Our children live in a fast-paced world of busy parents, school pressure, constant classes, video games, competitive sports, and so much more. Usually, we don’t think these effects are stressful for our children, but usually, they are. The busy rhythm of children’s lives will have a profound impact on their innate happiness, and it is necessary to work upon them.
Yoga is not just for adults. It can give teenagers very important life competencies that can assist them to succeed in this world.
Here is an extra precise explanation of how to instruct easy yoga asanas to kids, and the use of yoga in the study room can have a tremendous effect on our children’s well-being :
How does Yoga Exercise for Kids Help?
1. Yoga helps Kids Control their Anxiety
The breathing exercises and rest strategies learned from yoga can help children with stress management. Teaching kids how to decrease stress healthfully is an essential life skill that will help them as kids and as adults.
2. Yoga can Help in Boosting a Child’s Self-Esteem
Yoga for kids can do wonders for their self-esteem. Perfecting a pose or enhancing their stability and flexibility can supply young teenagers with a sense of empowerment.
3. Yoga Improves the Emotional Quotient of the Child
Another advantage of yoga for youngsters is that it helps teens examine the present moment while relaxing and gaining a peaceful state of mind, which subsequently improves their emotional function.
4. Yoga Increases Concentration and Memory of Children
One of the biggest advantages of easy yoga asanas for kids is that it helps improve the memorisation and retention skills of a child. When the mind becomes calm through Yoga, it can retain and process more information.
Different Types of Easy Yoga Poses for Kids (Including Steps)
1. Forward Bending
Uttanasana – The Rag Doll Pose
It is a part of the Surya namaskar exercise and thus an important precursor for children to the more complicated version. In this asana, the child first lifts the hand over his head, then bends to touch his feet. You need to be careful not to bend your knees. If the child cannot touch the feet completely, then he or she should be encouraged to grab the leg part that can be reached.
This is a very useful workout to stretch the hamstring. The hamstring is a muscle that needs flexibility for good agility. The muscles extend considerably by practising this asana and are much less susceptible to injury.
Adho Mukha Svanasana – The Dog Pose
This pose imitates a dog’s position that stretches out. The weight of the legs and the hand is balanced in a reversed “U” position. The child first needs to bend downward, tuck their head in, keep the back posture straight, knees straights, focus on their breathing and tighten their core muscles. The head hung inwardly is then extended.
This asana helps children to improve blood circulation.
Shashankasana – Child’s pose
This is one of the easiest kids yoga poses. Here are the yoga steps for kids to perform this asana:
# Sit on a mat with knees folded.
# Keep your back straight.
# Slowly bend forward while stretching the hands out.
# Your head should touch the floor.
# Focus on your breathing and slow come back up.
Shashankasana, called the Child’s Pose, Hare Pose or Rabbit pose in English is a pose for relaxation. The Sanskrit name Shashankasana came from two words, Shashank and Asana, which means moon and asana. This asana’s position is similar to that of the rabbits and therefore the name. The calming impact of this asana relaxes the body, thereby releasing all stress and anxiety.
Baddha Konasana – The Butterfly Pose
This asana’s name is very exciting for children because it imitates a butterfly’s action. The child is made to sit on a flat surface with legs folded to practice the asana. The knees are then bent inwards to make the feet’ soles touch each other. Then the sole is held with hands tightly and the knees flutter up and down like a butterfly’s wings.
This asana helps strengthens the inner muscles.
2. Backward Bending
Hastottanasana – Up stretched Arms
Hastottanasana is made of two words: ‘Arms’ is Hasta and ‘Stretched up’ is Uttana. The arms are extended upward in this yoga pose and the side bending is therefore also known as the upstream arm posture. The asana helps strengthen the lower back muscles and improves posture. However, some precautions should also be taken into consideration when practising the pose.
Ushtrasana – Camel Pose
Ushtrasana, also known as camel pose, is a cultural Asana that involves bending the spine backwards. This Asana’s final position is similar to that of a camel. The camel posture is extremely beneficial both physiologically and psychologically. It is an Asana that aids in the removal of complacency and the development of a stronger emotional disposition.
Ushtrasana practice is a natural way to work on and improve incorrect sitting postures. Ushtrasana benefits the body by stretching it and opening up the thoracic region. It strengthens the spine and aids in the correction of slouching posture.
The child needs to kneel on a mat and support his/her body with the knees and toes (bent). Lean backwards slowly and grasp the back of the leg with the hands. Fix the hands to the ground, fingers pointing outward and thumb pointing toward the toes. Keep the arms straight, eyes open, and focus your vision fixated on a single location.
Setu Bandhasana – The Bridge Pose
The pose is like an inverted U, in which the upper body is curved like a bridge. The child must first lie on his/her back on a flat surface to do this asana. The knees are then folded in inverted V form, the hands are placed straight by the side. Then the hips are lifted as high as possible from the ground.
The flexibility is significantly enhanced with each attempt. The reverse blood flow to the torso and the head and re-oxygenation in the regions is a benefit of this asana. It is very helpful for children to improve their endurance, immunity, and blood flow and glute muscles. We wouldn’t call this easy yoga for kids, but it isn’t hard either.
3. Balance and Control
Vrikshasana – The Tree Pose
In this position, the child has to stand on one leg and then keep his/her feet over the other thigh, which helps to balance the body weight. Stretch the arms above the head in a Namaskar pose. The child has to balance the weight of one leg and repeat the same with the other leg.
This asana can only be learned through practice and may take a few tries to master. It is usually recommended to improve concentration because only focusing can assist in balancing the weight of the body on one leg. This is an exercise that children are sure to find enjoyable.
Virabhadrasana – Warrior Pose
The child is first made to stand in a position where his/her legs are wide open and his arms are extended at shoulder length. The right knee is then slowly bent forward by twisting the right foot to the outside. The left knee is straight, and with normal breathing, one has to hold this position for at least a minute.
Yogasana’s warrior posture increases children’s body balance and core strength. It also helps to relieve ankle, knee, and arms pain.
4. Pranayama – Breathing Exercises
The Pranayama does very important benefits to the body and is a key aspect of Yoga. As the word says, this exercise modulates the respiratory pattern, calms the body and improves the level of self-awareness.
Practising these breathing techniques enhances children’s calmness, clarity, and concentration levels. In Pranayama, there are many breathing techniques. They are as following:
5. Surya Namaskar – Sun Salutation
To perform Surya Namaskar, the child must stand straight with palms in a Namaskar pose. The idea is, to begin with, a sun prayer.
Surya Namaskar is an excellent warm-up for children because it stretches the entire body and helps to move every joint and major muscle group. This smooth transition of postures helps in concentration and focus and can have a significant impact on the child’s creativity and focus levels.
The best time to do Surya Namaskar is in the morning, empty stomach.
Sum Up
Children need to be taught Yoga exercises in an extremely creative and fun way.
And that is why The The Real School Of Montessori is the right place for you. With masterclasses and programs focusing on so many different and fun activities, your child is sure to engage in them. The Real School Of Montessori focuses on the growth of a child through programs such as Yoga using Chairs, Health and Wellness programs and so much more taught by some of the best-in-class teachers. Visit the site to know more about The Real School Of Montessori’s online yoga classes for kids.
