“Ah, September! You are the doorway to the season that awakens my soul... but I must confess that I love you only because you are a prelude to my beloved October.”
-Peggy Horton
October is one of my favorite months. Fall finally starts to go into full swing; trees shed their leaves, (subtly reminding us to let go of the past and the dead weight we’re holding onto) and nature ignites with rich oranges, browns and reds. Everybody yearns to be outside: to pick a pumpkin, to collect a basket of apples, to go on a hayride and enjoy cider. All the fun and excitement of autumn leads us to one glorious night of all-you-can-eat candy and costumes… Halloween!
There are other fun ways to get in the holiday spirit with your family than carving pumpkins and watching ABC Family’s ’13 Nights of Halloween,’ however. I bet you don’t think of yoga when you think of Halloween, but you should!
With all the excitement surrounding Halloween, staying healthy can be put on the backburner. With a holiday so focused on sweets, yoga can be a good way to stay active.
Yoga is a great form of exercise to do with your family, and with the right moves your kids (adults too) will love the spooky themed poses you have for them. I would especially suggest making this yoga session even more fun by dressing up!
Here are 6 of my favorite Halloween yoga poses:
*Begin with deep breathes OR, ghost breaths. Inhale deeply, and exhale sharply saying, “boo!” as you do so. To make your poses even more fun, do this every time you inhale and exhale deeply!
Rolling Pumpkin
Slowly lay on your back. Bring your knees in tight together against your chest and hold them there with your arms. Gently begin to rock from side to side, massaging your spine and neck. For extra fun with your kids, have them make their favorite carved pumpkin faces as they do this pose!
Black Cat
Get on your hands and knees, with your hands directly below your shoulders and your knees directly below your hips while spreading your fingers wide to stretch them. Press firmly on your mat with your hands and breathe in deeply to take pressure off your shoulders. As you do so, arch your back as much as you can towards the ceiling while keeping your chin tucked down towards your chest. Hold for as long as comfortable, then exhale and raise your head while dropping your back and pushing your navel downwards. Hold for as long as comfortable, and repeat.
Howling Werewolf Pose
Begin sitting straight up on your knees with your feet behind you and arms at your sides, take a deep breath in. As you exhale, slowly arch your back inwards towards your belly button and stretch your arms behind you until they touch or rest on the soles of your feet. Your neck should be completely stretched, with your face looking towards the ceiling.
Spider Pose
*Image taken from Google
Begin standing up and spread your legs as wide as they’ll go, feet facing outwards. Slowly crouch down and put your hands on the outside of each foot, or move your outstretched hands in and around different limbs to look like all the legs of a spider!
* For more advanced/adult yogis, slowly fold your body over and touch the ground with your hands, crisscrossed. You can go onto your tiptoes in this pose.
Half Moon Pose
Begin by standing straight up on your mat with your arms sticking straight out. Twist your torso clockwise, stopping when your left hand alights with your feet. Slowly extend your right leg out while lowering your head and outstretched hand towards the ground, keeping one arm outstretched towards the sky and your face towards the right. Keep your raised foot and your toes facing the direction of your face. Hold for as long as comfortable, and then switch to the other side.
Haunted Tree Pose
Begin by standing straight up, shifting your weight to your left leg while reaching down to grasp your right ankle. Slowly bring your foot it and place your sole against the left thigh, toes pointed to the floor. Once you have balance, bring your hands straight up towards to the sky and stretch. Hold for a long as comfortable and then switch legs.
Happy Halloween!
See these fun yoga mats for kids here...
Sky Andersen holds down the role of blog writer at Yoga Accessories. Currently studying Public Relations at Virginia Commonwealth University, she writes for many different publications and is passionate about all things photography, travel and of course- yoga.