Rosh Hashanah is the Jewish New Year and there are many wonderful ways to include holiday traditions in your Children’s Yoga practice.

Most Jewish holidays include rituals and traditional food. Children enjoy eating challah (braided egg bread), drinking grape juice, and lighting holiday candles with their family. On Rosh Hashanah, we eat round challah. The round shape symbolizes the circle of life. We also dip apples in honey to represent a sweet new year.

The following are ways to wish families and friends Rosh Hashanah greetings:

• Shanah Tovah is Hebrew for “Happy New Year.”
• L’shanah tovah tikateyvu v’tichatemu is a Hebrew blessing meaning “May you be inscribed and sealed for a good year.”
• Yiddish Gut Yuntoff (“Good Holiday”) or Gut Yor!(“A Good Year”)

There are many fun ways to include learning about Rosh Hashana in your yoga class. Here are a few fun ideas to try:

Rosh Hashana Story

Let’s prepare for Rosh Hashana by making our holiday challah (sit up straight with your feet touching to make a bowl). What ingredients do we need?? (Reach up high to grab the ingredients that the kids shout out.)  Hmmmm, let’s stir our dough (make big circles with your upper body making sure to really stretch and lean back. Remind yogis to make their tummy tight when they lean back). Our dough is looking good!  What else do we need?? (Repeat reaching up & stirring.)

This looks good. Let’s pound out our dough (lean forward & pat your legs).  Now it’s time to make our CHALLAH ROUND (sit in “Cow Face” and wrap your arms around your knees). What else should we put on our TABLE? CANDLES! Yes! Great idea!  How about some beautiful FLOWERS? What other Rosh Hashanah treats should we have? Honey? Great Idea! Let’s do some BUMBLE BEE BREATHING and make our honey. Now we need some apples to dip in our honey for a sweet new year. Let’s go outside to the apple TREE and pick some! Shanah Tova!

Rosh Hashanah Music (Yoga Yeladim CD)

• [mp3j track=”www.kiddingaroundyoga.com/mp3/samples/Blow-Your-Shofar.mp3″ title=”Blow Your Shofar”] [wp_eStore_buy_now_button id=82]
• [mp3j track=”www.kiddingaroundyoga.com/mp3/samples/yoga-nagila.mp3″ title=”Yoga Nagila”] [wp_eStore_buy_now_button id=63]
• [mp3j track=”www.kiddingaroundyoga.com/mp3/samples/shalom-alechem-dreams.mp3″ title=”Shalom Alechem Dreams”] [wp_eStore_buy_now_button id=86]

Secret Garden

In my Rosh Hashana class, I did a traditional Kidding Around Yoga Secret Garden. Before it was time to sit up, I asked the yogis to think about a special wish they had for this upcoming new year. Instead of sharing our wish during our closing circle, I asked them to hold it in their hearts.

Enjoy experiencing pieces of Rosh Hashanah with your yogis.

Shanah Yoga Tova!