Did you know that some of your negative emotions, the “icky feelings” within you, can affect your overall health? There is a simple way to release these pent-up frustrations. And it’s fun and refreshing, too. It’s called yoga. Yes, even children can learn to do yoga and benefit from it. LaLa knows how and she can demonstrate and explain the simplest moves with ease, explaining the meanings behind the words that define the different poses. The best part is the breathing – inhale for positive energy, exhale to release negativity. Sounds simple enough, doesn’t it? But LaLa has lots more to teach young people like herself all about yoga.

Tela Kayne’s picture book story, LaLa Salutes the Sun, is an instructional book for young readers to help them learn yoga and live a healthier, more positive life. The author begins with a simple definition of what yoga is and what it can do to the body. The book explains the importance of drinking water after each salute, as it helps flush out those “icky feelings”, and how important it is to breathe in the positivity and breathe out the negativity. The author also explains how many of the different poses are named after animals and things in nature. This is a clearly laid out guide for youngsters to follow, complete with bright, colorful, and illustrations to help youngsters learn the basic poses of yoga. The book is easy to follow, using simple language (other than the sometimes difficult terms used in yoga) to explain each movement. A very positive energy book for young readers.

This charming and instructional book teaches young children about yoga to release “icky” feelings from their bodies. It includes items a child needs for yoga, the correct way to do breathwork, and how to do several yoga poses. During Prayer Pose, directions are given to see the breath as bright sunlight filling the whole body. This pose highlights the spiritual aspects of yoga, informing children yoga is more than exercise for the body. The connection to nature – the sun, animals, and flowers – are also featured. Author Tela Kayne has written the fourth book in the series, Lala’s World, titled Lala Salutes the Sun. This book is a delightful way to introduce children to daily yoga practice.

Another lovely feature of this children’s book is the delightful illustrations by Goran Vitanovic. While incorporating beautiful items from the natural world, the pictures also instruct children on how the poses look, some using arrows to indicate movement. However, the best way for parents to utilize this book is to practice along with the child, at least several times. And, it will hold the interest of parents too! Parents can also add their own knowledge to this story, such as the other benefits of yoga not mentioned. It would have been beneficial to add the Savasana pose, so children would also learn the importance of rest after any exercise activity. Lala Salutes the Sun, written by Tela Kayne, is a book parents and children will use over and over again.

LaLa Salutes the Sun: A Yoga Book for Kids by Tela Kayne, with illustrations by Goran Vitanovic, is book four in the children's wellbeing fiction series LaLa's world, preceded by LaLa Feels Blah-La, LaLa's Angry Pizza, and LaLa and the Unfair Bear. All the books read as stand-alones and this one is no different in that regard. However, the latest LaLa release focuses on channeling inner emotions and negative energy through exercise and tangible movement. LaLa introduces herself, her always there little teddy bear, and readers to the benefits of yoga. All are instructed to get a mat and a bottle of water, and then they are walked through a series of six yoga positions repeated twice but in a circular format that allows for flow and uniformity as it rounds out to twelve poses.

Tela Kayne does an excellent job introducing young readers to their first yoga experience in LaLa Salutes the Sun. Goran Vitanovic depicts LaLa and the various positions with wonderful detail and really does well to show how to pose correctly in a way that just reading the text would make incredibly difficult. I do think that some of the instructions might be a little confusing for a young child on their own and as a parent who, I'm embarrassed to admit, has never done yoga I would have been lost without the illustrations. The prayer pose was particularly confusing for my little yogi since we pray with our hands in a completely different position, but again the illustrations came to the rescue. All things considered, this is a fantastic addition to the LaLa collection, and I am always happy to find books that assist in expanding our reading experience in new and healthy directions.

LaLa Salutes the Sun by Tela Kayne and illustrated by Goran Vitanovic is a yoga book for kids and the fourth book in the LaLa's World series. This short book contains nearly a dozen yoga poses accompanied by illustrations which will help kids develop a healthy routine from childhood. It encourages good habits in children through a series of early morning instructions that will remove the ‘ick’ out of your body. Different yoga postures are introduced in stages through prayers, breathing, and exercises. It will help kids to relax, relieve stress and anxiety, sleep better, improve emotional regulation, increase empathy, and also improve their mood. It will appeal to young and old alike since regular practice requires early incubation.

Tela Kayne helps children learn yoga with LaLa and Beary through a series of basic sun salutations. It guarantees a super shiny day for kids. The book introduces the origins of yoga and the names behind some of the postures in a basic child-friendly manner. The series of postures warms, strengthens, and aligns the entire body and is a perfect way for lifelong health and wellness. The illustrations are also appealing for kids, providing guidance with arrow marks and other pictorial depictions. It's a great way to build mindfulness because a successful bond between yoga and nature has been established in the pages, which are full of positivity and passion for the art. I greatly enjoyed reading this book containing a fun-filled journey into the world of yoga.