Yoga For Kids

Yoga for kids is not a new idea; as a matter of fact, grown up yoga aficionados have worked with the children for years on end, modifying poses for them and also helping them to overcome stress and anxiety with simple breathing exercises. In some circles, these children have become known as the yoga kids. Yet as any PBS children’s programming connoisseur knows, kids’ yoga is a form of exercise that sometimes incorporates spiritual aspects with physical workouts and it is the former that has gotten the practice of children’s yoga in disrepute with some evangelical Christian groups.

While those who count themselves as being progressive, free thinking, and not particularly affiliated with any form of fundamental Christianity as having no problem recognizing and advocating yoga for children, those who are concerned about the spiritual aspects of yoga for kids will frequently acknowledge the physical benefits of kids’ yoga poses but will not enroll their own children in any classes because they fear that this will clash with any religious teaching they undertake at home or at church, synagogue or mosque.

Of you find yourself on the fence whether easy yoga for children is for your own kids, here are some things to consider:
1. Yoga poses for kids differ greatly from those postures you will see in an adult class. As a matter of fact, children doing yoga will often do so for a shorter duration of time and without putting as much stress on their bodies as adults. Do not imagine that yoga for kids is little more than an abbreviated curriculum of the class you just got through taking.
2. In some cases, kids’ yoga classes will explore the spiritual aspects of the yoga positions. For kids who are being brought up in a free thinking home environment this is often one of the first times that they are exposed to a different form of spirituality than that which is found in the home or the neighborhood. Yet for those who want to forego the spiritual aspects in favor of the exercises that make yoga for kids so physically beneficial, there are those classes that will not unduly refer to the spirituality or seek to help children understand the tenets of Hinduism.
3. As you are looking for a great class nearby, make sure that the instructor has undergone kids’ yoga teacher training and is not simply someone who – by volunteering or lot – was chosen for the position and previewed some free online yoga positions for children or purchased a few yoga for children videos/DVD programs in order to be prepared for the class.
4. Last but not least, help your child to use the exercises learned in the yoga for kids classes when test anxiety, school frustration, and just “life” causes them to feel less than relaxed.