reminding us, some days will be smooth and easy, and others might feel wobbly. That’s okay. Wobbles help us grow stronger inside and out!

Yoga also teaches us to pause and breathe. When kids feel nervous about meeting a new teacher or making new friends, they can take a deep breath in, let it out slowly, and remember — every inhale is a new beginning, and every exhale lets go of worry.

As we step into this school year, think of it as a yoga flow:

• Start with Mountain Pose — stand tall and believe in yourself.
• Balance in Tree Pose — even when life feels a little wobbly.
• Be flexible like Cat Pose — ready to adapt to changes.

Every day is a chance to learn, share kindness, and discover something new about ourselves. Just like on the yoga mat, we don’t have to be perfect — we just have to keep showing up.

Here’s to a school year full of strong bodies, calm minds, and joyful hearts. Please enjoy this short “New School Year” yoga storytelling adventure with your kiddos! 

New School Year

Bree woke up early for her very first day at a brand-new school. She took a deep breath, stretched wide, and felt ready for the day.
(Mountain Pose – stand tall, feet together, arms by sides, breathe deeply.)

She peeked out the window and saw the sun climbing over the hills.
(Sun Salutation Arms – sweep arms up high, looking toward the sky.)

On the way to school, she passed a beautiful tree full of chirping birds.
(Tree Pose – one foot on the other leg, arms reaching up like branches.)

A friendly cat strolled by and brushed against her legs.
(Cat Pose – on hands and knees, round the back gently.)

When Bree reached the schoolyard, she saw kids running and hopping. She joined them, feeling light and bouncy.
(Frog Pose – squat low, hands on the floor, little hops.)

In the classroom, she sat  ready to listen and learn.
(Easy Pose – sit cross-legged, hands resting on knees, soft smile.)

During recess, her new friends invited her to pretend they were airplanes flying around the playground.
(Airplane Pose – stand on one leg, arms out wide, lean forward.)

At the end of the day, Bree lay down and thought about all the new things she had learned.
(Resting Pose – lie on back, arms and legs relaxed, eyes closed.)

This month the eBook, Forever Friends, will be FREE Thursday, Friday, and Saturday - September 4, 5, and 6. If you don’t already have this one, here is your chance to grab it — the theme is kindness, honesty, and of course, friendship! Perfect for Back to School. 

> Forever Friends

Teachers and homeschool parents check out the FREE toolkit and printables to enhance the adventure!

> Freebies

XOXO, 

Kathe and Mel