Lion Pose - Release Tension and Find Your Roar!
My Yoga Babies and I finding our Roars!
If you’ve been along to one of my family yoga classes, it’s likely that you will have encountered lion pose at some point. This practice is called Simhasana in Sanskrit and is a breathing practice as much as a physical posture. Simhasana involves pulling a funny face as you exhale through the mouth, with the option to shoot out claws at the same time.
So why do I teach this to parents and kids?
Lion is a wonderful pose to channel the energy young children have. It helps you stay cool, calm the mind and release stress.
Lion is a brilliant tool in the Autumn as it works the throat and lungs, and according to traditional texts can help stave off colds and sore throats.
Lion gives us a way to release emotions. Teaching children to recognise their emotions and giving them strategies to help manage their strong emotions is important. When we exhale in lion it is a chance to let some of those feelings out and find a state of balance again.
According to traditional texts, Simhasana can help free the voice. When we are struggling to find our words, this is an excellent pose to practice.
And finally, it is nearly impossible to practice this Asana and not smile afterwards!
I used lion a lot with Yoga Baby number 2 when she was around 2-4 years old. When she got upset or angry she would not talk. She wanted me to understand her but could not use words to tell me, so we had many times of frustrated guessing games with us both getting more upset. After a while I suggested we try using our lion breath. So whenever she stopped talking, we helped baby lion find his roar, and after a few roars, sometimes she would find her voice and was able to tell me what was wrong.
So next time you are having one of those days, find your inner roar.
How to do Simhasana
Sit on your heels
Stick out your tongue
Exhale through your mouth
Roll your gaze upwards
Stick out your claws if you would like!
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