Good Morning Yoga, by Mariam Gates & Sarah Jane Hinder

The story is simple but engaging, the sequence is energising and centering, and the pictures are vibrant and captivating for audiences of all ages.

Good Morning Yoga, by Mariam Gates, is a delightful yoga ‘wake up’ story that invites children – and the adults reading to them – to start the day with joy and intention. Each page of the book presents a different yoga pose that, once linked together, creates the Good Morning Yoga Flow sequence. The story is simple but engaging, the sequence is energising and centering, and the pictures are vibrant and captivating for audiences of all ages.

When I was shopping around for yoga story books for my son, it was the illustrations in Good Morning Yoga that caught my eye. Illustrator Sarah Jane Hinder has collaborated with Gates on a number of children’s yoga books. In time, I’m sure I’ll buy them all, just to look at the pictures. They are colourful, vivid, and simple yet with so much thoughtful detail, so will successfully draw the attention and interest of children of various ages. What I love, from a children’s yoga perspective, is that the images really capture the energy of the yoga poses they depict. Yoga is about so much more than making shapes with your body, and these illustrations provide the opportunity for even young children to tap into some of that other delicious stuff.

That said, the rest of Good Morning Yoga manages to do that, very successfully, too. Within its pages are the ‘wake up’ story, with a single line for each scene. The story coupled with the illustrations, will appeal to younger yogis, who can listen and copy the pictures or, better yet, the adult reading the book. Along with the story is the option to read a simple explanation of what to do in each pose. Gates incorporates simple breath cues into this text, inviting children to get acquainted with their breath, and even its capacity to energise body and mind. Breath is central to yoga, and this is a beautiful way to introduce the concept to little yogis. These simple explanations are better suited to a slightly older audience. However, my son, at almost 3, is beginning to understand some of them… in his way. My favourite part of the story is the final page, with its affirmation ‘I can do this.’ Above all else, yoga is about intention, and I love how Gates weaves this in so that readers – and listeners – can tap into theirs.

I give this book my wholehearted recommendation. It is a beautiful addition to bookshelves for families with young children, anywhere up to about 8 years. I also highly recommend it for educators and anyone working with children. The bright colours, contented expressions on the yogis faces, and the lyrical words are truly uplifting. It’s a fun way for the whole family to start the day with a bit of calm, grounding, and connection.