Can We Normalize Meditation Breaks on Family Hikes?

"For three euphoric months, a newly opened climbing gym near my house allowed me to bring a dozen rowdy toddlers from my kids' friend group to strap into their sit harnesses for a brief, adorably awkward clamber up the rock wall. Alas, all good things must come to an end, especially the ones that should never have been allowed in the first place."

"Just as we were gearing up for new enrollments, the gym owners informed us that their insurance agent cautioned them against welcoming such young aspiring mountaineers into their space. As a twin toddler mom suddenly left with an adventurous activity void and a gaggle of rambunctious littles, I set out to find the one guide in San Miguel de Allende who would agree to pivot, taking a nature-loving group of families, with children ages two to four, out into the wilderness."

"Youthful and energetic, but not yet a parent himself, his eyes widened as I explained that whatever calculations he had for time and distance needed to be doubled, scrambling was out of the question, and "beginner" routes should be considered "intermediate or advanced" when contemplating how to structure the day. Three hours later, we had a plan, and before I left the café, 15 families had agreed to join us for the first experimental family hike."

A newly opened climbing gym allowed a dozen toddlers to climb with sit harnesses for three months before insurance restrictions forced an end. A twin toddler mother sought an outdoor alternative and found a guide in San Miguel de Allende willing to adapt bioenergetic hiking tours for children ages two to four. The guide agreed to double time and distance estimates, avoid scrambling, and treat beginner routes as intermediate or advanced for safety. Fifteen families joined the experimental hike. Toddlers explored scarlet sage and insects, many were carried through steep slippery sections, and hesitant children rode on parents' shoulders.

Read at Yoga Journal