“When you move your body and breath long enough, you begin to move your heart and mind as well,” shared Megan Henderson, author of Myths for Little Yogis: Shiva’s Dance, on the impact yoga has had on her family’s life.

Henderson is an author and yogi, but first, she is a mother. Her daughter Maite has been her muse throughout the entire book writing process and beyond. Maite was born with down syndrome and has faced a variety of challenges from a rather young age.

Through intense research Henderson found that yoga could potentially aid in positive growth for her daughter. The benefits yoga provides could help Maite gain strength, as people with down syndrome tend to have loose ligaments and low muscle tone. Beyond her physical strength, breathing practices and chanting could help Maite ease her breathing due to her small airways — and it did.

Maite has experienced all of these benefits and more. Yoga has provided her more body and spatial awareness and improved her overall balance. Henderson was in awe of the impact yoga had on her daughter’s life and realized she wanted everyone to have the opportunity to grow in this practice.

With this goal in mind, Henderson decided to relay this message through the form of a children’s book — Myths for Little Yogis: Shiva’s Dance. Throughout the book, the five acts of Shiva are revealed: creation, maintenance, dissolution, concealment and revealment. All of these allow readers to dive into the deeper meaning behind yoga poses, and through illustration it is made easier for youth to engage and understand.

“I want to provide it to libraries so that all children have a chance to be exposed to these yoga myths at a young age,” Henderson says.

Henderson hopes that her readers will walk away with a taste of the richness of the myths that are woven through India’s cultural fabric. Even more than that, she hopes that this book can be an inspiration for other children, and other children like Maite.

To make this dream come true with the level of desired artistic freedom Henderson wanted, she became self-published. Through a platform called Kickstarter, she has been able to relay her message and rally the support of others to fund her campaign.

Henderson recently exceeded her goal for funding and shared, “I am so grateful! I hope [the book] continues to ripple out and that inspires more diversity in yoga spaces.”

Learn more & continue to support: kickstarter.com

Born and raised in Colorado, Hannah just couldn’t bring herself to leave. Currently a student at the University of Colorado, she is majoring in Journalism and minoring in Sports Media. Playing soccer all her life, she hopes to one day find her niche in the sports journalism world. Expanding on her love for all things health and fitness, she completed her Teacher Training at CorePower Yoga and has been a sculpt instructor for over a year. But nothing keeps her as busy as trying to parent her 10 month old Blue Tick Beagle puppy.