Practice Yoga with Your Children

Many adults have reaped the benefits both physical and mental of practicing yoga. I had recently started practicing yoga again, and was constantly getting interrupted by my young children. At first, I found those interruptions causing the opposite effect of the peace I was trying to gain through doing yoga. But one day, I decided to invite my four year old to join me, on the theory that if they won't leave you alone, include them!

Doing yoga has so many other benefits for children that I hadn't even considered that day. The obvious benefit of kids' yoga of course is for their bodies: the poses not only stretch and strengthen, but promote coordination and balance.

The practice of yoga for children also hones their ability to concentrate, and helps them with self-discipline. Yoga provides children with a chance to become aware of their selves in a harmonious and fresh way.

Children between the ages of three and six have a shorter attention span, so you cannot expect them to hold long poses or to care a great deal about their breathing in between. You may find that your practice of yoga changes as well as you start sharing it with your children. A ten to fifteen minute yoga session is probably about all your preschool child will care to do. There are some practices that can be adapted for your small children, however.

Always start with taking a few deep breaths. You can settle for one or two out of your preschool aged child. But this accustoms them to relaxation before beginning.

Keep it fun. Children respond to fun, not the idea exercise or something being good for them. If that was the case, more broccoli and carrots would be eaten.

Fortunately, yoga still uses the simple, descriptive terms that were coined by the yogis many years ago. What child would not enjoy posing like a lion? Or a snake? Any child can appreciate standing like a tree or a mountain. As you move through the poses, remembering not to hold them for very long so as to not lose your child's attention, use your descriptive words to help your child think how he or she could best embody the spirit of this animal or other symbol.

Yoga, of course, is all about flow, letting go, and flexibility. But you may find that those words take on new meaning when your practice of yoga includes children. They have a unique and fresh vision of life; encourage them to use it in yoga practice.

Since it is impossible to spend 15 or 20 minutes in silence with your four year old anyway, encourage the child to make sounds during a pose. As you arch your back in the angry cat pose, spat and hiss or meow. Bark or whine during the downward dog pose. You may also get your children to hold a pose just a bit longer by encouraging them to recite the alphabet, or count to ten.

Always end with a relaxation session. Ask them to imagine that they are lying on a beach, or in a hammock, or on the soft grass outside. For that matter, you might really be practicing yoga outside. Keep the relaxation session short, about one minute. Talk softly about relaxing each part of their body.

Preschool children love using their imaginations, and they really love it when the adults in their lives join in. Practicing yoga with your children is a good way to have fun, and teach valuable habits of exercise, relaxation and meditation.