What is cat yoga for kids?

Cat yoga for kids is a playful mindfulness-based movement class where children explore yoga poses inspired by animals, especially cats, while building body awareness, balance, strength, and focus through imaginative play and storytelling.

How does animal yoga help children learn mindfulness?

Animal yoga helps children practice mindfulness by linking movement with imagination. When children embody animals like cats, dogs, lions, and butterflies, they stay present, notice sensations in their bodies, and develop focus and emotional regulation through play.

Why is hands and feet alignment important in kids yoga?

Hands and feet alignment builds the foundation for safe and effective movement in kids yoga. Spreading fingers, pressing through palms, and grounding through all four corners of the feet improves balance, coordination, posture, and body control.

What does 'clawing the mat' mean in kids yoga?

Clawing the mat means gently spreading the fingers wide and pressing evenly through the palms and fingertips to activate the hands. This builds stability and strength in poses like Downward Dog, Plank, and Cat Pose.

What is proprioception in kids yoga?

Proprioception is the body's ability to sense where it is in space. In kids yoga, grounding, balancing, and weight-bearing poses help children develop this awareness, improving coordination and confidence in movement.

Research & Anecdotes

Oh, Say Can You See, the Sacred and the Silly…

Part of my practice is to create sacred spaces where I honor my guides, my teachers, a theme, what I am manifesting, what I am inspired by, and what I am teaching.

This ritual helps me remember my intention, connect to the deeper teachings which I take quite seriously, and to myself {which I don’t }.

My routine usually entails selecting pose cards or chips, children’s drawings, a poem or passage, photos of my heroes and heroines, and my particular notes and books about the message I am working on to share with my students. I usually add stones and malas.

When I gaze upon these creations, I see the world differently and know what I’m opening to.

When I then close my eyes, I see myself differently. I know what I’m stepping into.

I hold this space to focus my intention on the best outcome for my creations and projects. It works to enliven and build more life force in my body, lift the clouds of doubt, and sharpen my mind so it can penetrate beneath the surface.

I start to gain a higher perspective and feel brighter and more clear and present~ and perhaps a bit silly. That just happens to be my wish for the children.

Joseph Campbell says, ”[Sacred space] is an absolute necessity for anybody today. You must have a room, or a certain hour or so a day, where you don’t know what was in the newspapers that morning, you don’t know who your friends are, you don’t know what you owe anybody, you don’t know what anybody owes to you. This is a place where you can simply experience and bring forth what you are and what you might be. This is the place of creative incubation. At first you may find that nothing happens there. But if you have a sacred place and use it, something eventually will happen.”

I want my students to experience themSELVES. I do this practice so I can give them that.