The Story Behind The Shapes We Can Make: A Children’s Yoga Book by CC Lane
Every children’s book begins somewhere. For CC Lane, The Shapes We Can Make: Let’s Do Yoga! began with a meditation, a symbol, and a lesson plan book filled with creative yoga classes.
In her YouTube video, “Behind the Book: The Creation of The Shapes We Can Make”, CC Lane shares the creative story behind the book and how a manifestation challenge, a shape-based yoga class, and a rainbow-inspired idea all came together in the final illustrations.
It Started With a Yellow Triangle
Before creating the book, CC Lane was participating in a 21-day manifestation challenge by Gabrielle Bernstein. One of the early lessons in the challenge was to choose a symbol that would connect her to what she was manifesting.
Rather than choosing a symbol she already felt attached to, CC Lane decided to pick something completely random. While sitting in her room, the word “triangle” came to her. Then the image became more specific: a triangle with the point facing up, like a pyramid. Then even more specific: a yellow triangle.
From that moment on, the yellow triangle became her symbol.
At the time, she did not yet know how it would connect to the children’s yoga book she would later create. But the shape stayed with her.
From “Shape Adventure” to The Shapes We Can Make
In the video, CC Lane also shares her original lesson plan book, where she created the yoga classes she taught to her students.
One of those early classes was called “Shape Adventure,” which became the first iteration of The Shapes We Can Make. In that class, students traveled to the “land of shapes,” making tall straight lines, crescent moons, twists, stars, and other movements that would later become part of the book. That original class became the foundation for the story and movement sequence.
In January 2022, CC Lane decided to turn the idea into a book. She had the routine written and knew how the poses would flow, but she was still unsure what the illustrations should look like.
The Rainbow Idea
The answer came one night as she was lying in bed.
CC Lane began thinking about rainbows, something she loves, and wondered what would happen if the figures in the book were not illustrated as unique individual children, but as colorful shapes moving through the rainbow.
Because the book begins standing and ends lying down, she decided the colors should move through the rainbow in reverse. The book would begin with purple, connected to the crown chakra at the top of the head, and end with red, connected to the root chakra.
Then she gave herself a clear sign: if the triangle pose landed on yellow when she mapped out the rainbow colors, that would be the direction for the illustrations.
The next morning, she sketched out each pose and wrote the colors beside them.
Sure enough, yellow landed on the triangle.
And that was it!
A Children’s Yoga Book With a Meaningful Creative Story
The story behind The Shapes We Can Make is part intuition, part teaching experience, and part creative trust.
What began as a yoga class called “Shape Adventure” became a colorful children’s yoga book that invites kids to move, stretch, and imagine their way through simple shapes. The yellow triangle that first appeared during a manifestation challenge found its place in the book, right where it was meant to be.
For parents, teachers, and caregivers, The Shapes We Can Make: Let’s Do Yoga! offers a playful way to introduce children to yoga, movement, and body awareness. It is fun, creative, and easy to enjoy together!
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