Tatty Bumpkin's Yoga-inspired Growing Flower Pose

By Sue Heron – Training Co-ordinator Tatty Bumpkin and Paediatric Physiotherapist

All this week in Tatty Bumpkin classes children have been having a go at the
'Growing Flower' pose. 

GROWING FLOWER POSE 

A little flower - swaying in the wind!

Grow from a tiny seed into a beautiful flower. What colour are your petals? 

Find a comfortable, clear space to do your Yoga pose with your child - a mat or clear area of carpet is ideal. Remember to take off your socks and shoes so you can both feel the floor accurately with your feet.

It's great if you can do the pose with your child as young children learn new movements largely by copying others - however - do respect your body - so only do the pose if it is comfortable to do so.  

• Start by curling up in a tiny ball on the mat or carpet - like a tiny seed - encourage your child to copy you. 
• Then make raindrop noises by drumming your fingertips on the mat in front of you - once again encourage your child to copy.
• Now you both start to grow into the most beautiful flowers! 
• Slowly uncurl and come up into the kneeling position with your child. Stretch your arms out to your sides and above your head - just like flower petals. See if you can bring your hands together above your head so your palms touching. 
• Say ‘hello’ to the spring sunshine and think about the colour of your petals – are they purple, red or spotted?
• If your child is older, encourage them to come up into standing - see picture above. Once you are both standing up, spread your arms out to either side and above your head as described above.

Why it is ‘Good For Me’

'Growing Flower' pose will help your child to:

• Progress their muscle strength - when your child does this pose they will be strengthening both their leg and arm muscles

• Improve their core stability - as your child uncurls and moves up to kneeling or standing they will be activating their core muscle groups i.e. their hip, abdominal and spinal muscles, as they spread their arms out wide they will activate their shoulder muscles

• Develop their balance skills – growing flower pose gives your child a great opportunity to develop their balance skills as they rise from curled position. Older children can grasp the opportunity to stand up without using their hands to help them - this move really improves balance! 

• Ignite their imagination & creative thought – encourage your child to think about:
• the colour of their petals
• the kind of flower they are 
• where they are growing e.g. are they a bluebell in a wood? Are they a jungle or a mountain flower? Or maybe they are a spiky desert cactus!

Doing activities with your child is a great way to bond with them. Research shows that children, especially boys, bond with others when they move with them. Doing 'Growing Flower' pose with your child can be fun and also give you the opportunity to activate and strengthen your own core muscles!

Love Tatty Bumpkin x

Spring Forward with Tatty Bumpkin in 2016

If you would like to find out more about our Yoga- inspired sessions nationwide please visit http://www.tattybumpkin.com/

Or maybe, you are thinking of a new career which gives you:

• The opportunity to work with kids
• A great sense of job satisfaction and
• Flexible working to fit around your own family

Find out how you could be trained to deliver Baby and Tatty Bumpkin classes in your area at http://www.tattybumpkin.com/business/index.html