Yoga for Kids: A Beginner’s Guide 

Avatar of Salma Ihab
Updated on: Educator Review By: Michelle Connolly

For yoga for kids, you will need to roll out your mat, put on your comfiest clothes, turn on some relaxing music, dim the lights, and exhale positive energy and all of the negative energy of the day. Yes, I’m talking about yoga! Yoga is a practice that helps you stay grounded; it is most people’s go-to when they have a stressful day or want to feel Zen in the fast-paced world around them.

Something to remember when practising yoga is that it is more than just a physical workout; it is a complete mind and body workout. Yoga is a set of exercises known as poses that help with specific breathing techniques and meditation principles. Yoga can help you relax and learn to be more mindful of your body by teaching you to focus on your breath.

Do you enjoy yoga so much that you want your child to join you? Yoga has a lot of benefits for kids, and if they start practising regularly, it will drastically change their attitude and way of thinking. So let’s get into more… 

8 Benefits of Yoga for Kids

First things first, there are numerous benefits to regular yoga practice. A complete yoga workout, in general, can help keep your back and joints healthy, improve your overall posture, stretch and strengthen muscles, and improve your balance. So let’s see how it benefits kids.  

  1. Self-control 

Most parents want to teach their children self-control, and yoga can help! It is well known that children with strong self-control are better at making friends and taking decisions in stressful situations. In addition, many studies show that kids who practice yoga regularly are less impulsive and more patient.

  1. Reduces Anxiety and Stress

Kids, like adults, experience stress, and when you are stressed, it sometimes rubs off on your child. As a result, they require a stress-relieving tool, and yoga is always the answer. 

Since the Covid-19 pandemic began, children’s anxiety levels have more than doubled. Yoga teaches children breathing techniques that can help them relax. These techniques help in the relaxation of children’s minds and bodies.

  1. It Has a Significant Impact on Attention Span

We all know that the words “children” and “concentration” rarely appear together. Kids, in general, are very curious, which results in very little attention span because they want to discover everything around them as quickly as possible. 

Yoga helps them focus more because they stay in a pose for a few seconds, teaching them to concentrate on breathing and maintaining their balance. Children who practice yoga for a while develop the ability to focus for a more extended time. This is a skill that will benefit children greatly in school.

  1. It Makes Them More Aware of Their Bodies

Regular practice has many advantages, the most important of which is that it makes your child more aware of their body; for example, most children are a little clumsy; yoga trains them to balance their coordination. It also helps to strengthen their developing muscles.

Yoga increases children’s strength, flexibility, and health benefits, which keep them safe during physical activity and exercise, so you don’t have to worry about them in the playground.

  1. Internal Health Benefits

It’s a practice that significantly impacts building strength and mental health by making people more aware of their bodies. It also has an internal benefit, as it regulates bowel movement, reduces asthma symptoms, and boosts immunity.

  1. Effects Relationship With Parents 

We live in a busy world where technology sometimes takes us away from our loved ones. Yet, most parents and children want to spend quality time together. So, doing yoga weekly will make your child look forward to it because they will get to spend time with you, and you will notice how it will significantly improve your relationship.

  1. Improve Their Self-Esteem

If your child lacks confidence, yoga can help. It encourages children to believe in themselves and their abilities. When they master a new move, they naturally feel proud of themselves, thinking they can conquer the world. 

  1. Better Sleep

We all know that sleep is a child’s worst enemy! On the other hand, yoga will relax them so much that they will fall asleep quickly. You can practice yoga before bedtime, but not the entire class, just a few breathing exercises or stretches to help them relax.

What is the Best Age to Start Yoga for Kids?

This a question you find yourself asking frequently. The first thing we need to be clear about is that children develop an early interest in anything that challenges them physically due to their natural curiosity to know the world around them. 

To answer your question, the ideal age for a child to begin yoga is at least four years old because an overage healthy child’s spine and lung development start around the age of three, allowing them to practice most poses.

What Are the Various Types of Yoga for Kids?

 When it comes to yoga, there are numerous options ranging from challenging vinyasa to relaxing Hatha, but which yoga is best for kids? The most popular types of yoga for children are Ashtanga and Lyengar, both of which are derived from Hatha yoga. These practices are appropriate for meeting the needs of a child.

7 Best Yoga Poses for Kids

Yoga poses for children are frequently based on animals and plants, making them easy to remember and also helping their imagination. For example, the cat pose allows them to pretend they are cats breathing in and out. So, let’s look at some videos of different yoga poses for kids. 

  1. Easy Sitting Pose

If you want to start with something simple and easy for your child, try a “sitting pose.” This involves sitting up straight with their legs crossed; many children call this the “crisscross applesauce.” They can even close their eyes and take deep breaths in and out as if meditating.

  1. Child’s Pose

The child’s pose mimics what it’s like to be in the womb. It’s a very simple pose that your child can do; they sit back on their knees, folding forward, bringing their arms out in front of their bodies, and resting their forehead between their arms on the ground. If they feel overwhelmed, upset, or hyper, you can make them do this pose, which will instantly relax and ground them. 

  1. Cobra Pose

From the pose’s name, you can make them act like a snake and hiss like a cobra. The cobra pose encourages them to use their back muscles. They basically have to lay on their stomachs, place their hands flat on the ground beneath their shoulders, and then lift up.

  1. Butterfly Pose

Remember when we told you yoga for kids is inspired by animals? This pose will make them believe they are butterflies. They will sit with their feet flat together and their knees out to the side; the child can flap their knees up and down like wings. 

  1. Tree Pose

Trust me when I say that kids absolutely love this pose! Kids like to turn this pose into a competition to see who can hold it the longest. They only need to stand on one leg. To achieve this pose, shift your weight onto one foot and bring the other foot to the ankle for a simple method or the thigh for a more difficult method. Then, for the arms, start at the chest and work your way up once they’ve mastered the pose. 

  1. Warrior I Pose 

This pose requires them to pretend to be warriors while working on their balance, strength, and focus. Step into a high lunge while bending the front leg at a 90° angle to achieve this pose. Bring the back foot to a 45° angle to the ground. Raise the arms to the sky while keeping the hips square.

  1. Savasana

Savasana is also known as “corpse pose.” It is a very simple pose. They will lay flat on their back on the ground with their arms beside them and their legs straight out in front of them. They can close their eyes and imagine themselves in their happy place. This pose allows them to relax and rest after a workout.

Here Are 3 Yoga Videos for Kids to Get You Started

  1. Morning yoga practice to get your day started right
  1. Have you noticed that your child’s energy level has dropped? Here’s a yoga routine to help them re-energize their superpowers.
  1. If you’re looking for ways to open your child’s heart chakra and encourage them to love and be kind, this is the perfect yoga practice to try.

Namaste and That’s All for Today!

You are now ready to share your energy and practice with your child, and if you get stuck, you can always refer back to the videos for guidance. Remember how you will notice a significant difference in your child once they begin practising and how they will look forward to their yoga time with you every week!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *