Yoga for Children: How to Get Your Kids on the Mat

If you’re like me, I discovered yoga in college and haven’t been able to get enough since. I remember arriving at my first yoga class with my new yoga mat and no expectations. To my surprise, what I found was an invigorating source of exercise that stretched and strengthened my body in a way that no other exercise I’d tried had, combined with calming my body and mind so completely that I’d often nearly fall asleep during final relaxation. My love for yoga has only grown over the years, so when I had children, as soon as they could stand I started thinking of ways I could incorporate yoga into their lives. I believe that yoga for children offers as many benefits for my children as it does to me, if not more. Whether you’re planning on introducing your children to yoga with a kids yoga dvd or you’re planning on bringing yoga in the classroom using your own knowledge of the poses, the following are some tips I’ve found helpful in introducing yoga for children into the lives of my kids.

First, take your child shopping for their very own yoga mat and maybe even some additional yoga gear. Yoga mats today come in a variety of colors and sizes, and kids love having choices, so let them select the one that suits them best. You may even buy some comfortable clothing suitable for yoga practice, as well as a yoga bag if they’re planning on practicing yoga in the classroom and will need to transport their mat and yoga clothing.

Consider purchasing a kids yoga DVD. Marsha Wenig, creator of YogaKids DVDs, is an award-winning yoga instructor and an expert on yoga for children. If you purchase a YogaKids kids yoga DVD, she leads children through a series of yoga poses inspired by animals, including stretching like a puppy and perching like a flamingo. The original music encourages kids to sing along while they move through the yoga poses.

Doing yoga along with your children is a great way to keep them interested and to spend time together. They’ll appreciate you going through the yoga poses along with them on your own mat. Establish a certain time each day when you and your children can practice yoga together. Start with shorter spurts at first to keep attention, and you can always extend the session later.

Yoga for children is all about teaching the poses and having fun, so encourage your children to ask questions as they flow through the poses. Keeping it playlike and fun means letting them giggle when their body is twisted into silly positions and keeping the atmosphere light and fun. It doesn’t have to be quiet like your yoga classes, so prompt children to bark like a dog in downward dog and pucker their lips when they’re in fish pose, and they’ll likely have much more fun.

Finally, to help reinforce a consistent routine with your children, consider making a calendar and encouraging your child to add a sticker to the calendar every time they complete a yoga session. Every time they follow along with their kids yoga DVD, for example, they can add a sticker, and every time they accumulate a certain number of stickers they can get a reward.