Little Yogis

By Sophia Paul

Introducing kids to exercise along with healthy eating habits and a calm environment is probably the best life insurance you can give them. Yoga is a fun way to get your offspring moving! The easiest way to introduce kids to yoga is by doing it with them. There are so many wonderful yoga poses to do with your child, even when they are very young. A lot of times we do this naturally when we play with our little ones, hopping like a frog, jumping like a rabbit, flying like a bird.

Many yoga poses are actually named after animals they resemble; downward facing dog for example, cat/cow, cobra, eagle, locust, tree pose and chair are some easy asanas (postures) for kids to do.



Warrior, Bucking Horse, Cobra







 When introducing cobra pose for example, making a hissing sound like a snake; we can turn down dog into a bucking horse by kicking up one leg into the air. These kinds of plays work best for children ages 4 to 8, they may seem a bit too silly for older kids. 







Down Dog, Tree, Triangle

 

Making it fun and maybe even into a story will guarantee your kids enjoying the experience. Intergrating some partner yoga poses is a fun way of doing yoga with your children. Ice cream scoop pose is a pose where the parent rests in embryo pose and the child is in embryo pose on the parents back making two rounded scoops.

Lion’s breath is a fun, invigorating, detoxifying breathing exercise all children (and most adults) love; it always creates a relaxed, easygoing atmosphere with lots of laughter. Older children may enjoy the invigorating sun salutation, warrior poses and triangle pose. Yoga poses can be practiced slow and have a calming effect or more vigorously actively burning calories, increasing motor function and building awareness of their bodies.

The most important component that distinguishes yoga from a simple stretching exercise it the combination of breath and movement. Even young children can be taught to take deep slow breaths. Sit in quiet meditation with them, breathing deeply and mindfully, they will soon follow your example. Instead of being totally silent you may point out things to observe quietly such as a bird, a sunset or listening to sounds of nature such as a gurgling brook nearby, the wind rustling in the trees or the cry of a hawk. Immersing yourself and your child completely into nature will dramatically enhance your creativity, sense of wonder and appreciation.

Combining your next hike or walk with your child with some yoga poses, mindfulness, breathing will give you a wonderful bonding experience; and don’t forget the power of laughter. Believe it or not there is such a thing that is called laughter yoga!

I hope you will have a lot of fun together exploring the wonders of yoga.

   *Sophia S. Paul, Adj. Professor, RRCC, CYI, RMT, ND is a certified Vinyasa Yoga instructor with 30 years of experience. You can check out her website at http://www.royalyogabailey.com/.