Isn't yoga for girls?

That's what The Boy asked me. I told him that it was an equal opportunity exercise and made him join us yesterday.

The Girl took to it quickly. I already see a great improvement in the way she stands, sits and walks. She stands tall and is actually less clumsy than usual. We've been working on her breathing. She's learned to relax into poses, but she forgets to breathe. I can tell because she starts turning alarming colors and I have to remind her that air is good.

The Boy is very stiff. So inflexible for someone so young. You wouldn't be able to tell how out of shape he is just by looking at him. He's so skinny. I've always had to force him to go outside and run around. He would rather sit on the computer or play video games. Since I've taken them away, he's had to find other things to do with his time. None of them include going outside and running around. To my surprise, he's really gotten into the walks. He enjoys them and looks forward to them. I hope to get him more interested in the yoga. Last night, I worked mostly on his posture. He slouches terribly. When he got a pose dead on, I cheered him on and gave him high fives. He needed that bit of masculinity interjected into all of the "girliness".

I've even gotten them to look forward to the warmer months and not only for the lack of school. They're eager to try different types of sport and exercise. They even enjoy the healthier meals we've been making. Granted, I don't expect them to eat the barley butternut squash salad, but they chow down on that fruit salad for dessert. Overall I'd say this has been a relatively easy switch, mostly because I've included everyone in the decision making process. The hard part will be keeping it up, but since I've gotten the kids into it, they've been pulling the rest of us along.