Introducing kids to yoga can have a profound effect in developing a relationship with the subtler parts of the body. While practically everyone knows the flexibility benefits of performing yoga, a daily yoga practice can also lead to reduced anxiety, increased self-confidence, improved strength and a general sense of well-being. With some creativity and the right mindset, practically anyone can turn kids on to the ancient practice of yoga.
Create a Pose
This exercise is an excellent way to engage your kids right away with the practice of yoga. While kids tend to bend themselves in all sorts of awkward positions throughout their day, the idea of intentionally and purposefully doing so can come as a little odd to say the least. Warm your kids up to yoga asanas by having each of the students come up with their own yoga pose. Give your kids 5 minutes and tell them that afterward they will have to show their yoga pose to the rest of the group. Encourage a playful yet educational atmosphere throughout the exercise by having your kids consider incorporating natural elements into their pose, such as trees, mountains, rivers, flowers or animals.
Yoga Charades
This fun and engaging yoga exercise is not nearly as irreverent as it sounds. Begin by gathering your kids in a circle and having them sit down. Whisper the name of a yoga pose to one kid and ask her to act out how she thinks a yoga posture would look and feel in the middle of the circle. You can use existing yoga poses for your names, such as: mountain pose, tree pose, cat pose, sun salutation, downward dog, camel pose, half-moon pose and so on. Tell your kids to tap into how their body feels when they think of that name and to shape it with their body without thinking. The kids around the circle will raise their hand when they have a guess of what the yoga pose is called, and whoever guesses the pose correctly gets to act out a new pose in the middle.
Partner Yoga
Have the kids sit on the floor with their back to a partner. Instruct them to sit up as straight as they can so that each pair of kids is supported by the combined weight and good posture of each other. Next, label the kids facing one side of the room as group A, and label the other side of each pair as group B. Give instructions that require the pairs to work as a group, such as: "group A lean forward." Have group B lean backward as the natural equilibrium is altered, until you call out other instructions. After a few minutes have passed and each kid seems somewhat successful at being aware of his partner's body and movements, ask them all to stand up while leaning against each other as if they were leaning against a wall. This beginning partner practice can help initiate your kids' awareness of how their body works with another body, and teach them how to move in harmony with a partner.
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