Smile at Your Reflection

​Here is an exercise you can do with your children where you are their mirror and they your mirror. You can experience each other’s energy, the prana or “life-force”.

Sit opposite your child and raise your palms to their palms so they are close and yet not touching. As the leader you start moving your hands slowly, having your child mirror your movements. At the same time, look directly into your child’s eyes as you do this movement and let the energy flow the way it wants for a couple of minutes.

You both will start feeling heat and energy flowing back and forth between your hands and then close your eyes and rely on the sensations in your palms to guide where you move your hands.

And now, standing up have your child mirror you slowly and silently through a series of postures, for example, stepping up and down and moving your arms at the same time, tree pose, mountain pose. Your child, seeing the postures mirrored back will have a visual cue to be able to do each pose.

It is a fun exercise with parent and child being playful, natural and connected during the movements. Your child can take the lead once comfortable with the yoga pose.  Bringing in spontaneous movements, facial gestures, etc.  makes mirroring a really wonderful exercise.

And your child starts to see you as not separate from him/her, learning how the prana flows in the body and between people.