by sara | Jun 14, 2016 | Benefits, Mindfulness
Adults aren’t the only ones who are stressed. Yoga can also be used to help anxious kids and achieve many healthy benefits in the process . Learn simple poses and ideas to introduce and practice yoga at home with your kids.
Yoga for kids is becoming increasingly popular. It is showing up in school classrooms, daycares, sports, in addition to yoga studios and other health clubs. The physical benefits of yoga are lifelong and include flexibility, strength, and coordination. Yoga is also recognized as a relaxation technique and used to help combat anxiety in kids as well as adults.
Here is what Today’s Parent had to say on helping to calm little minds while practicing yoga.
by sara | Jun 12, 2016 | Kids Yoga Lesson Plan
Maybe the word “sneaky” sounds too conniving and calculated, but after an energetic and fun-filled kids yoga class or a busy day out and about, there is nothing better than settling children into a state of relaxation or savasana. Anyone who has ever worked with or been around kids for approximately 30 seconds, knows that quieting kids is not always an easy task to do. These calming yoga moves for kids at home or in a kids yoga class!
Read on for some simple tips that can make that important last bit of a kids yoga class all the more refreshing and relaxing. This is the perfect time that children can reap the benefits of the yoga moves for kids working and moving their bodies in such a good and healthy way.
- Turn the lights down low if possible.
- Play slow and calming music.
- Have children begin to lie on their backs as slowly as possible while counting down from 10.
- Have them bring their knees to their chest give themselves a big hug. They love this!
- Allow the kids to lay however they feel most comfortable; on their back, stomach or curled into a ball.
- Use phrases like, “be as still as a statue, ” or “quiet as a mouse” to help give kids a mental picture of how to pose and act.
- Depending on the situation, lightly rub the children’s’ backs. It is amazing the calm it brings and how much they respond to this little touch.
Call it a success, if you get stillness for even 10 seconds from your class or child at first! Savasana is something to build on with kids. Over time the duration will lengthen. It really does become a favorite part of class or nightly routine at home as they get to lie there and “do nothing.” The act of being totally present brings about so many benefits for kids.
by sara | Jun 10, 2016 | Kids Yoga Lesson Plan
Parents are busy. Kids are busy. Here is how you can get your yoga workout in AND have fun making memories with your kids. Sounds like a win-win situation to me! If you want more easy ideas on getting your kids involved with yoga see here.
Partner Up
There are many fun child yoga poses that can be done with adults and children. Look here for fun Partner Pose ideas that can be done with your kids.
Watch a Video
Not feeling too creative or need some fresh ideas? Check out a You Tube video. There are some fun videos you can find related to kids yoga. While there Subscribe to Go Go Yoga Kids for updates. We will be up and running there soon!
Use a Story:
This is one of my favorite ways to practice yoga with kids. I love reading aloud to my kids and I know how important that is. By reading a story to them they will receive the benefits of reading aloud AND practicing yoga! Here are some of my favorite read alouds that allow opportunities to try some yoga poses.
Feel like you have those ideas mastered or need some additional inspiration? For more ideas look at our post on even more ways to incorporate yoga, kids, and home.
by sara | Jun 8, 2016 | Benefits
Why should children practice kids yoga? There are so many reasons to introduce kids to yoga and the benefits keep rolling in! Be sure to check out our previous Fab Four Benefits of Yoga for Kids. Here are even more that you don’t want to miss.
1. Yoga Boosts Confidence
Yoga makes you feel good which increases confidence. I see this all the time in my kid yoga classes when a child is able to master a pose they have been working on or see their flexibility and balance improve, it is amazing what it does to their confidence. You can literally see them step out of the kids yoga class, standing up straighter and more self-assured. They are also more calm, poised, and self-assured in their abilities for not only in the next class but throughout their daily activities. The more you practice yoga, the better you feel.
2. Promotes Health and Stress Management
Yoga is a physical activity that releases happy endorphins. When you leave a yoga class you feel good inside and out, and you want to maintain that feeling. Yoga also improves your digestive system with the twisting, moving, inverting, and holding poses. Breathing exercises also help calm kids which gives them the tools to use when they are feeling overwhelmed, stressed and anxious. Instead of kids logging more hours in front of a screen yoga promotes health and positive activity.
3. Builds Positive Peer and Social Interactions
Everyone is unique and special in their own way, and we all come from different places and backgrounds. No yoga pose looks the same from person to person, child or adult. With yoga, we celebrate and respect the differences as we try new postures and poses. Kids enjoy working with each other in partner and group poses and achieving success together. Yoga is also about encouraging one another and promoting acceptance, trust, kindness and empathy.
4. Sparks Creativity and Expression
Yoga Kids classes are fun and engaging as we move in and out of games, stories, and songs while learning new poses and practicing as a group. Often yoga kids classes are centered on a theme to help them learn about new places and concepts. Yoga also helps kids be free, creative, and express themselves. Not only is this fun, but yoga also encourages kids to use their imaginations to try new things in a safe environment and to not take themselves too seriously.
by sara | Jun 5, 2016 | Benefits, Breathing Exercises, Games, Kids Yoga Lesson Plan, Yoga Poses
If you are already teaching kids yoga or even if you are just beginning to learn some yoga poses, you have probably already experienced, read or heard about the benefits of yoga for all ages. Why wouldn’t you want to introduce it those you care about most? Your family and loved ones need to know about this!
I love how yoga actually lets you connect with your child and is something you can actually do with them as opposed to being a spectator to such as soccer games, dance recitals, piano recitals, etc. Don’t get me wrong, I love cheering my kids on at any of their sporting events or competitions, but the memories are made when you actually do something with them.
It doesn’t need to be a big orchestrated event, just get down on the floor and be engaged. They will love it!
Easy Ways to do Yoga At Home With Your Kids
- Make it a Routine: Doing some yoga poses together does not need to take long. Incorporate some little ways to use yoga at the same time every day. It could be first thing in the morning or by doing some bedtime calming stretches each night. These are good places to start!
- Use Props: Grab some beach towels or yoga mats to lay out and sit on. Kids love having their own space and this will give them boundaries and a sense of ownership. Include your child’s favorite stuffed animal and have it participate along with you.
- Pick a Card: I love these Yoga Pose Cards and they are great for providing a visual. Let them pick 3-5 yoga pose cards at a time to learn, practice and have fun with. Make sure that you participate as well and gain all of the benefits too.
Teaching kids yoga at home doesn’t need to take long. Just have fun with yoga together and make it a part of your life. There is no right or wrong way, but the simple fact that you are together, learning and moving will create lasting memories with your children!
For more ways to teach yoga to your kids visit here.
