Yoga helps improve strength, flexibility and balance. Yoga instructor Marsha Wenig writes in "Yoga Journal" that children, as well as adults, can benefit from practicing yoga. Teaching children yoga is not the same as instructing adults. Making the class more interactive and less rigid works better with a younger audience. When performing animal poses, you can have the children make the same sounds that the animal would. Include a few poses that the children will easily be able to perform without over-exerting their still developing bodies.
Sunrise and Sunset
Step 1
Stand straight with feet shoulder width apart.
Step 2
Breathe deeply three times.
Step 3
Inhale and extend arms straight overhead, as high as possible.
Step 4
Exhale and bend over at the waist as far as is comfortable.
Step 5
Repeat this movement six to ten times.
Cat Pose
Step 1
Kneel on your hands and knees.
Step 2
Inhale deeply and arch your back up, like a cat that is angry.
Step 3
Exhale and lower your back down, pressing your stomach toward the floor.
Step 4
Repeat six to ten times.
Butterfly
Step 1
Sit on the floor with your hands in front of you.
Step 2
Bend your knees and rotate your feet inward so that the bottom of your feet touch each other.
Step 3
Place you hands on your feet.
Step 4
Straighten your back and lower your knees as close to the ground as is comfortable.
Tips and Warnings
- Move through a variety of poses and don't hold any one pose for a prolonged period of time. Let the children try to invent their own yoga poses. Don't become overly focused on proper form; let the children find positions that are comfortable and fun for them to hold.
- Do not force children to stretch too much or hold poses for longer than they feel comfortable.
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