EK Vol 38 Nature & YOU!

First page Previous page 12-13 Next page Last page

Visit www.yoga4kids.co.za for more info on the Yoga4Kids Foundation’s outreach work. Thanks to the young yogis at iHATA Shelter, Heideveld, Western Cape for demonstrating these wild poses.

WILD YOGA

CAPS FOR TEACHERS

convex

We teamed up with Yoga4Kids to create new ‘bushveld poses’ for you to try out safely at home or in the classroom. Learn about these different parts of nature as you express them with your body. Even better: do the poses in nature. Getting started • It’s okay if you don’t have a yoga mat. Practise on any flat surface that isn’t slippery. • Sit cross-legged on the floor with your hands on your knees and eyes closed. • Breathe slowly and deeply as you relax and let go of all your worries... 1

concave

All levels (Science & PE)

Spotted hyena 1. Come on to all fours, with hands directly under shoulders and knees under hips. Your palms (sorry, paws) are pushed into the floor and your fingers are wide. Keep feet parallel behind you. 2. Breathe in and point your hyena’s snout up to the sky, making a deep arch with your back [see 2a ]. 3. Right, let’s show everyone why the spotted hyena is sometimes called the laughing hyena. Start cackling and giggling before you tuck in your tummy and round your back [see 2b ]. 4. Repeat as often as you like.

Baobab tree 1. Stand in a circle. Have your feet parallel and arms hanging gently at your sides. The circle represents the thick trunk of the baobab tree. 2. Shift your weight into your right leg. Place your left foot against your right calf or inner thigh (never on the knee!). 3. Connect palms with your neighbours to help you stand strong and tall. (If you are doing this pose alone, use a wall to help you balance.) 4. Keep your belly strong and your eyes focused ahead of you. 5. Repeat on the other leg. Keep your fingers wide to show the characteristic leaf structure of this baobab. Its scientific name is Adansonia digitata and digitata is Latin for ‘digit like’. You can see why!

Benefits : calming, makes spine more flexible, releases tension in the back Black rhino 1. Breathe in and take your arms out to the side, parallel to the ground.

2. As you breathe out, swing your right arm under the left, twisting at the elbows and trying to bring your palms together. This is your rhino horn. 3. Tuck your face into the arms and bend over. 4. Repeat with your arms crossed the other way.

Benefits : grounding,

Black rhinos browse

on bushes and trees; white rhinos graze on grass.

stimulates left and right hemispheres of the brain, trains focus and balance, stretches the upper body

Bonus pose! To move from baobab into umbrella thorn tree, just straighten out and link your arms at shoulder height – creating the umbrella shape of this beloved bushveld tree.

Bonus pose! To move from black rhino into white rhino, simply bend your knees some more

Benefits : stretches and strengthens shoulder area, improves coordination

and lean further down towards the ground.

10 EnviroKids Vol. 38(2), Winter 2017

EnviroKids Vol. 38(2), Winter 2017 11

Words Suzie Manson, Lara Potgieter & Renata Harper, Photos Alison Dingle

Made with FlippingBook HTML5