World Yoga.
Many families dream of exploring distant lands and immersing themselves in new cultures, but sometimes international travel isn’t possible, whether due to time constraints, budget limitations, or other circumstances. There are still wonderful ways to bring global experiences into your home. Cultivating a global mindset doesn’t necessarily require a passport.
Here’s a creative, interactive, and meaningful way to learn about different countries, be active, and enjoy yourselves together as a family—all from the comfort of your living room.
How to Travel the World through Family Yoga from the Comforts of Your Home
- Pick two to six countries. Get out a big piece of paper and write down the countries you are going to “visit” on your family yoga adventure. The number of countries depends on the ages of your children and how much time you would like to spend on the activity.
- Research. Gather books, YouTube videos, stuffed animals, puzzles, magazines, brochures, guidebooks, and pictures of the countries. Each family member could research a specific country, or you could all work together on each one.
- Pick one to three things in each country. Choose a few things that you would like to see or do in each of the chosen locations. It could be animals, landmarks, natural wonders, people, or flora specific to that region. Think of a way to express each keyword as a kids’ yoga pose. For example, Eagle Pose for Bald Eagle, Mountain Pose for Kilimanjaro, or Triangle Pose for Sailboat. Be creative. Here is some inspiration.
- Get ready for your experience. Choose a big space to practice your family yoga session. Clear away any potential dangers. Wear loose-fitting, comfortable clothing and go barefoot. Get out the props. Turn on thematic background music. For example, play Spanish guitar for Guatemala, bongo drums for Africa, or Celtic music for the United Kingdom.
- Warm up your bodies and minds. Go through a familiar warm-up routine or practice a few Sun Salutes to get your bodies ready. Notice the visuals around the room, listen to the music, and get in the mood.
- Act out each country’s keywords. Follow along with this Kids Yoga Stories suggested sequence below, or create your own. There are six items and poses from six different countries. Don’t forget to practice on both sides/legs.
- Relax and rest. Finish every family yoga experience in Resting Pose (Shavasana) for 5-10 minutes. Don’t worry if your children can’t relax on the first try. Talk to them about the benefits of relaxation and encourage them to try it the next time. Be their role model and get into the Resting Pose, as well.
- Extend your learning. Think of creating enrichment activities that cater to each of your senses. For example, organize a celebration with foods from the different countries, bring out or borrow artifacts from the countries to touch, offer incense that represents smells from the country, watch documentaries about the countries, or make traditional musical instruments.
Around the World in 6 Yoga Poses
1. England: Buckingham Palace Guard
How to practice Mountain Pose: Stand tall with your legs hip-width apart and toes pointing forward. Take your arms straight down alongside your body like a guard at Buckingham Palace.
2. Tanzania: Giraffe
How to practice Extended Mountain Pose: Stand tall in Mountain Pose. Inhale, look up, and raise your arms straight up to the sky like a giraffe’s neck.
3. Australia: Surfer
How to practice Warrior 2 Pose: Start in a standing position. Step one foot back, bend your front knee, and open your hips to the side. Then reach both arms up, parallel to your legs, and look over your front fingertips. Make sure your front knee is bent forward so that your knee is over your ankle. Pretend to be surfing the waves.
4. Guatemala: Quetzal
How to practice Pigeon Pose: From an all-fours position, bring your right knee to rest behind your right hand, angling your right foot slightly inward. Gently take your buttocks down to the ground with your left leg extended straight out behind you. You might try placing a block under your right thigh. Keep your palms flat on the ground on either side of your right knee, look forward, keeping a straight spine. Pretend to be a quetzal perched in a tree. Repeat on the other side.
5. India: Taj Mahal
How to practice Table Top Pose: Come to an all-fours position with your fingers spread out and palms flat on the ground. Ensure that your back and neck are in a straight but neutral position. Your shoulders should be over your wrists, and your hips should be over your knees while the tops of your feet are flat on the ground, as if you are the Taj Mahal.
6. United States of America: Grand Canyon
How to practice Boat Pose: Balance on your buttocks with your arms and legs straight out in front of you in a V shape like the sides of a canyon. Keep a straight spine and open chest.
As a side note, I chose these particular countries because the characters in my Kids Yoga Stories series live in these places.
Tips for a successful family yoga experience:
- Don’t be concerned about perfectly aligned poses. Just focus on being playful and having fun with movement.
- Enjoy yourself, and your children will feed off your enthusiasm.
- Create meaningful experiences that capture your children’s interest. For example, choose countries that you have been to before or would like to visit as a family.
- Practice this exercise with a country that your children are studying in school as a way to make the school lesson fun.
- Invite friends and family over to join in the experience.
- Be safe.
- Introduce a focus on their breath in a light, playful way. Inhale to move into a pose, and then exhale completely.
- Design the session like a story with a beginning (warm-up), a middle (pretend trip around the world), and an end (relaxation).
- Go with the flow. Cater to the needs of each family member. Use the list above as a guideline, but be open to changes that hold their interest. Keep them engaged.
- Try putting aside your mental chatter and being in the present moment with your child.
- Introduce yoga as a lifestyle–including physical postures, breathing techniques, meditation or relaxation practice, mindfulness, being of service to others, and being responsible for your thoughts-words-actions.
Are you ready to start your world-inspired family yoga experience? Go for it! What countries will you choose?!
I’d love to hear about your family yoga session. I hope this article was useful in bringing some laughter and learning into your home.
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Giselle Shardlow
Latest posts by Giselle Shardlow (see all)
- World Family Yoga - September 22, 2025
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This article is fantastic! Its such a creative and engaging way to teach kids about different cultures through yoga. I love the practical tips and the example poses for various countries. Definitely trying this with my family!
Wonderful, thank you for your lovely message!
Let us know how it goes on your world yoga adventure with your family.
Happy traveling—from the comfort of your home!
Giselle 🙂
KidsYogaStories.com