‘The Night Before Kids’ Yoga Day’

Marquez Knolls Author Teresa Power Releases Next Yoga-Themed Children’s Book

By CHARLIE KAPINOS | Intern

Ahead of the 2021 iteration of Kids’ Yoga Day, Marquez Knolls author Teresa Power released her latest book, “The Night Before Kids’ Yoga Day.”

“In this send-up of the classic poem, ‘The Night Before Christmas,’ a mother is inspired by an impromptu [yoga] session in her backyard, led by kids, for kids,” according to a press release about the book. “Readers will learn the simple yoga poses performed on Kids’ Yoga Day every year, but no prior knowledge of yoga or this international holiday is required.”

Power, the bestselling author of “The ABCs of Yoga for Kids” and “Little Mouse Adventures,” has been doing yoga for more than 30 years. She is an award-winning children’s yoga specialist with over 10 books—some of which have been translated into four languages.

Power shared that she discovered her love for yoga in law school when trying to find ways to relax and stay as stress free as possible during intense studies. A friend recommended a class that taught a form of hot yoga.

“It helped me out so much, I did so much better in my first year of law school,” Power explained. “I just kept it up. I kept on practicing all through law school, through the bar exam, when I was pregnant.”

After around two years of practicing law, Power said she realized she didn’t want to do it anymore, sharing that she just didn’t enjoy the nine-to-five-type job and wanted to work for herself. She decided she wanted to dedicate her life to yoga and began to formulate a business around that.

After teaching yoga to kids to help them unwind, she started writing her very first book that would act as a guidebook for parents and teachers entitled, “The ABCs of Yoga for Kids.” Power dubbed the launch of her book Kids’ Yoga Day, which saw over 30,000 kids participating the first year.

Since then, Kids’ Yoga Day, which will take place April 9 this year, has turned into a global movement. It is an entirely free event that has been taking place every year on the first Friday of April since 2015 where children and their guardians from all over the world do the exact same yoga routine at the exact same time.

According to a recent Center for Disease Control and Prevention report, Power explained, “the number of children using yoga and meditation is rising.” Power shared that this is not surprising, as today’s modern technological society has children leading more sedentary lives, as well as becoming overly stimulated with social media, computers, iPhones, iPads and other computerized devices.

“Kids need a healthy outlet to balance their lives,” Power shared in a statement, “and yoga and meditation is a means to slow down the pace and help children find their center.”

Since that very first book and the very first Kids’ Yoga Day, Power shared that love for writing and yoga has launched her into a place that she never imagined she would be, with more than 260,000 copies sold of all her books.

Power described herself as being very creative—she has always loved writing poems. She shared that the idea of using the theme of “The Night Before Christmas” and turn it into “The Night Before Kids’ Yoga Day” came to her randomly.

The book, which debuted February 9, has seen success so far, with Barnes & Noble ordering several thousand copies for its stores. With COVID-19 precautions in mind, Power is planning to do a Facebook Live or Zoom as a virtual book tour stop, also relying on promotion through her social media presence.

“I’m so excited with this,” Power said. “It’s one of my favorite books I’ve written.”

“The Night Before Kids’ Yoga Day” is published by Stafford House Books, Inc. and is illustrated by Anna Abramskaya. The book is available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Indiebound.

For more information about Power and International Kids’ Yoga Day, visit kidsyogaday.com.