Feeling scattered or ungrounded?
Want to calm the nervous system and create focus?
Need a gentle stretch for the inner thighs and hips?

Stretches for Kids: Try a Fun and Flexible Flower Pose

Flower Pose combines Bound Angle Pose with a balance, and is one of our favorite themed yoga poses for celebrating nature with children. The hip opener stretches and strengthens the inner thighs, groins, ankles and back while improving posture. Adding the balance promotes core strength and focus.

Often used as a transition to meditation, seated yoga poses are naturally grounding so Flower Pose is perfect for those times we feel scattered or overwhelmed - and is one of our favorite stretches for kids!

Imagine your spine is the stem and your legs and arms are the petals. This pose encourages balance, strengthening and flexibility. Add a fun twist by balancing real or craft flowers on your feet or head while practicing this one!

Key Talking Points to Explore Flowers with Children:

Did you know that fruits and vegetables start out as flowers? The spring blossoms on an apple tree turn into the apples we pick in the fall. Pumpkins begin as big yellow flowers and strawberries come from white flowers with brown dots.

But flowers don’t have to turn into fruits and veggies to be delicious - there are lots of flowers we can eat just as they are. Broccoli is actually a flower! Honeysuckle, chamomile, garlic flowers and many others can make beautiful and yummy additions to any meal.

Use yoga to teach kids about photosynthesis

How To: Flower Pose

Start in a comfortable seat
Bend your knees, placing the soles of your feet together
Roll outer thighs down, opening hips and sit tall
Slide hands under ankles through the diamond of your legs, under your ankles with palms facing up
Lift legs away from the floor and balance on your sit bones
Keep spine long and core engaged
Neck, shoulders and face are relaxed

Tips for Mastering Flower Pose:

If you have very tight hip flexors, you may notice it is difficult to sit tall in this pose. Try placing a blanket under your hips to give yourself more space to gently open the hips.
If you have any discomfort in your knees, relieve pressure by placing blocks under the outer thighs.
Take a few breaths in bound angle before moving into the balance so you feel grounded and stable in your seat.
Lift and open the chest to create space in the chest, neck and shoulders.
Bring your awareness to your breathing and find calm and stillness as you work in this pose.

Invite Us to Teach Flower Pose in your Classroom

Kids Yoga Video: Try Flower Pose with us!

Sing along to our original song about flowers and colors in French! Adding fun songs, stories or sharing factoids are great ways to encourage children to stay in a pose or repeat it multiple times.

Kid-friendly Variations for Flower Pose:

Encourage children to make different flowers - extending their legs to make a big sunflower or adding a twist to make an orchid. Open it up for their creations and invite children to share what kind of flower they are making.

Bound Angle pose is a fun way to make butterflies, moving legs up and down to mimic the flapping of butterfly wings.

Try switching from butterfly to flower and then back to butterfly.
After a few times, you can make a sleepy butterfly, folding forward to rest your forehead on your feet.
Stay there for 5-10 breaths.

Flower pose is also a great place to practice deep breathing. Have children imagine they are smelling their flower to encourage a deep inhale and then blowing pollen off the petals on the exhale. Take this breathing into relaxation pose, balancing a fabric flower on their belly or forehead to encourage calm and stillness.

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Help other educators and caregivers learn the benefits of Flower Pose.