9 Dreamy Picture Books About Meditation and Yoga

Good Morning Yoga and Good Night Yoga, by Mariam Gates
The world would be a better place if we could all start and end our days with a little yoga. Each of these books offers a series of poses that invite kids to greet each day with peace and joy, and gently drift off to sleep with ease. The poses are introduced with colorful illustrations and a story that can be read separately from the instructions. Once your kids are familiar with the books, they’ll be leading themselves through the flow.

You Are a Lion!, by Taeeun Yoo
This book brings the connection between yoga poses and the animals they are named after to life in full-color illustrations. Lion, snake, butterfly pose and more will all resonate with kiddos that love anything to do with animals. The text encourages them to roar, slither, and soar like their animal counterparts, all the while channeling their massive energy in positive ways.

Moody Cow Meditates and Peaceful Piggy Yoga, by Kerry Lee MacLean
We might not have charming pink ears that sway in the breeze, but if piggies can do yoga, we can do yoga, right? Peaceful Piggy Yoga presents yoga as something so normal, even animals do it, and it can help everyone in the family feel more at peace. Moody Cow Meditates uses a highly visual, kid-friendly metaphor of glitter in a jar to show how meditation can calm even the strongest emotions. Together these books empower kids to care for themselves by developing their own yoga and meditation practices.

What Does It Mean to Be Present?, by Rana DiOrio
Awareness and acceptance of the world around us can lead us to feeling more at peace, and these days, mindfulness is the most popular way to move in that direction. The idea of “mindfulness” may feel like a mouthful to explain to kids, but it’s actually a practice that comes naturally to us; we just need to encourage our kids to embrace it. This book follows a group of friends who are using all their senses to be present in the world. The examples in the story help young readers understand what it means to be aware of what’s happening around them and inside them.

Twist, by Janet S. Wong
Pairing poetry and gorgeous illustrations with yoga, this book is positively dreamy. Each poem explores, not just the poses, but the ideas and feelings yoga supports. The first line of “Child’s Pose” is just one example. The text alludes to the origin of life, an egg, while using short, pops of sound, calling the subject “the chick-child” to mirror the pecking sound baby chickens make. The illustrations mirror the roundness described in the poem, with curve after curve emphasizing the wholeness that is found in child’s pose. The entire book is sublime!

I Am Yoga, by Susan Verde
Have you read that scene in the A Discovery of Witches where Diana takes a yoga class filled with witches, daemons, and vampires? It’s totally supernatural, but also feels really familiar, like that one moment in yoga class where you finally understood why the teacher kept telling you to move your spine like seaweed. I Am Yoga captures the magic that happens when you bring your imagination to yoga. There’s a guide to the poses, but this book is more about the creativity, power, and self-expression that are possible when your kids make yoga their own.

Sitting Still Like a Frog, by Eline Snel
This book is actually written for grown ups, but there’s a CD inside that’s filled with short guided meditations that are perfect for kids. The author helps parents introduce mindfulness and meditation in gentle, super accessible language. She’s a parent herself and offers warm, encouragement that there’s no right or wrong way to do this, which makes the book feel less like another “should” or task on the to-do list, and more like a secret entrance into a world where even if it’s just by a tiny bit, everyone is calmer, more present, and at peace.
What children’s books about meditation and yoga do you love?