Best Children's Books to Teach Kids Yoga and Healthy Living

 Yoga is fast becoming an easy and effective way of living healthy and enjoying a balanced, peaceful state of mind. The best part about yoga is that it is gentle enough for babies and toddlers as well. Moms and babies can bond and gain a special closeness by practicing simple yoga asanas and breathing exercises. Toddlers can practice easy-to-do asanas and be calmer, happier and healthier.

Here are the best children's books to introduce your toddler to the world of yoga.

 This colorful, easy-to-follow book by Rebecca Whitford and Martina Selway is a great introduction to yoga for toddlers. The beautifully illustrated book displays simple asanas being performed by children on one page and the facing page illustrates an animal it can be associated with. For instance, the Downward Dog pose shows a little boy practicing the asana and the facing page shows a spotted doggy doing the same. The text is easy and simple enough for preschoolers.

By the popular author and founder of Itsy Bitsy Yoga, comes this playful and fun yoga book for toddlers and preschoolers. Helen Garabedian is a certified yoga instructor and has been named "Baby Yoga Expert" by Newsweek. This book not only offers simple 8-minute routines for toddlers and preschoolers to perform and practice but also helps parents and yoga teachers use simple instructions to help toddlers and preschoolers learn the various asanas easily. Not just that, Helen also offers tips on how to make simple yoga asanas a part of your toddler's daily life and routine.

 This yoga book for kids is a great resource for parents and teachers as well. It has three sections- the first offers advice and instructions to adults who would be teaching the asanas to the children. The 2nd section is the one that would appeal to your preschooler as he or she sees the different zoo animals performing the various asanas. So, you have illustrations of monkeys, flamingoes, giraffes and more. Children are encouraged to "copy" the zoo animals and in the process, exercise and practice yoga as well. The last section has fables that relate yoga, animals and a healthy life. Simple language, colorful illustrations and easy-to-follow instructions make this book a great read for children aged 2-6 years.

A yoga book with a difference, this is actually a set of jumbo cards designed by Yoga Ed., founders Tara Guber and Leah Kalish. Each card has directions and pictures that make the different yoga poses easy-to-do and understand. The deck has a mix of cards with poses, games and breathing exercises. The best part about the deck is that the cards can be used in a variety of ways. Kids can pick one to two cards to do in the morning or evening, the entire family can join in and do a round robin of yoga poses, a class can be taught different asanas by handing each kid a separate card and so on. The language is simple and fun with asanas given titles like "Airplane", "Tree" and so on.

Endorsed by Catherine Zeta-Jones and others, Yoga Pretzels has also received some great reviews on Amazon.

 Doing yoga with toddlers and young kids can be a fun bonding exercise for everyone. Moreover, it helps to make the body supple, flexible and healthy as well. Healthy living is a complete package and exercise is an integral part. Yoga for kids must be fun, interesting and simple. Having good children's books to guide and advise you is helpful, ensures that wrong asanas or breathing patterns are avoided and makes yoga yet another fun activity and not a must-do session of exercise.

Children's books are great for teaching kids about healthy living, anger management, eco-friendly behavior and potty training. Written in simple and easy-to-understand language, they appeal to children with colorful pictures and help to instill the right concepts and values in an enjoyable manner. So, go ahead and check out these yoga books to introduce a fun way to stay healthy to your toddlers and preschoolers.