Yoga with kids (another way to pass the time in the shelter)

Let's put our cards on the table: our original plan for this week probably included many more teasers and shavasanas at the studio, and far fewer hours of "Mum, I'm bored" in a 9-square-metre space. Israeli reality sends us into safe rooms, and the tension doesn't stay outside the door. It comes in with us, settles on our shoulders and passes straight to the kids, who feel every frequency of stress in the air.

So instead of trying to quiet them or giving in to hours of screens (spoiler: that only turns up the volume), I decided to turn the mat into a playground. Yoga for kids isn't the quiet and spirituality we're used to at the studio. It's noisy, it's funny – and it's probably the most accessible regulation tool we have at hand right now.

The ground rules (or: how to survive it without losing your temper)

Before you start, lower your expectations. This isn't going to look like Monday 20:00 yoga.

• It's not a class, it's a game: don't correct the angle of their legs. If their "downward dog" looks more like a headfirst dive onto a pillow – great! The goal is movement, not perfection.

• 5 minutes is forever: kids, especially today's kids, have the attention span of a butterfly. Start with 5 minutes. Going well? Add a bit more. Climbing the walls? Let it go, we'll try again tomorrow.

• Speak "animal": forget the Sanskrit names. Let's be cats, frogs and dogs looking in different directions. Much more appealing than trying to explain what "chaturanga" is.

So what do you actually do?

Here are a few poses that just work, even in a small space:

1. Butterfly: sit on the mat, soles of the feet touching, and "flap" your knees like wings. It releases the pelvis (where we tend to store all our stress) and it's just cute. Ask them where their butterfly is flying today.

2. Tree: stand on one leg, steady, and try not to fall. Whoever stays steady even when the "wind" (that's you, blowing on them gently) tries to move them is the household's champion of focus.

3. Cat and cow: on all fours, arch the back up (like an angry cat), then let it drop and show off your bottom (like a cow). For the bold only: add "meow" and "moo". It sounds silly, but it releases tension in seconds and mobilises a spine that needs it.

4. Frog: little jumps on the spot with legs wide. The perfect solution for kids with excess energy that has to come out right now – before they take the house apart.

The secret tip: lucky cards

Some shops sell yoga cards designed for practising with kids, which you can buy and use at home on different occasions.

If you'd rather not buy them, you can make your own! Take small pieces of paper, let the kids draw an animal or a pose they like, and stack them. Each time someone else draws a card and everyone does the pose. When they get to choose, they're much more "into it" and feel less like they're being bossed around.

The most important part: "Breathe!"

Sounds banal? Try a simple breathing exercise with them: "Imagine you're smelling a flower (a deep breath in through the nose) and then blowing out a candle (a long breath out through the mouth)." It's a tool they can take with them into the less pleasant moments of the day too.

How do you finish? (My favourite part)

At the end, when they're a bit calmer, I ask them to lie on their backs like a "log". That's the time for a short imaginary story about all the animals we met today, breathing deeply and calming down.

It's the moment when you, too, can close your eyes for a second, take a real breath, and remember that even in the middle of this madness, movement is the best medicine we have.