Little Yoga: A Toddler's First Book of Yoga

by Rebecca Whitford, Martina Selway (Illustrator)

Little Yoga offers the perfect, playful introduction to nine simple yoga exercises for young children.

Yoga Baby spreads his arms out like a butterfly . . .
Yoga Baby wobbles like a little bird . . .
Yoga Baby says "time for rest―ahh, shh, shh"

Toddlers will enjoy moving along with Yoga Baby as they follow the basic poses. Unlike most books on the subject, Little Yoga is aimed directly at preschoolers. This interactive picture book also includes helpful information for parents and educators.

Fun, accessible, and colorful―it's a great way for little ones to discover yoga.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Storytime, Nonfiction, Kids, Animals

32 pages, Hardcover

First published July 7, 2005

Reviews

[Lyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a great find for parents who are into yoga. Yoga comes naturally to toddlers as this first book of yoga shows. It is filled with colorful illustrations of nine different easy-to-learn poses. Illustrated "Yoga Babies" show each pose and the opposite page illustrates an animal that will help little ones remember the pose.

At the end of the book there are photos of real toddlers demonstrating the poses. The last page gives the actual “yoga” names plus a written “how-to”. This is a great way to introduce yoga to your child while you both have fun and exercise.

[Kris · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun introduction to simple yoga poses for kiddos. This is easy to follow and would be great for little ones who have a hard time sitting still for a story.

[Romain · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ceux qui aiment lire tranquilles, bien calés au fond de leur canapé vont devoir se bouger. Ils n’ont pas le choix. Il faut enlever ses chaussures, déplier le tapis de gymnastique et c’est parti pour une séance de yoga adaptée aux tout-petits.

Ça a l’air tout bête comme ça, mais je vous garantis que les enfants adorent ça. Il font les mouvements avec une grande concentration. Cerise sur le gâteau, les positions proposées s’inspirent des animaux – encore un gage de succès auprès du jeune public. Je ne crois pas trop à l’initiation au yoga, mais il permet en tout cas de passer un très bon moment à jouer et à rigoler – nous l’avons même apporté à la crèche où il a rencontré le même succès.

Le seul inconvénient est qu’après ce livre, vous ne pourrez plus prononcer le mot “yoga” sans avoir à cesser immédiatement toute activité pour vous mettre en chaussettes et sortir le tapis.

Il existe un second livre intitulé Le yoga des petits pour bien dormir – pas sûr que ce soit très indiqué avant d’aller au lit, mais bon.

Également publié sur mon blog.

[Golden Ginkgo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Little Yoga is a simple, easy to follow yoga book for toddlers. Each page repeats the phrase “yoga baby,” which I appreciate. I find that little ones love repetition.

For more yoga books for kids, check out my post: My Favorite Yoga Books for Kids

For more book recommendations, check out my blog: Golden Ginkgo Books

[Lindsay · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is possibly the cutest yoga book I have ever seen. Perfect for toddlers who are doing yoga for the very first time. The modifications are just perfect for that age group. A great storytime book too. Illustrations are colorful and clear.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this book because it made it easy for my toddler to follow along with some simple yoga poses. However, I haven't been able to find a sturdy edition of the book, which seems like a problem for a book that's going to be around physical activity! I wish there were a board book version.

[Lynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book sitting in a doctors office, waiting for my appointment --- and, found it to be a wonderful way to introduce fun exercises to little toddlers! The illustrations were cleverly done -- a fun book!

[Christina Breen · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a qualified yoga & Montessori teacher, this is a ideal book to begin teaching yoga with toddlers, young children, or children/teens with added learning challenges.
Simply, clear instructions & illustrations. I use with Montessori pre-school children, & my 2.5 year old charge.

[Carolyn Jeziorski · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a fun read aloud during my zoom covid story times. The kids enjoyed trying the different poses, as did I.

[Nicoleta · Rating 5 out of 5]

Adaptată vârstei, încurajatoare și punând accent pe joacă și amuzament.

[Vanessa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Book is nice and pictures are good, but I wish the author used imagery that is closer to the names of the yoga poses. For example, this book shows a kid standing with arms stretched out and text and imagery says the kid is waving his arms like a butterfly. Even though the author isn't calling the pose a butterfly pose I still find this really annoying because most people associate butterfly with a sitting pose with bent knees and soles of feet touching. Since we have other kid yoga books, it makes it confusing for my daughter. She likes to say the name of the pose when she does it, so the names of the poses and the associated imagery matter.

[Madison · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another great intro book to Yoga for little ones. Poses include; Flying Eagle, Forward Bend, Lion Breath, Cat, Downward Dog, Child's pose, Tree Balance, Squat, Savasana.

[Literate Duck · Rating 5 out of 5]

Easy and great illustrations

[Destiny Dawn Long · Rating 5 out of 5]

Shortly after my daughter began walking, she started getting into the "downward dog" position all the time. So we started commenting on it as her "doing yoga." And then we found this book at the library. Even for a parent who isn't especially into yoga, it's a great book for encouraging your toddler to move more. The colorful illustrations show a baby doing each pose and on the opposite page, an animal engaged in the same pose to help the child remember better. In addition to learning a few yoga poses, my daughter has started to learn some basic animal movements as well. Lots of fun!

[Eris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun illustrations that are perfect for the busy toddler mind. This book is a great starter for toddler yoga with a full set of start up poses and parent suggestions in the back. I love that they focus on play rather than perfection. Parents can move along with their child or just let them flip through the book and imitate. The easy poses are a great way to start a busy parent/child day, or an awesome wind down in the afternoon. Best toddler yoga book I've seen so far.

[Hannah Jane · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've read a handful of toddler yoga books and this one is my favorite. I love how the illustrations are colorful, playful, and easy to mimic. My favorite illustration is the "wobbles like a little bird" pose. I also really like the animal noises given for each pose, the inclusion of the 'ha' breathing pose, and the information at the back of the book.

[Samantha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Simple yoga poses for toddlers based on animal movements. Each move is pictured in human and animal form and back matter includes tips for parents and caregivers as well as photos of real toddlers interpreting the moves. Recommended for toddlers/PreK.

[Deborah · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun simple introduction to yoga.

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great yoga book for toddlers on up. Focuses on fun and child abilities, relating various poses to animals. My daughter loves to look at the pictures and try the poses.

[Robin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love. My little toddlers love to do the activities in this book.

[Kelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like the combination of the simple text for kids with resources for adults (note, practice tips, photographs, and explanation of poses).

[Paula · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read for Early Headstart Story Time 12.4.2014
Read for Headstart Story Time 12.11.2014

[Amelia · Rating 5 out of 5]

9 little simple yoga poses. Linnea LOVED this, got it down from the shelf on her own and would turn the pages and do the poses. FANTASTIC first introduction to Yoga.

[Lisa Echols · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great moves for babies!

[Jen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Can't wait to try this. Focus is on trying gently, not perfection.

[Taylor Kundel-Gower · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great way to introduce little ones to yoga poses!

[Shannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute book of yoga poses. My kids really enjoy it. Nice for calming down.

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a wonderful book with simple yoga poses for the preschool age child!