Turn down the lights and turn up the fun! With a little planning and a lot of creativity, you can create a memorable yoga experience for the whole family.

• Decorations: Of course, this means glow sticks! You can get them at most dollar stores, so load up. Some can be made into bracelets and necklaces, but others will be used during activities. Put glow sticks in helium balloons to really take the party higher! You’ll also want a black light to really pump up the glow factor. Make the room as dark as possible and encourage your yogis to wear white or neon colors. There’s even glow-in-the-dark face paint!

• Mandalas: You can make glowing mandalas a couple of different ways. Highlighters glow under black light, so pass out paper and highlighter markers and watch the creativity unfold. Remember all those glow sticks? You can use them to make mandalas, too.

• Hula Hoops: Again, a visit to the dollar store is probably required. Purchase a few hula hoops and some glow-in-the-dark duct tape. Wrap the hoop with the tape – either with a single color or in a pattern. Now you are ready for some hooping games! One favorite, especially good as an ice-breaker, is Pass the Hoop. Everyone comes into a circle, holding hands. The hoop starts between two people (still holding hands) and is passed around the circle. Kids will have to wriggle through the hoop to get it to their other hand and pass it on. Finally, the hula hoop could be used in the mandala making, as well, with glow sticks creating a pattern inside them.Don’t want to buy hula hoops? Use those glow sticks again! This time, create rings with the sticks and use them in a Ring Toss game. In partners, one person comes into a yoga pose (one with an arm or leg sticking out, like Warrior 1 or 3 Legged Dog). The partner gently tosses the ring, trying to loop the exposed hand or foot.

• Music: What glow party would be complete without some dancing? Use Kidding Around Yoga’s version of This Little Light of Mine to get started. Emphasize that we all have a light within us, a light that makes us special and valuable. Everyone has one. Our job is to let it glow and spread through the world. Another fun song for a dance party is Yogi Shake, again by Kidding Around Yoga. Be sure that you are completely decked out in your finest glow gear for this song – it gets crazy and will look even more crazy if you are glowing while shaking!

• Guided Meditation: At the end of the party, when everyone is worn out and ready to rest, kids lie down on their mats and close their eyes. Encourage them to be very still and very quiet. When everyone is settled, lead them on a journey through a glowing rainbow. Describe each color in vivid detail. Include leading questions using each of the five senses (What does blue sound like? Can you smell something green?) After a few minutes of description, let the children rest in silence. When it is time to “wake up”, gently encourage them to stretch and sit up. Invite them to share how the different colors made them feel and what they imagined.

There are so many ways to make a glow-in-the-dark yoga class memorable and meaningful. Get your creative juices flowing and let your own little light glow!