Yoga For Kids: How to Teach The Love is a guest post by Kelly Newman, a Fitness Trainer and blogger. Read more about her below!

The benefits yoga has to offer for our health, mind, and body are undeniable facts and are known to all. Just as our body needs cleansing to get rid of all the unhealthy toxins, our mind also needs detoxification. Yoga helps calm our mind, release all the stresses and helps us attain peace.

What some people might not know is that yoga is equally beneficial for young kids, even preschoolers. It isn’t just useful for channelizing all the energy in your kids but becoming habitual of yoga at such an early age sets a strong foundation for a healthy body and mind. If you are a parent who wants for their kids to utilize all these benefits but doesn’t know how and where to start, this guide is just what you need.

Benefits of Yoga for Kids

Various studies have indicated the positive effects of yoga on children; research shows that it can help children suffering from ADHD. Introducing yoga in the classroom can help maximize academic development and help in emotional self-regulation. Parents who still might be wondering why they should enroll their kids in a yoga class, here are some advantages it has to offer:

1. It improves physical strength which helps kids in the more extended run; it also reduces the risk of bodily injury.
2. Learning the art of uniting your body, mind, and soul at such an early age helps kids develop coordination. It also helps them learn valuable lessons via stories that are taught in yoga class.
3. It shows children how to stay calm in stressful situations and above all how to maintain focus and not lose concentration.
4. It is also an excellent chance for your kids to socialize with each other, exchange wisdom while connecting deeply with their inner selves.

Yoga For Kids: How to Teach The Love

Initially, when you begin to practice yoga with your kids don’t expect them to act like adults and merely follow the poses that you demonstrate. Instead, you need to catch the children’s attention and keep them focused as much as you can. Find a story that you find motivational and fun for the kids, build your entire session around it, incorporating different poses and end with a mindful lesson.

Your children may lose focus during the class, don’t get angry as it is essential to demonstrate the things that you teach your children practically as well. Don’t be too critical about alignment; they’ll learn it with time. Focus on developing coordination instead.

Make yoga a routine at home, dedicate an hour to yoga and practice it with your kids. Decide on a few poses and follow them consistently, so your child develops a habit of it.

Try to keep their attention and not let them get distracted. After a few minutes change the pose, tell them interesting facts about the poses, count and chant in rhythm, make sure they stay attentive.

Image by Sunchild123 via Flickr.

Simple Yoga Poses to Perform With Kids

Here are a few relaxed poses that you can practice with your children:

Animal Poses

By imitating an animal, kids start relating to those creatures, and they feel the animal’s strength and power inside them. This technique is useful for building interest as well. Some examples include:

The lion pose

This posture teaches kids to find ways of letting their anger out without aggression. Rest the arms and knees on the mat, move your hips a little towards the heels and spring forward, you can roar at the same time.

 Dolphin Pose

Rest your hands and knees on the ground. Rest your forearms on the ground and straighten your legs.

Nature Poses

Tree Pose

Stand straight, slowly bring up your left foot and rest it on the inside of the right leg. Try to maintain balance on one leg. This pose is useful for enhancing concentration and balancing skills.

Crescent Moon Pose

Reach your arms high above your head and stretch the fingertips. Ensure that you don’t bend your knees during this asana. This pose is great for flexibility.

Flower Pose

Sit on your buttocks, touch the soles of your feet together and then separate your feet. Lean forward and weave your arms under your knees. Make sure your palms are facing up, lift your legs & balance on your sitting bones, and spread your fingers wide to help maintain balance.

Guest Author Bio

Kelly Newman is a Fitness Trainer and blogger. She loves to write about everything related to fitness and diet and wants to help people adopt a healthier lifestyle. She works with the team behind Health Listed and does extensive research to provide people actionable health and nutrition information.