Egg Hunt Yoga: 8 Family-Friendly Poses For Your Backyard

Take a cue from the White House’s Yoga Garden and strike a few poses in your own backyard with the family Easter weekend—or anytime.

Rabbit Pose, anyone? For the seventh year in a row, the Yoga Garden will be part of the White House Easter Egg Roll on Monday, April 6. The White House has invited yogis to hop around since first lady Michelle Obama introduced the Garden in 2009, but this year, expect to see even more kids and parents showing off their favorite poses.

“What’s different is more and more people are exposed to yoga,” says certified Baptiste Yoga teacher Leah Cullis, who leads the Yoga Garden. “Instead of us just teaching yoga, more and more what people are sharing what they know. Kids are learning it in school and summer camp, parents are doing it and showing their kids. The first time we did [the Yoga Garden], not many people were practicing yoga, now they’re showing what they’ve got.”

READ MOREYoga and Kids

Cullis and about 25 other teachers from Washington, D.C., and all over the country will lead mini-classes that are about 10 minutes long at this year’s Yoga Garden, which will explore the connection between movement, breath, and mindfulness. (Parents sometimes teach their own mini-classes, too.) The Yoga Garden will also honor this year’s Egg Roll theme, #GimmeFive, in celebration of five years of the first lady’s Let’s Move! initiative. “We are going to be bringing five of something to every class—five Boat Poses, five backbends,” Cullis says.

Family-Friendly Yoga Sequence for Your Own Backyard Egg Hunt

Can’t make it to the White House on Monday? These family-friendly yoga poses from previous Yoga Garden events are perfect for your own backyard egg roll or egg hunt. “These poses are accessible to any fitness level. The purpose of the Yoga Garden is coming together … it’s an inclusive event, and we want everyone to feel like they can participate,” Cullis says.

See alsoQ&A with Power Vinyasa Teacher Leah Cullis

Mountain Pose

Tadasana

Root both feet down into the earth and reach your arms up high. Grow tall like a majestic mountain.

See alsoGood Karma: A Yoga Garden Grows In an Urban Food Desert

Warrior II Pose

Virabhadrasana II

Step your feet wide apart with your front toes forward and your back toes facing the side edge of your mat. Bend your front knee to 90 degrees. Spread your arms wide and touch hands with a partner. Smile as you help each other stretch!
(Teacher pictured: Leah Cullis)

See alsoBehind-the-Scenes Video: Leah Cullis’s YJ Cover Shoot

Lord of the Dance Pose

Natarajasana

Press into your right foot for balance. Lift your left foot and catch it with your left hand. Kick your left shin behind you and lift your heart high. Switch sides and repeat.
(Teacher pictured: Jessica Micheletti)

Tree Pose

Vrksasana

Stand on one leg and grow deep roots into the earth. Lift your other foot and press it into your standing leg. Grow your branches tall as you reach up to the sky. Switch sides and repeat.
(Teacher pictured: Faith Hunter)

See alsoYoga + Parenting: Practices, Tools, Tips to Do Both Better

Frog Pose

Malasana, variation

Step your feet wide and drop your hips down to the ground. Stretch your hips and take a few deep breaths. Leap up into the air like a frog jumping around the pond!
(Teacher pictured: Faith Hunter)

See alsoThe Benefits of Yoga for Kids

Boat Pose

Paripurna Navasana

Take your seat and lift your feet and arms up high. Balance like a boat at sea and raise your sails high!
(Teacher pictured: MC Yogi)

See also6 Kid-Friendly Yoga Retreats

Triangle Pose

Utthita Trikonasana

Step your feet wide apart with your front foot forward and your back foot facing to the side edge of your mat, and straighten both legs. Reach your front hand to the floor and your top fingers to the sky.
(Teachers pictured: Michael Joe Hall and Carson Calhoun)

See alsoLeah Cullis’s Joyful Sequence

Corpse Pose

Savasana

It’s time to say thank you to your body. Lie down on your back and close your eyes as if you were going to sleep. Place your hands over your heart or hold hands with your family members or friends.

See alsoBedtime Yoga: 12 Poses to Help Kids Sleep Better

PHOTOS BY Hoon Photography, Jan Hanus.

About Leah Cullis

Model and teacher Leah Cullis teaches Baptiste Power Vinyasa yoga in Austin, Texas. She works with Baron Baptiste to design and deliver yoga teacher trainings and transformational programs. Learn more at leahcullis.com.