Parent & Child Bonding over Easter

The long Easter weekend was a perfect time for parent and child bonding. Families worked out and connected through AcroYoga, Aerial Yoga and an Easter Egg Hunt.

AcroYoga

“I’m happy to learn that my child trusts me, and we are all stronger than we realised!”

Currently, we are the only space in Singapore that practices Family AcroYoga. We kicked off Good Friday with parent-child AcroYoga, a unique partner work combining acrobatics, yoga, and Thai massage. In AcroYoga, the parent acts as the base to support the child, the flyer. AcroYoga promotes teamwork and communication between parent and child while engaging in a good workout!

Before flying, we set the foundation of communication and trust with the stick exercise (willow in the wind). The person selected to be the ‘stick’ stood upright and rigidly in the centre of a circle. The spotters passed the stick around in any direction. The stick had to close their eyes which meant putting their full trust in the spotters.

When it came to the actual flying, spotters were there throughout to ensure safety. Parents were surprised by how strong they were to support their children, and even other adults! It was a great way to explore their bodies. It came down to technique, rather than physical strength or body size.

AcroYoga involves physical touch and coordination between parent and child. This brings parent and child closer together, enabling them to learn new things about each other. Because two parent-child pairs worked together in each group, it was a good way to make new friends too! After flying, each group gave each other a relaxing massage.

Aerial Yoga

“When I let go and trusted, my child amazed me with her capabilities & strength”

AcroYoga was followed by parent-child Aerial Yoga on Easter Saturday. Participants performed yoga poses while suspended from hammocks.

Swinging, flipping and rocking from hammocks was fun and therapeutic. Participants really had to engage their bodily and spatial awareness. The session started out with parents and children helping each other to stretch.

It was refreshing to try something new. Children had fun getting on top of their parents, swinging together while suspended. Parents were impressed by their children’s and their own communication skills.

As the poses got progressively challenging, participants had to step out of their comfort zones, especially to perform inversions. Inversions promote blood circulation which has a calming effect. Being able to get into such poses requires courage and builds self-confidence. At the end of the session, participants felt tired but very happy and rewarded!

“This is our second time here because we enjoyed it so much. I need to conquer my fear of going upside-down!

Easter Egg Hunt & Family Yoga

What is Easter without an egg hunt? Families kicked off Easter Sunday in the garden downstairs. First, they grounded themselves with short mindfulness exercises. After that, they practised mindful walking to find 48 hidden eggs.

It was an opportunity to get in touch with and respect nature. Participants shared the space with the snails, caterpillars, ladybirds and squirrels. In fact, a real bird egg hatched on a branch that morning!

Hunting for the eggs was a collective effort; it did not matter which child found more or fewer eggs as they were all combined together at the end. The children were very diligent in hunting for the eggs. The best part was getting to hide the eggs back for the next session’s participants. They definitely made it a good challenge!

After finding all the eggs, they proceeded up to Mindful Space for a session of parent-child yoga. Each child picked an Easter egg that contained a random pose and everyone had to perform that pose. Children could even make up their own poses!

We ended all three Easter sessions with some parent-child quiet time. How often do we get to lie quietly with our parents, breathe and whisper a few loving words?

“I feel rejuvenated; the touch between me and my child gives us a sense of security”

If you’d like to experience family or kids AcroYoga, Aerial Yoga, or mindfulness, check out these upcoming programmes:

Mother’s Day: Parent and Child Batik Painting & Mindfulness & Yoga

Family AcroYoga

Family Aerial Yoga

June & July Holiday Camp

Term 2: Weekly Kids Mindfulness + Yoga + Aerial

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