Yoga for Kids

Kids are exposed to a lot of stress these days

There is homework that they do daily...
the competition with other children...
TV and computer games...
and even over-scheduling.

And just like adults these kids need something relaxing to turn to and that could be: Yoga.

Yoga for kids helps them develop better body awareness, total self control, flexibility and coordination.

Yoga has shown to help hyperactive kids calm down. Children today crave movement and sensory motor stimuli that can help them balance out their inner souls.

Yoga helps them channel out their impulses in a positive way.

The main yoga poses that seem to work perfectly with kids are the warrior pose and the tree pose. These two yoga poses help instill in them calm, confidence and balance.

The trick to get them to do yoga is to go beyond just doing the proper poses, you should have to get them think about what the real posture means.

Let them think that they are really what the poses are symbolizing, let them be the postures - strong and confident like a warrior.

Yoga with partners is also a good way to build up trust with your children. It develops their team skills and fosters bonding.

Some kids have trouble relaxing. One thing that encourages kids to relax is visualization. Let them think of something that they really like and let them imagine being like these things.

You may also have them focus out on belly breathing first and have them listen to soothing and relaxing music.

Then ask them to imagine their favorite spot in the house or let them think that they are in outer space floating, or let them visualize that they are at the beach, playing their favorite sport or doing a favorite activity.

Every day at the end of each relaxation exercises, encourage kids to share their own experiences. Ask them to tell to the group what it was like to be in their visualized surroundings. Ask them also to share what place have they imagined they where in.

Another approach is to create a guided imagination by telling them a story with a calming theme.

Children have the most active imagination. They can imagine all sorts of things. Imagination makes them feel calm. So when doing yoga for kids let them think that they are walking on a green pasture.

You can even let them think that they are butterflies in a beautiful garden. The main idea in here is to instill a sense of peace and feeling of oneness with nature.

Practicing yoga and mindfulness with kids supports them in identifying feelings and emotions while learning to manage their reactions and behaviors in healthy ways that work best for them. Yoga has the ability to help kids be more active, flexible and mindful for an increase on overall well-being!