Yoga is more than useful for your kids. First of all, when you teach them proper alignment, you contribute towards the healthy development of their body.
A pilot study showed that children who practice yoga have better Negative Behavior scores and balance when compared to children who don?t practice yoga. They also have enhanced wellbeing, balance, flexibility, and strength. Wow!
You want more benefits? Let?s go through them!
- Yoga is fun! It?s something that you and your kids can do together, so you?ll bond on a deeper level.
- You?ll get motivated to exercise, too! Admit it: you constantly make excuses, saying that you don?t have enough time to take care of your body. You do! You can find at least 20 minutes per day. When you convince yourself that this is for the wellbeing of your children, you?ll definitely find that time.
- Yoga leads to enhanced focus. When your body is in a particular posture, you can?t allow your mind to wander. If it wanders, you?ll lose balance. That?s how you train the monkey mind. Regular practice may lead to enhanced studying discipline, so your children will need less assignment help than before.
- Yoga is cool! Admit it; you?ve already been admiring those Instagram photos of moms practicing yoga with their kids. Well, your family can be that cool, too!
- Yoga teaches children to stop making excuses. If they cannot get into a pose or hold it for a longer time, the practice will teach them that if they keep trying, they can achieve anything they put their mind to. If you support them throughout the practice, they will convey this mindset to everything else they do. Before you know it, they might stop wondering how to get out of doing homework and they will make an effort to do it.
- Yoga is more than just a game. This practice is based on the principles of mindfulness, which are proven to improve the core symptoms of ADHD and boost school performance. Still, your kids will perceive it as a game, and that?s a great thing because they will easily get engaged.
When it comes to yoga, it?s important to be safe. Sure; your kid may jump into a handstand with less effort than you, since they are not afraid to take risks. But when a pose imposes a risk of injury, you certainly don?t want them doing it. You want safe poses that offer great health benefits.
We?ll list some of those poses today!
- Downward-Facing Dog
?Let?s stretch like dogs!? That?s enough to get your kids inspired to do some yoga. Downward-facing dog is one of the fundamental yoga poses.
- Just come into a ?table? position, with your hands and knees on the floor. Your knees should be positions below your hips, and your hands slightly ahead of the line of your shoulders.
- During an exhalation, lift the knees away from the floor, keeping the feet down. Lift the pelvis and aim it towards the ceiling.
- The legs and the back should be straight. If possible, keep the heels on the floor.
- If the pose is too challenging, you may bend the knees a little.
- Don?t force your kids to get it perfect. Just correct their alignment a bit, and expect for tons of improvements as they keep practicing.
- Upward-Facing Dog
You can connect this pose with downward-facing dog. That flow is great for practicing balance and steady movement. Upward-facing dog is an easy backbend that improves the posture and strengthens the spine, wrists, and arms. It stretches the chest, so it boosts the breathing capacity.
- You may start from downward-facing dog, but it?s also okay to lie prone on the floor.
- As you inhale, press your hands onto the floor and rise up, curving the spine as you straighten up the arms.
- The legs should be straight and engaged, with the knees slightly lifted from the floor.
- Tree Pose
Calm, steady, equanimous. Just like a tree! This pose is excellent for training the mind to stay focused and calm. With practice, it greatly improves balance. The best part is that kids love it!
- Stand in a straight position, with your feet together and your arms aside your body. Take few deep breaths and close your eyes for a moment. Visualize how you?re going to get into the pose.
- Lift the right foot up and help yourself with the hands, so you?ll place the sole of the foot against the inner left thigh.
- Place your hands into a prayer position.
- Feel the balance. Imagine you have roots that extend from your body into the earth.
- Slowly release the right leg.
- Stand in a straight position for a moment and repeat the same steps with the left leg.
You can easily turn this pose into a game: the one who keeps the tree for the longest time is the winner.
In fact, you can turn the entire yoga practice into a game. Kids love acting like dogs, cats, cows, trees, warriors, etc. They will love the names of the poses and they will love spending time with their mom!
Lucy Benton is a writing coach, an editor who finds her passion in expressing own thoughts as a blogger. She is constantly looking for the ways to improve her skills and expertise. Also Lucy has her own writing blog https://prowritingpartner.com where you can check her last publications. If you?re interested in working with Lucy, you can find her on Twitter.