Yoga for Children

Yoga for Children

I've learned a lot by practicing yoga over the past 10 years. I've learned the power of self-awareness, the importance of mental clarity, and the amazing feeling of pushing my body to new limits. Yoga for adults promotes meditation, flexibility, and strength (among other essential values). Yoga is, at the same time, a deeply challenging work-out and a soothing, centering experience. Yoga practice can also provide amazing benefits for young children. 

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When I was teaching 3 to 5-year-olds, I used many yoga principles as valuable teaching tools in the classroom setting. During whole-group instruction, we practiced several standard poses each day to "calm our bodies down" for learning. We practiced deep breathing exercises, including pranayama, or "lion breaths", when the children would take a deep breath in, hold it for several seconds, and release it with a lion-like growl. I taught centering exercises, such as these, to promote a sense of self-control and self-awareness in my preschoolers. I was consistent in practicing these techniques with my preschoolers so that they would be able to use them independently when necessary. 

I also used yoga with my preschoolers to encourage body and spatial awareness. For instance, when we practiced Downward Facing Dog (see below), we discussed the position of our bodies in space, where our hands and feet met the floor, and how our bodies felt in this inverted pose. Yoga became very multi-functional in the classroom. The children were developing language skills while doing calming, physical activity and building social/emotional coping strategies (deep breathing, finding self-awareness, stretching, etc.).

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I have found yoga to be an essential teaching tool in the classroom, and I believe it can be an essential tool for you at home, as well. Practice yoga with your child and give her opportunities to practice on her own. Having his own personal yoga mat will encourage your child to practice yoga for fun and as a means of releasing stress and/or anxiety. You can purchase one for relatively cheap here. Depending on where you live, there may be different studio options for you and your child to practice outside of the home. Some studios even offer specific classes for parents and children or for children only. If you don't have access to a studio like this, or if want to try it out on your own at home first, there are tons of yoga resources out there. 

Find children's yoga videos and tutorials on YouTube. 
Find lots of other great children's yoga books and resources here.
Here are a few good children's yoga short reads: Yoga for Kids, Top 10 Benefits of Yoga for Kids, Benefits of Yoga for Kids.

I hope that yoga brings you (and your children) a new level of self-awareness, peace, strength, control, understanding, and FUN!

Namaste,
The Prepped Parent