How will Yoga change your child’s life? The difference could be, as simple as, keeping your child away from peer pressure that can lead to drug abuse, joining a gang, or another negative influence. Although, the answer is much deeper, Yoga will give any child the tools necessary to become a success in life.
One of the best ways to address the particular challenge of teaching Yoga to kids is to incorporate stories into the class. Not only does weaving stories into the series engage the attention of children, but it also encourages them to focus their minds on something external, which can naturally help to settle the excess energy of children. Yoga stories are also particularly well-adapted for pose changes within a series and can aid a Yoga instructor in shortening posture holds for children.
Be flexible with the yoga class format while teaching kids. Let the kids have as much fun as they are willing to have. Yoga teachers should keep the class loosely structured, allowing it to flow in any direction the kids take it. For example, if they are super engaged in a silly story, tell another one, even if it doesn’t quite follow your plan.
Simple, age appropriate yoga poses teach young children body awareness, and also improve muscle tone and motor skills. Preschoolers are still learning about balance and what their bodies can and cannot do. Yoga supports this type of learning.
Most yoga classes for kids follow an informal, energetic format that is a bit different from adult classes. Children are naturally flexible, having looser joints than adults. In order to avoid joint injuries and muscle strains from taking a stretch too far, children should be taught to go slowly and recognize when something doesn’t feel right. Instructors should create a comfortable atmosphere, where children aren’t afraid to adjust or come out of poses that feel awkward.
Yoga practice for preschool children should be in short, 15-minute sessions. Explain some of the philosophies behind yoga in terms the children can easily understand. Encourage children to listen to their breathing, feel their muscles stretching, and begin to listen to their bodies while letting their minds be still. Yoga instructors will often create modified versions of the poses, or relate the poses to animals or nature, which the children can easily relate to. Instructors might also create an animated story where the children must act out certain parts with yoga poses.
Kids Yoga classes have great value on many levels. Engagement in regular Yoga classes for kids promotes physical, psychological and…
Teaching Yoga for a kids’ sports team helps them improve concentration and agility, and done together as a group, is an excellent “team…
Yoga for children with ADHD is a sensible solution. Yoga can be an incredibly effective tool in supporting children with ADHD to improve..
Before you introduce Yoga to children, it is important to make sure that the children in your class do not have any special physical…