3 Yoga Practices for Our Little Yogis
To live a healthy life, in all stages of life, one needs to have a healthy body and mind. When you teach them to take care of their body & mind when they are young, children grow to be balanced human beings. What better way than to introduce your little ones to the wonderful world of Yoga to begin this journey! Yoga has been an integral part of our lives since the beginning. Yoga now is more popular than ever, not just among adults but also children, to help them in their holistic growth. It helps with body posture, kinetics, sensory input, stress management, focus, and better sleep and helps develop a great bonding experience between kids and parents. It also gives our little ones some often needed one-on-one quality time with their parents. For kids, Yoga is different from what it is for adults. While we adults are used to a quiet, calming, hour-long class, children cannot sit still for very long. Hence, it is important to make it fun yet relaxing for our young yogis.
Firstly, help them find a space they are comfortable in and place their mats to help them sit or lay down. Play some light soothing music and create an ambience that would enhance this experience for them.
Now, let's look at some asanas that our little yogis can learn & enjoy! Yoga is for all ages, and all these poses are easy to practice together, which makes it a fun experience.
Sukhasana
Sukhasana or the Easy Sitting Pose is one of the easiest asanas to do, as the name suggests. You can ace this pose with your little one by sitting up straight and legs crossed. To do this asana, do the following steps with your little yogi. With back nice and tall, sit on the floor. Cross your legs by bringing the knees towards the ground. Keep the hands wither at the heart centre or on the knees with palms facing up. Sukhasana helps in promoting relaxation, increasing focus, correcting posture, de-stressing, strengthening muscles and increasing flexibility.
Balasana
Balasana or Child's pose is another simple asana that everyone, including the little ones, loves to do. By sitting back on the heels, folding forward, bringing the arms out and resting the forehead on the ground, one can master this asana. By curling up like this, one can feel held and secure as they are in the mother's womb. As this asana exactly feels like how the baby is in the womb, this pose is extremely comforting and grounding for your little one. It helps in calming and relaxing the child when they are upset, overwhelmed, hyperactive or anxious. Follow these steps to do this asana with your child. First, start with the hands and knees press the hips back toward the heels. Stretch the arms out in front of the body or curl down by the sides.
Ardha Padmasana
Ardha Padmasana, also known as the half-lotus pose, is an easier version of the lotus pose while still providing the full benefits of the lotus pose. While pretending to be a flower, this asana is creative and fun fr kids to practice. It is a grounding pose as it mimics roots going through the legs to the earth and blooming into a flower. Follow these steps to do this pose with your child. Sit down on the ground. Fold the legs in front of the body. Bring one leg on top of the other, flexing the feet. Do the same on the other side. This pose helps in grounding, enhancing creativity and promoting relaxation.
With these three basic asanas, one can enhance the interest in Yoga in your child and help them learn more advanced asanas. Learning Yoga at a young age helps the child in being grounded, flexible, creative and a well-balanced individual. Plus, it can help in fostering a deeper bond. So, stretch, breathe and live through Yoga with your little yogi.
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