Kids Yoga

By John Dunbar 4 August 2008 07:34:00

 

Kids Yoga

People tend to think of yoga as an adult activity, but really it's a wonderful practice to involve kids in.  During my stay at Anantara-Maldives, Donna, one of my teacher- training students, brought her cute four year old son, Jared to yoga almost everyday.  We all loved him being there and on the days that he didn't come we felt that a big part of the class was missing.  Jared did not do many of the actual postures, often just playing with his toy cars and trucks, but his presence in the class had a peaceful effect on both the guests and students.  Seeing the special bond between mother and child was very touching.

At the risk of sounding like my grandfather, "You know sonny, in my day we had to walk up hill both ways to school, play with wooden toys and pretend that snow was ice cream, etc., etc." I fear that the days of kids participating in both indoor and outdoor physical activity may soon become a thing of the past in this electronic era.   Kids are definitely more sedentary, and certainly less active than they used to be.  This is not a good thing.

Childhood obesity in the West is increasing at an alarming rate.  Even here in Asia it is a major issue.  In the past ten years in Thailand childhood obesity is up by 14 per cent.  Television, video games, computers and the internet all contribute to this.  Kids have so many more entertainment options today.  Yes Gramps, gone are the days of the wooden train set!

So along comes yoga.  Yoga is a wonderful way for kids to exercise in a gentle and relaxing fashion.  Yoga can be a lot of fun for kids.  It is a great way to calm hyper children, giving them a new outlet for excess energy.  Some therapists are now using yoga to help children with A.D.H.D. (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder).  Yoga helps children control stress and provides them with new ways to relax.  Yoga helps build self-esteem and confidence in shy kids.

Yoga classes provide a safe place for kids to make new friends of a like mind.  Through the use of music, art games, and storytelling, instructors can create a fun environment for kids to practice in.  A healthy respect for other children can be fostered in these classes.  It can also be a special bonding mechanism for parents and children as they do yoga together.

Any age is a good age to start children in yoga.  Parents can even bring babies to parent and tot yoga classes.  So, get your kids started whenever you can.  Teach them at home, take them to your local studio (if they allow it), or just try gently teaching a group of them some basic postures.  Some fun postures to try with kids are Cat and Cow (make sure you have them meow and moo as they go into the asana), the tree, and even the Warrior and Triangle.  Just have fun with them, tell jokes and be a big kid yourself!

There is a plethora of internet sites devoted to yoga with kids you can check out.  As well, there are books and C.D.s available on the subject.  There are even yoga studios just for kids.  Yoga ashrams and even some studios offer kid retreats.  I remember being invited to a tofu wiener roast at a kid yoga camp at an ashram once and marveling at the bond these kids had formed with each other.  Some had been returning to the summer yoga camp for the past four years, seeing their old friends and making new ones.  Although yoga was their primary focus, there were many other activities at the camp, including the bonfire I joined in on, where the kids delighted in showing me how to construct my first ever S'more!  (a concoction of two graham crackers with chocolate and  marshmallows sandwiched between that is carefully heated over the campfire until the ingredients melt to form some kind of gooey, sandwich like, 500 calorie concoction).  I imagine these guys were burning up a few S'mores a day with all the yoga and fun activities the camp had them doing.

Add your comment