Guidelines for Kids Yoga:
I have gone over the guidelines and benefits of kids yoga in the article, Yoga for Kids Guidelines and Benefits, but am going to include this information in this article as well, so you can access it all in one place.
Children under 6 you can do up to 1 minute / exercise.
The total time for the kids yoga session can be up to 15 minutes.
Children 6 and above can do up to 1 1/2 minutes / exercise and the kids yoga session can last up to 25 minutes.
Encourage the child to do the pose correctly, along with the breathing, but don't force perfection. Use lots of positive reinforcement to help the child learn and improve.
Take frequent little breaks in between, during which encourage meditation and being still. Breaks after strenuous exercises is a must.
Always demonstrate the posture or exercise, rather than try to just explain it.
Use this technique even when trying to correct their poses.
Encourage the children to practice with their eyes closed when so indicated by the exercise.
This will teach them the profound art of looking and feeling what is happening within them.
Remember even kids need to warm-up before doing vigorous yoga.
Kids tummies should also not be full when doing yoga.
Never compare the children with each other.
Start them off with joining you towards the end of your yoga practice.
This is one of the best ways to inspire kids to start yoga.
Benefits of Childrens Yoga:
Builds their confidence and self-esteem.
Improves their powers of concentration and focus.
Develops their brain and intellect.
Excellent for their bodies and health. Promotes balance, flexibility, coordination and strength.
Helps them cope with stress and difficult emotions.
Develops their creativity and imagination.
Sharpens and expands their awareness.
Helps them develop calmness.
Tips to Help Teach Children Yoga:
The most important things to remember with kids yoga is to keep it fun, keep it open and keep it simple.
Below you will find a collection of kids yoga poses, demonstrated by my son Shivum when he was about four and a half.
The poses are for you to use in designing your yoga sets for the children.
There are many fun ways to encourage the children to learn and do yoga and here a few ideas for doing this.
Let your creative juices flow, I am certain many more good ideas will come to you as well.
Imaginative stories are some of the best ways to teach yoga to kids.
A trip through the jungle, etc, are a perfect way to incorporate doing the poses as you journey onwards.
Do cobra, bear, tree mountain, etc, as you come across these in your story.
Follow the leader is another great way to get kids to be creative and do the yoga poses.
You can lead and do your favorite poses, and then the kids can lead turn by turn doing theirs.
Yoga shows are great too and kids love nothing more than having your attention as they can put on a show of all the yoga they have learned.
I have gone over the guidelines and benefits of kids yoga in the article, Yoga for Kids Guidelines and Benefits, but am going to include this information in this article as well, so you can access it all in one place.
Children under 6 you can do up to 1 minute / exercise.
The total time for the kids yoga session can be up to 15 minutes.
Children 6 and above can do up to 1 1/2 minutes / exercise and the kids yoga session can last up to 25 minutes.
Encourage the child to do the pose correctly, along with the breathing, but don't force perfection. Use lots of positive reinforcement to help the child learn and improve.
Take frequent little breaks in between, during which encourage meditation and being still. Breaks after strenuous exercises is a must.
Always demonstrate the posture or exercise, rather than try to just explain it.
Use this technique even when trying to correct their poses.
Encourage the children to practice with their eyes closed when so indicated by the exercise.
This will teach them the profound art of looking and feeling what is happening within them.
Remember even kids need to warm-up before doing vigorous yoga.
Kids tummies should also not be full when doing yoga.
Never compare the children with each other.
Start them off with joining you towards the end of your yoga practice.
This is one of the best ways to inspire kids to start yoga.
Benefits of Childrens Yoga:
Builds their confidence and self-esteem.
Improves their powers of concentration and focus.
Develops their brain and intellect.
Excellent for their bodies and health. Promotes balance, flexibility, coordination and strength.
Helps them cope with stress and difficult emotions.
Develops their creativity and imagination.
Sharpens and expands their awareness.
Helps them develop calmness.
Tips to Help Teach Children Yoga:
The most important things to remember with kids yoga is to keep it fun, keep it open and keep it simple.
Below you will find a collection of kids yoga poses, demonstrated by my son Shivum when he was about four and a half.
The poses are for you to use in designing your yoga sets for the children.
There are many fun ways to encourage the children to learn and do yoga and here a few ideas for doing this.
Let your creative juices flow, I am certain many more good ideas will come to you as well.
Imaginative stories are some of the best ways to teach yoga to kids.
A trip through the jungle, etc, are a perfect way to incorporate doing the poses as you journey onwards.
Do cobra, bear, tree mountain, etc, as you come across these in your story.
Follow the leader is another great way to get kids to be creative and do the yoga poses.
You can lead and do your favorite poses, and then the kids can lead turn by turn doing theirs.
Yoga shows are great too and kids love nothing more than having your attention as they can put on a show of all the yoga they have learned.
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