I love yoga and pilates. I have a lot of different videos that I like to use for my in-home workouts, have a few yoga mats, and love turning my living room into a serene place to work out. B is very interested in yoga, and loves to get down on the mat with me, and bend and stretch. Every now and then B gets a little wound up, and winds up getting in the way a bit when I am trying to follow a routine, so I thought that it would be a great idea for the two of us to do yoga together, but yoga that was specifically geared toward children.

Gaiam is a leading producer and marketer of lifestyle media and fitness accessories. With a wide distribution network that consists of over 60,000 retail doors, 15,000 store within stores, and 5,600 media category management locations, and a digital distribution platform, Gaiam is dedicated to providing solutions for healthy and eco-conscious living. 

Gaiam (pronounced "guy-um"), is a fusion of the words "Gaia" and "I am." Gaia, mother Earth, was honored on the Isle of Crete in ancient Greece 5,000 years ago by the Minoan civilization. This civilization valued education, art, science, recreation, and the environment and believed that the Earth was directly connected to its existence and daily life.

When I was offered the opportunity to try out two new Yoga for Kids DVDs from GAIAM, I was pretty excited. B sees his mommy doing yoga and pilates on a regular basis, and loves to join in. I wanted to find a great yoga workout that he and I could do together, that would be engaging for him, and geared toward his age, so he wouldn't be trying to do any moves that might prove to be dangerous for him (and me). We were sent two fabulous DVDs to try out.

We received Yoga for Kids Outer Space Blastoff...

Approximate Total Run Time: 52 minutes

Recommended Age: 5+

Outer Space Blastoff (13 minutes): Prepare to blast off into outer space for the ultimate cosmic adventure. Carefully put on all the elements of your space suit and then join the astronaut team in the official space shuttle countdown.

Solar System Yoga (16 minutes): Visit the planets of the solar system where you will warm up the body like the sizzling-hot Venus or stand tall and still like the volcanoes on Mars!

Out of This World (13 minutes): Jodi takes you out of this world with a variety of self-affirmations that align with awe-inspiring objects of outer space, including the Hubble Space Telescope, the Sun and the Moon.

Bonus: Space Balance Balls (10 minutes): A bonus workout that is all about fun in space with a balance ball.

$14.95

...and Yoga for Kids Dino-Mite Adventure.

Approximate Total Running Time: 57 minutes.

Recommended Age: 5+

Baby Brontosaurus (17 minutes): Transform into a baby Brontosaurus that roamed the Earth millions of years ago. Start as a baby dino egg, hatch and grow into a stretching, roaring Baby B!

Dino-Mite Yoga (15 minutes): Learn about and transform yourself into the many dinosaurs of the Mesozoic Era.

Dino Dig (15 minutes): Join a team of Paleontologists to hunt for fossils. Make sure to stretch after your long day of digging!

Bonus: Dino Duo (10 minutes): Grab a dino-mite friend for this short bonus practice that features yoga partner poses.

$14.95

Both of the GAIAM DVDs we received are geared specifically toward children, ages 5+. They are part of the #3 series yoga practices collection for kids, and are interactive, educational and fun! The DVDs feature four different workouts each, and the length of each workout varies from about 10 to 16 minutes, which is a great length of time for little ones. The DVDs are hosted by Jodi Komitor, who is the founder Next Generation Yoga. Jodi has trained and certified thousands of kids' yoga instructors, and is considered a leading authority on yoga for kids. She has also written a book, The Complete Idiot's Guide to Yoga with Kids.

The DVD cases show clips from each of the four workouts, and give a short description as to what the workout entails. I found this very helpful, because it allowed B and I to see what we may or may not be getting ourselves into, and B was able to select the workout he wanted to try.

We started out with trying the Outer Space Blastoff DVD. B had been totally into outer space lately, so this was right up his alley. We have tied the Outer Space Blast Off routine, which B totally loved, because we got to pretend to put on our space suits, join the rest of the astronaut team, and blast off into space for a fun adventure! We also tried the Solar System Yoga routine, which worked so nicely with some of the lessons we have been doing at home, learning about the different planets. We pretended to  be super hot, like the planet Venus, and practiced being nice and still, and standing tall, like the volcanoes found on Mars!

B was such a good sport about trying the Outer Space Blastoff DVD, and I could tell how much he enjoyed the routine. He loved that the workout was something that we could do together (and so did I), and that there were young children on the television screen, instead of a group of adults, leading the workout.

Pose from Dino-Mite Adventure- rock & rest.

Next, we were excited to try out the Dino-Mite Adventure DVD, and B wanted to start with the Dino Duo, which is yoga with a partner. We started by chatting about how to exercise with a partner the right way, and respect your workout buddy at all times. I told him that we would have to listen to one another, and couldn't goof around, or someone might wind up being hurt. As we began the workout and moved forward, we had so much fun! We did partner exercises, our favorites being the rock and rest exercise (shown above- I was the rock, and B was the Dinosaur, resting on the rock), and then the tree and dino pose. I had to get into tree pose, and B was the dino, pretending to eat the leaves of the tree.

I had a hard time staying balanced in tree pose without a silly little dinosaur knocking me over! Hubby thought this was a hilarious sight.

B and I have been having a blast incorporating kids yoga into our workout routines. I am so glad that he enjoys this, because it gives us another way to enjoy spending time together... as this mom can only kick around a soccer ball for so long before becoming totally worn out! We can take these DVDs along with us on trips, as well as out yoga mats, and do yoga together no matter where we are! I know that I feel better overall, when I make time for a little yoga or pilates each day, and it does help with balance, coordination, self-discipline, etc. B sometimes has a bit of a listening issue with me, so I am hoping that by doing yoga together, we will learn to listen to one another a bit better.

We love ending each workout on a peaceful note- calmly, respectfully. Yoga can be a bit controversial, but I love yoga for the health and wellness benefits. It's up to the individual whether or not they'd like to incorporate the use of the word Namaste into the end of their workout. Namaste means a lot of different things to different people. To us, it simply means that we love and respect ourselves and one another, that God's light dwells within us, and that we strive to let that light shine before others by showing them love and kindness. Namaste is used in the Yoga for Kids (just a heads up), so you may want to have a talk with your child about what that word means to you.

The Yoga for Kids DVDs from GAIAM would make such a special Mommy & Me Mother's Day Gift! Really, it's a gift that the whole family will enjoy, but it's low impact, beneficial for all who partake in the workouts, and it's a great way for moms and kiddos to spend time with one another, learning to honor and respect each other.

Want them? Buy them!

Head on over to GAIAM to browse all of the fabulous Yoga for Kids DVDs, and all of the other great fitness products from GAIAM, as well! You can connect with GAIAM through Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, G+, Instagram, and YouTube!

Special thanks to GAIAM for providing us with these wonderful DVDs to enjoy and for allowing us to share about them!

Namaste!