It’s time to get your kids away from their screens and start them off on a healthier path. There are many different types of exercise that kids can participate in. One routine that has been growing in popularity is Yoga. So, take a deep breath, release any stress, and start with the simplest yoga poses you can perform for kids. Yoga is a relaxing way for your children to do something physical and still have fun doing it. In this article, we will go over the benefits of yoga, simple yoga poses for kids, and some tips on how to get started.
The Benefits of Yoga for Kids
Yoga is a form of exercise that focuses on flexibility, breathing, and strength. It is often practiced while sitting still or moving slowly in several poses. Yoga also includes meditation, which can help to relax the mind and body. The goal is to find inner peace by being mindful of your thoughts, feelings, and actions. Introducing your little ones to yoga at an early age can help them develop a healthy body and mind. Here are some other benefits of yoga for kids:
- Yoga can help kids with their balance and coordination
- Yoga can help build stronger spines and backs
- Yoga is a fun activity that promotes coordination, balance, flexibility, relaxation, and focus
- Kids will enjoy the social aspect of practicing yoga together with other kids
- Yoga can help kids to relieve stress and worry
- Yoga is a non-competitive activity that’s great to do in groups.
We can’t deny the fact that Yoga is great exercise and good for the health and body of children, who already spend so much of their time on computers. But if you are unsure how to introduce yoga to your kids, don’t worry. It is very easy and fun. We’ll review a few ways parents can get their children ready for their yoga adventure.
How to Teach Young Kids Yoga Poses
Kids are not always ready to practice yoga poses, which can be a problem when trying to get them interested in this form of exercise. Here are some tips for teaching your kids yoga poses that will make it easy for them to do the exercises without fear or making them feel uncomfortable:
1. Talk About Yoga
Introduce some simple concepts about yoga to your kids before getting started. You can tell them that yoga is about flexibility, relaxation, and breathing. Make sure to do this in a fun and non-threatening way.
2. Set Up The Space
In order to start the yoga poses routine, make sure to have enough space in your home. Find a room that has enough space for your little yogi and the yoga mat. If you don’t have a spare room, find a corner of your bedroom or basement that can be used as a practice area. This will help them feel comfortable when they try out new moves. Make sure to also put reminders in places they can see, such as on mirrors, so they can see themselves practicing the poses.
3. Practice Yoga with Them
It can be difficult for kids to learn yoga poses by just reading about them or watching tutorials online. They need someone they feel comfortable with to try these exercises. Try to have your kids practice yoga poses with you. Yoga poses are not dangerous, so there is no need to be concerned about this.
3. Encourage Your Kids to Participate
This is a great way of getting your child involved in an activity they enjoy while building and enhancing their physical, mental, and emotional health. Start by having them move slowly through the yoga poses until they feel comfortable doing the exercises without feeling too much strain on their bodies.
4. Have Your Child Do the Exercises on Their Own
Once your child is comfortable doing the exercises and seems to enjoy them, you can let them practice yoga poses independently. This way, they will not feel like they are being forced into practicing something they don’t enjoy.
5. Help Out if Needed
You may still have to help your child get through some of the yoga poses, but try to do this as little as possible in order for them to gain confidence and grow in their abilities.
8 Best Yoga Poses for Kids
Each of these yoga poses for kids is gentle and will allow young yogis to build muscle and flexibility. Some poses may even make you smile, seeing that your child is having fun in a comfortable environment. Try to practice these simple poses every day.
1. Child’s Pose
The child’s pose is a simple yoga position that involves sitting back on the heels, folding forward, and bringing the arms out in front of the body while resting one’s forehead on the ground. This position allows one to feel held.
How To Do The Pose:
- Begin on hands and knees.
- Keep your hips pushed back toward your heels.
- The arms can be extended directly in front of your body or curled down by the sides.
Possible Benefits Of This Pose:
- Reducing stress
- Relaxing the body
- Enhancing flexibility and strength in the legs, ankles, and hips
- Grounding oneself
This pose may help you feel as though you are in the womb. Therefore, this pose is extremely comforting and grounding for a young kid. This pose is helpful in settling down a kid when they are upset, hyper, or overwhelmed, but it is used just for relaxing in general.
2. Half-lotus Pose
This Yoga position is an easier version of the lotus pose, yet it still provides the benefits of the full pose. It is important to perform this pose on both sides of the body to achieve balanced results.
How To Do The Pose:
- Sit on the floor or ground.
- Fold your legs in front of the body.
- Place one leg on top of the other, flexing your feet.
- Do the same on your other side.
Possible Benefits Of This Pose:
- Enhance creativity
- Helping to achieve relaxation
- Enhancing flexibility in the hips and legs
- Correcting posture
- Releasing tensions from the body, particularly the upper body
You can perform Half-lotus Pose while pretending to be a flower, making it creative and fun for young children.
3. Tabletop Pose
The tabletop pose is a foundational yoga pose excellent for both kids and adults. It strengthens the muscles of your shoulders and arms while also firing up your abdominals. It may look easy, but there is actually a lot of work that goes into this pose.
How To Do The Pose:
- Come to hands and knees
- Bring your knees hip-width apart, with your feet directly behind the knees. Bring your palms directly under the shoulders with your fingers facing forward.
- Look down between the palms and have your back to be flat. Press into the palms to drop your shoulders slightly away from the ears.
- Press the tailbone towards the back wall and the crown of the head towards the front wall to lengthen the spine.
- Breathe deeply and hold for one to three breaths.
Possible Benefits Of This Pose:
Strengthens your wrists, arms, and shoulders.
Stretches your spine.
Tones your back muscles.
Expands the chest and enhances lung capacity.
4. Butterfly Pose
A pose that makes your little one flutter like a graceful butterfly and is believed to provide some valuable benefits.
How To Do The Pose:
- Sit on the ground with your feet together and your knees out to the sides.
- The butterfly pose can be held while flapping your legs like butterflies or while you’re breathing deeply.
- Hold for a few breaths.
Possible Benefits Of This Pose:
- Reducing fatigue
- Increasing creativity
- Strengthening the muscles in your legs and abdomen
- Reducing fatigue
- Relieving your headaches
- Improving the digestion
This pose is popular among kids. It allows for fun bonding experiences, especially between moms and their little ones. By sitting with the feet flat together and the knees out to the side, kids can flap the knees up and down like wings and imagine flying.
5. Seated Forward Fold
This Yoga pose is similar to the wide-angle seated forward bend, but instead of having the legs out to the sides, the legs are out in front of the body, creating a different stretch.
How To Do The Pose:
- Bring your legs out in front of the body, flexing your feet.
- Bring your arms up.
- Fold forward as far as you’re comfortable.
- If you can’t reach the feet, reach for the legs
- Hold for a few breaths.
Possible Benefits Of This Pose:
- Reducing stress
- Improves digestion
- Minimizing the frequency of belly aches
- Reducing headaches
- Promoting relaxation
- Lessens anxiety
6. Cobra Pose
Sometimes called the cobra, this pose is a backbend. It stretches the chest, shoulders, and abdominals while strengthening the spine.
How To Do The Pose:
- Lie down on your stomach
- Place palms flat next to the shoulders
- Press and lift the head and shoulders off the floor.
- Hold for a few breaths
- Then slowly lower yourself back down
Possible Benefits Of This Pose:
- Strengthens the spine
- Stimulates your abdominal organs and releases fatigue
- Great for managing breathing issues like asthma
- Reduces fatigue
7. Tree Pose
The Tree pose is a favorite among young kids. While challenging, this pose has lots of variations, making it accessible for individuals of all ages and abilities.
How To Do The Pose:
- While standing on one leg, bend the other knee and bring the sole of the foot on your inner thigh, shin, or ankle.
- Bring your arms up or your hands together at the chest.
- Your little one can also raise her arms up and sway like a tree.
- Hold this pose for a few breaths.
- And do the same to your other side.
Possible Benefits Of This Pose:
- Improves balance and focus
- Strengthens your thigh muscles, calves, and ankles while stretching your legs and chest
- Promotes balance
8. Dancer’s Pose
The dancer’s pose is an elegant position that’s excellent for stretching and balance. It is also an excellent pose to try with your little one. It will help him develop motor skills and balance while also getting a good stretch in the legs and arms.
How To Do The Pose:
- Stand up straight and ground the feet
- Bend one leg back and grab the inner foot with the hand
- Push the leg back as you lift the chest
- Extend the opposite arm in front of you as you breathe deeply
- Hold the pose for twenty to thirty seconds
Possible Benefits Of This Pose:
- Improves balance
- Strengthens your legs and ankle muscles
- Opens the chest, shoulders, and hips
Conclusion
Overall, these Yoga poses for children have proven to be an excellent way to exercise their bodies and minds. They can be challenging and fun at the same time. The best part about doing Yoga with kids is that it brings you closer to your child, allowing you to bond with them. It is also great for improving coordination and balance. Your child’s body will become more flexible and strong, in addition to gaining concentration skills from practicing yoga.
Here at Montessori Academy, Yoga is part of our curriculum. We encourage our students to practice Yoga daily and use it as a tool for calming down, focusing on their breath, and relaxing their bodies. If you want to learn more about how we use Yoga in our curriculum, please contact us at (310) 215 -3388 for Culver City and (323) 795-0200 for West Adams.
