Storytime Yoga for Kids with a Waldorf-Inspired Approach

Jessica Shayna Azeez teaches kids Storytime Yoga at Berkley Buddhist Monastery

By Jessica Shayna Azeez

Certified Storytime Yoga Instructor

I have a deep passion for Waldorf education and for Storytime Yoga. In both, children are allotted the opportunity to be inspired, cultivate their imaginations and experience reverence.

Waldorf education stems out of Rudolf Steiner’s philosophical understanding of the developing child. The first Waldorf school was developed in 1919 in Stuttgart, Germany.  It is now the fastest growing alternative educational movement in the world. Many parallels can be drawn between Storytime Yoga and Waldorf education.

Waldorf education speaks to the whole child in a holistic, natural and beautiful way. The early childhood years are nurtured with love, songs, stories, and movement.

Stories that are told orally are a hallmark of this educational approach. The themes of the seasons and holidays are seeped into the classroom with fairy tales and puppets.

In a Waldorf classroom you will often find natural materials; such as silk scarves, beeswax, wooden toys, shells, stones, handmade dolls and felted wool animals.

I am in the process of getting my Master’s degree in Waldorf education at the Rudolf Steiner College in San Francisco, CA.

Dad and child yoga for kids make it a family affair!

In addition to my studies I have been teaching Storytime Yoga to children at the Berkeley Buddhist Monastery. As I walk into the serene environment of the Berkeley Buddhist Monastery I feel held by a sacred space. A familiarity from my years of studying at Naropa University in Boulder, CO overwhelms me as I inhale the ceremonial incense. The zabutons and zafus line the walls, waiting to be arranged in a cyclical manner for families to sit upon. My colleagues join me in song and families pour through the door, taking a seat with a smile on their faces. The family Sangha at the Berkeley Buddhist Monastery meets the second Sunday of every month from 9:30-11am.

We begin with a song and group circle. We then check in and set the tone for a contemplative practice. The children sing a temporary goodbye to the parents as they walk with me to the other room. In the other room I have already prepared yoga mats arranged in a circle to designate the classroom space. Here we gather round, holding hands and sing a song. One of my favorites is “Sally goes round the sun”. We come closer towards the middle of the circle on the last verse, “On a Sunday afternoon.” I then incorporate various practices I have learned from friends and from my studies in Waldorf education. We wake our bodies with body tapping and a simple verse. As we bounce our knees and bring awareness to our bodies we say a verse,

“I wake myself to greet the day, to sing and laugh, to run and play.” The verse is sung with the option of humming as well. We repeat this verse several times while tapping various parts of the body, beginning with the head and then shoulders and down to the knees and feet.

I also like to pretend that we are going to the zoo. I sing cheerfully, “A rinka ronka rosy and cocka doodle doo, we’re going to the zoo, the zoo, the zoo, I’m going there with you”. A child is pointed to and we pause to see what we can see. Here there are many possibilities in regards to animal poses. For a rowdy and talkative group we can roar like lions. Then we can pretend to be gorillas in gorilla pose with our hands under our feet. We can jump like frogs and say “ribbitt” to reenact the motion of jumping tree frogs. We can twist our legs and wrap our arms in eagle pose. We can even do dolphin pose if we take a walk to the aquarium exhibit at the zoo. This exercise also allows the children to make suggestions of other animal poses they’d like to do.

Then I do several rounds of sun salutations with a Storytime Yoga rhyming verse and vinyasa. I use the verse, “The sun the sun, the nice warm sun, I open my heart, to everyone, the sun rises, the sun sets, the whole world in my heart rests.” I have found that the children like to repeat after me. Each verse is paired with a movement. When we begin our hands are in prayer position. It is then that I say “The sun the sun”. When we open our arms and reach towards the sky we look up and I say “The nice warm sun.” As we start to come into a forward fold while our arms are outstretched I say “The nice warm sun.” Coming half way up I say “The sun rises” and when I fold forward I say “The sun sets.” We step back into plank, lower down, do a quick cobra, push ourselves into downward facing dog, bring our feet back to the top of our mats and end by reaching our arms up and back into prayer position saying, “The whole world in my heart rests.” We repeat this several times, but variations can be made depending on the mood and energy of the class.

Afterwards, we move into the story time of the class. I select my theme with the mood and the quality of the day and the season in mind. When I am finished we re-enact the story with our bodies, doing various poses to replicate the characters and images within the tale. I feel that this helps connect the child’s memory in a deeper way with the content. One of my favorite stories that I tell to the children is called the “Cracked Pot,”  from the Storytime Yoga Book, The Treasure in Your Heart: Stories and Yoga for Peaceful Children. I love how the message reminds the children to accept what is and to have love for oneself. I think that in our current times media can be misleading for children and can stir up unhealthy desires, passions and envy. The media constantly feed us with images of what we should be, wear, and things we should do. It is pivotal to instill positive messages of appreciation, respect and striving to be better; while still having love for oneself. We should teach gratitude and honor the gifts that we do have. I love that the “Cracked Pot” reminds us of this.

A relaxed quiet time for the children is made possible in shavasana. They then lay down on their backs with their arms by their sides and feet slightly turned out. I pull themes for them to meditate on while they are in this resting pose. Once they have quieted their bodies I have them sit up for the next transition. We move together into an art space of mind. I have many different materials and I offer for the children to take an image from the story and recreate it through a drawing or to depict whatever it is they are moved to create. Oftentimes I can see that the older boys like to draw something that is alive for them, which may not have anything to do with the content of the story or theme. We conclude our time together by rejoining the parents and having a closing circle. It is a wonderful opportunity for both the parents and the children to take time out of the day for a meditative experience. The children tap into the sweetness of contemplative practices while having fun and strengthening their imaginations and artistic abilities.

Thank you Sydney for helping me and others share the gift of Storytime Yoga!