Yoga with Kids – Good for the Body and the Mind
If you’ve down your downward dog pose for today, you probably find you’re feeling a little more relaxed. Practicing yoga – whether on a daily basis, or whenever the inspiration strikes – has innumerable benefits. But why should this be limited to adults? The answer – it’s not!
Kids can reap all the rewards of yoga practice just as much as adults can, and it’s an amazing activity to introduce early on for so many reasons. Here are some of the fantastic bonuses that come from a fun, child-oriented yoga practice.
Great Way to Exercise
Yoga is an amazing form of physical activity, without even really realizing you’re exercising! Different poses help to strengthen different muscles in the body, making it a great workout to build strong and healthy muscles. Deep breathing also helps to increase your blood flow and warm up those muscles! At the same time, yoga also helps to promote flexibility and balance, making it the perfect package deal of exercise!
Reduces Stress and Promotes Relaxation
Focusing on the deep breathing associated with yoga can really help to reduce stress and help with anxiety. Even some simple, easy meditation for short periods of time is a great way to teach kids how to slow down, breathe deep, and relax. This can be a great quick exercise to wind down before bed by doing some soft slow yoga poses with big deep breaths to help them sleep.
Boosts Energy and Creativity
On the flip side, yoga can help to energize kids and get them active as well! Doing more challenging yoga poses that really work on balance, strength, and stretching is a great way to get the blood pumping and activate that energy. Making yoga fun is a wonderful way to get your kids excited about moving! Ask them to create and name their own yoga poses for a fun twist.
What are some great beginner yoga poses to get your kids started? Depending on their age and capabilities, some of these might be easier than others. Start small, and work your way through!
Poses for Relaxation include Butterfly pose, Child’s pose, Happy Baby, and Sun Salutation
Poses for Stretching include Cat and Cow pose, Cobra, and Flower pose
Poses for Strength include Downward Dog, Warrior One, and Chair pose
Poses for Balance include Eagle pose, Tree pose, and Warrior Three.
Now you know the benefits, you know the poses, so how do you get started? A great way to get kids excited about yoga is to create a fun, new atmosphere – like they’re in their very own yoga studio! Getting them to help you set up and design the space themselves will bring out their creative side as well.
We recommend a clean and tidy room (or as close as you can get!) to promote the feeling of relaxation and zen. A clear space helps to clear the mind because of less distractions. If clear space isn’t doable, you can face an empty wall or a window outside!
Dimming the lights low or letting the sunshine in are both great vibes to have in your yoga room. Lighting some candles (or LED candles) can create a relaxing mood. You can decorate a little if you’d like with plants, some zen mandala art that your child has colored, or hang some string lights or lacy white curtains around the room.
For your yoga mat, our Brat Mats make an amazing choice! Easy to clean so if it gets a little sweaty from your work out they’re machine washable, and they fold up nicely to be stored away for your next at-home yoga session. And the best part about yoga? You can do it too, and reap all the same rewards!
