My Gift Guide for Young Yogis
It’s that time of year again when we give gifts to our loved ones. I am a firm believer that giving your presence is more important than our presents, that said, I do also think the giving of gifts is a lovely tradition and I thoroughly enjoy finding the perfect gift for my friends and family. I have put together a list of some of the products which have been most popular with the young yogis in my classes this year and hope they will help you choose the perfect yogi gift. I have tried to suggest only products where the environmental impact has been considered and which have been ethically created. I’ve also tried to choose products created in the U.K or small businesses based in the U.K as I really believe in shopping locally where we can.
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Mat from Myga - having a great yoga mat inspires children to meet their mat regularly. Mats should have good grip and be the right size. Although fun designs are by no means essential, young yogis do love to roll out these beautiful mats at the start of practice. In my classes I often have a mindful mat where children can take a time out if they need to - I use these fun mats to make the space inviting. Another advantage of the Myga mats is that they’re really light so children can easily carry them in and out of class themselves.
Molly Myga - for those of you who read my posts regularly, it’ll be no surprise to see the Molly Myga, the moo-ditating cow is featured on my list. Molly can get into lots of different poses and comes with a card deck of fun yoga activities and poses to try. Ready my article about using Molly over on the Myga blog here. Molly is great for enticing children to the mat but is also a great way to help them really focus on the poses. I often challenge young yogis to put Molly into poses or to instruct me to do so - by really thinking about Molly’s pose, her feet should be flat or her hips high, they are better able to self correct their own poses.
Yoga dice - these yoga dice are great fun! With 12 poses and six extra challenges to try they’re a great way to create new sequences and flows. All the poses featured are child safe so you can feel confident your child is safe in their practice. There are so many games you can play with the dice so they’re a really fun way to start a class once your child knows the poses. The dice are large and easy for even young children to roll, they’re also soft so great for…enthusiastic throwers.
Lavender Oil Doterra - essential oils can be a great way to set the mood in yoga. It’s great to always practice with the same scent, your child will the associate that scent with the relaxing feeling they get during yoga and you can diffuse the scent at other times to help them relax. Always check the safety precautions of your oils and invest in pure oils like these do terra ones. I recommend diffusing oils for children as they can be powerful when placed directly on skin. Alternatively dilute your oil in a carrier oils such a fractionated coconut oil and apply to wrists, neck and the soles of your feet.
Crystal Bracelet from Clarity & Calm - these are my favourite crystal bracelets and the children often comment on them. Choose crystals which you feel will benefit for child whether they’re grounding or extra inspiring. You cna choose gold or silver spacers and whether they are elastic or clasped so you can really customise your order. Get orders in early as they’re all handmade!
Tropic’s So Sleepy vegan refillable bubble bath - refillable bubble baths make a great gift for children who love bath time. This so sleepy bubble bath gives plenty of bubbles, is gentle in the skin and contains sleep promoting oils to help your little one drift off. Why not incorporate it into your bedtime routine and follow it with a free bedtime yoga class from my Ready to Sleep series here.
Finding Focus Series - my signature programme, the Finding Focus Series is a six week course to help primary school aged children build their focus and attention span. The series consists of two 10-15 min yoga classes a week, a printable accompanying journal and support videos for you as the parent/caregiver. This is the perfect gift for those of us trying to increase mindfulnes this christmas and invest in experiences and education (while still having lots o f fun) and less “stuff”. Pay once for lifetime access. Find out all the details and get started here.
Journal - I talk about the benefits of journaling all the time, you can read my recent article on this topic on the LSW Minds blog here. Choosing a good journal is really personal so I have linked a specific one here. I have found that a lot of children prefer dotted paper to lined paper as it allows for more creativity. I’ve also found children don’t tend to link plain pages preferring lined or dotted. Perforated pages are a great idea as children have the option to remove pages if the need to.
LSW Kids Mind Journaling Cards - I love the LSW children’s journaling prompt pack! These prompt help to keep journaling interesting offering a different challenge each day. There are some great ideas in here so it’s a great present to accompany a journal.
Bubble and Dream Dreamset including the Hatched Star - I have used these beautiful little stars in my yoga classes since the summer and they’re so popular. Not only do they give a warm glow they are perfect for practicing the star breath. Children can inhale as they bring their finger from the centre of the star out to the tip then exhale back to the centre. This technique helps children focus in on the breath for five deep slow breaths and is a great practice before bedtime.
Rock & Realm Crystal - I always use crystals as a centrepiece in my classes and the children are always mesmerised by them. Here’s an article write for Rock & Realm about using crystals with children. Some of my favourites to share with children are rose quartz, moon stone and amethyst. It have a look at which ones speak to you and suit your child’s preferences. Grab your R&R ethically sourced crystals here.