Author Today’s kids live in a stressful, hurry-up world. They are busier, under more pressure and less physically active than ever. A bustling pace of life can have detrimental effects on their joy and self-esteem. Yoga is a great way to bring some balance into a child’s life, give them a physical outlet for their boundless energy, and stimulate their creativity too! Yoga will help children with:
- building self-esteem
- focus and concentration
- body awareness
- stress management
- self-control
- ability to self-soothe
- relaxation
- physical fitness
When the yoga asanas were developed, the yogis used the animal and plant kingdoms for inspiration. This is a wonderful way to present yoga to kids. What child wouldn’t want to be able to sting like scorpion, balance like a crow or stand as tall and strong as a tree?
If there isn’t a kid’s yoga class nearby, you can teach them at home. The poses are the same for kids as for adults – and being far more flexible and lighter, kids easily and quickly pick up even the most challenging poses. All you need is patience, flexibility and a short learning session since kids (especially preschoolers) will not be able to hold asanas as long as adults, nor will they stay focused for as long.
Most of all, let go of your expectations about what yoga means to kids! They don’t care about self-realization or any of the other spiritual aspects of yoga. All they want to do is have fun. Having fun is how children learn – but you can subtly incorporate spiritual teachings into their animal poses. For example, you can talk about the ways that cobras and crows are similar and connected or how being still like a tree allows one to listen deeply.
And, be prepared to be amazed. Kids are extremely flexible, fearless, open, light and strong. What took you years to master might only take them one or two tries!
You’ll need to figure out various ways to teach kids: storytelling, music and games will stimulate a child’s curiosity and make them willing participants in what can be a very rigorous and demanding practice. Like the martial arts, which are often taught to kids as young as four, yoga teaches self-discipline and respect – skills that will carry through to adulthood.
How can you hold a child’s attention long enough to teach them stillness and focus? Start small! Use the animals and plants that many asanas are named for. Challenge kids to:
- Be as s
till, flexible and silent as a tree - Be as stealthy (no talking!) as a warrior
- Bark and “wag their tails” in downward dog
- Hiss and be as flexible as cobras
- Arch their backs in the camel pose
- “Fly” like dragonflies (a very advanced pose for adults, that many kids find easy)
- Show their gorgeous “plumage” in the bird of paradise pose
- Balance like crows
- Bring their toes to their nose in the heron pose
- Crawl across desert sands in the lizard pose
- Rule the skies in the eagle pose
- Sting like scorpions
- Leap from tree to tree in the monkey pose
- Reach for a peanut in the elephant’s trunk pose
- Spread their “wings” in the butterfly pose
- Stretch like cats in the cat pose
- Arch in the “water” in the fish pose
- Show their feathers in the feathered peacock pose
See how long they can be part of the furniture in the chair pose… rock like boats… reach for the sky and the ground at the same time in triangle pose… wiggle their toes like happy babies… and melt into total relaxation in savasana. Walk across their tummies with your fingers as they hold the bridge pose. Let them save the world as they “fly” around in the Superman pose. And let them be monsters in the “Wild Thing” pose.
There are so many fun ways to get kids completely absorbed in the fun of yoga! Every asana can be wealth of stories and games to keep kids engaged.
Frustration is a fun-killer so if your child doesn’t hold a pose properly or isn’t focused, don’t berate them. Challenge them to be the “king of crows” or “queen of scorpions” – how would a king or a queen look? Pretend you’re the paparazzi and have them pose for pictures! And, if the child is just not into it, don’t force it. You want yoga to be fun and not a dreaded assignment. Wait ’til the time is right. Young kids will often follow your lead so if you roll out your yoga mat, they’ll quickly become interested.
If you do yoga along with young kids, you can establish a practice that they will naturally follow for years to come.
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