Yoga Poses for Kids – As a parent, it’s important to make sure your child stays active and fit (before and after school) in order to keep them healthy and strong. You can find a lot of exercise activities that are fun and enjoyable to do with your kids, but they are important to know.
Yoga is a good form of exercise and is often a cure for fatigue and stress. It helps in treating anxiety and depression as well as stress and chronic stress in children. In addition to its physical benefits, yoga has also become a great way to improve your mental and physical health. However, there is still a lot of confusion among parents regarding the selection of the best yoga poses for kids.
Yoga is an excellent way to improve your physical and mental condition that not only helps in building a strong body but also in enhancing the quality of life. Yoga is popular among adults and children due to its numerous health benefits. Besides, it helps to reduce stress, brings about a better mood and aids in bringing about proper sleep. It is great for people suffering from various health conditions as it strengthens the body and improves overall immunity. It’s no secret that yoga is a popular activity these days. In gyms, studios and schools, the practice continues to spread and take on new and varied forms. One of the great achievements of the yoga hobby is its accessibility to children.
Teaching yoga to children opens the door to a lifelong practice that will nurture a healthy body, mind and spirit.
So if you decide to do yoga with your child or teach a children’s class, be prepared to shake things up a bit. While many adults turn to yoga to find peace and release physical tension, children are motivated by one factor in particular: Joy.
To pique their interest and keep them engaged, it is important to offer children fun and engaging poses. Once the class starts, we can begin breathing and meditation exercises so they can also enjoy the wonderful benefits of yoga.
Here are the 7 best yoga poses for kids:
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1. Cat and cow
Each pose with an animal name is beautiful because it evokes playful, intimate images that help make yoga feel more like play. Standing on hands and knees, guide them to lower the belly and look up for the cow pose, then arch the back like an angry cat for the cat pose.
Once they have mastered this gentle movement, add breathing and encourage them to breathe in with each cow and out with each cat.
2. Puppy position
This variation of the child’s pose, with the tailbone lifted above the heels, is a great stretch for the back and shoulders, as well as a good opportunity for self-reflection.
By looking at their mat and not at the other children in the room or other distractions around them, it is easier for children to withdraw and calm down.
3. Boom installation
Teaching children the tree posture allows them to show their inner strength and focus.
By describing the deep roots of the tree, we help children feel big and proud and remind them that each one is a strong and remarkable individual. When we lead them through the balance section by pressing the sole of one foot against the inside of the standing foot, we show them that focus and determination pay off.
4. Aircraft Position (Warrior III)
What kid doesn’t want to fly? This difficult position stimulates the children as they use every muscle in their body to hold the plane.
By balancing on one foot, pushing with the other foot and extending both arms like wings, children can imagine themselves flying over their city or wherever they would like to be.
5. Lizard on rock (mate position)
This pose has it all: a pet name, a great stretch and a partner to play with. Paired poses are a great way for kids to learn, build confidence and be creative together.
For this pose, partners must be back to back on their knees. Ask one of them to lie down on the mat in the posture of a child, with the tailbone on the heels, the forehead on the mat and the arms extended beside the head. The second child crouches high, then lifts himself up to sit on the other’s tailbone, then leans back and leans on his or her friend.
The result is a beautiful, heart-opening yet silly pose that brings ease to the practice.
6. Boat Station
This pose has many variations and is ideal for children of all ages and abilities. Have the children sit on the mat with their feet in front of them, hands behind them and toes so that they barely touch the mat. Then they can work out by lifting their feet off the mat and stretching their arms out in front of them.
From there you can touch the mat with one foot and then the other, stretch both legs or even rotate your upper body from side to side. The challenge is to keep breathing – just as we must learn to breathe in difficult situations.
7. Lying down (Savasana)
Although many children don’t like naps and find it difficult to lie still, especially when their friends are around, this pose is very important for everyone to include in their yoga practice.
In this relaxed position, lying on the back, it is the moment to introduce the children to breathing exercises. Like the names of the poses themselves, there are many breathing games for children that help them slow down, connect with themselves and learn to listen to their bodies.
These poses are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to doing yoga with kids. Children bring a special lightness to practice, an uninhibited joy that makes them eager to try new things and strike fun poses.
As yoga teachers or parents, we can use this enthusiasm to integrate the valuable lessons yoga has to offer. Because yoga is a mirror of life, what we cultivate on the mat serves us in our daily reality.
Encouraging children to seek balance, peace and strength makes them healthier and happier, and what more can we wish for them?
Yoga is most certainly an ancient practice, given that the validity of the word has been corroborated in the Rig Veda, an ancient Indian text, as far as back as 2700 BC.