How To Do Yoga With Your Kids

02/23/2017

Written by: Meera Watts

Parents have always looked for activities to do with their children which are often confined to playtime or story time. Mothers practicing yoga know firsthand the benefits of the yoga poses physically, emotionally, and mentally. Experts say that these are also applicable to kids that can bring them loads of benefits like increased self-worth and well being.

Connecting with your child with yoga can help build a special bond, here are some tips in encouraging them to join you:

• Practice Yoga Near Your Child

Kids mimic what they see you do and forcing them to do it with you will just bring resistance. You do not need to tell your child to do yoga with you, give her the time to watch you and absorb what you are doing; later on you will just see her join you and imitate what you do when she has accepted that yoga is an important part of your routine.

• Don’t Make it a priority for them to get the poses right from the 1st Time

Yoga with your children is nothing like any yoga teaching classes, but of course, the same yoga safety should apply. This is not about getting your kids to do it right immediately, if they feel stressed or pressured, it might feel more of a chore for them instead of a fun bonding activity. You always have to keep in mind that your child’s capacity and is far from yours and it is more important to be present in the pose than a perfect pose.

• Make Yoga and Meditation part of the routine

Getting a child to sit still for longer periods of time may be a struggle but including meditation can be done. Remember, the younger they are, the shorter their attention span is, your child does not need to be a perfect student, but you need to be a perfect teacher with the longest patience. Start off with playing a game of silence for a minute or two which slowly progresses as the child gets older. Make sure that when they play this game they also get to focus on their proper breathing.

• Make it Special

Scheduling a two hour session with your child can be harder than doing a shorter sessions all throughout the week. Schedule at least a 30 minute session each day on a particular time giving them that idea that particular time of day is for just the two of you. Pick out a special spot that is quiet and peaceful where your child can have your undivided attention.

• Find a Class that You can Do with your Kids

If you are not confident in your ability to let your child follow on her own pace and you are afraid you might micromanage, find a class that you can go with your child. This way, you take the responsibility from yourself and you get to focus on being a student side-by-side with your kid.

• Have Fun Together

Keeping kids interested means keeping everything fun. If it is not, then it will just be another chore for them and turn them off for sure. There may be certain rules to be followed in yoga but it does not mean it has to be quiet and boring. Do not be afraid to laugh and have fun with your child and keep it as free-flowing and enjoyable.

Author Bio –

Meera Watts is a yoga teacher, entrepreneur and mom. Her writing on yoga and holistic health has appeared in Elephant Journal, Yoganonymous, OMtimes and others. She’s also the founder and owner of Siddhi Yoga International, a yoga teacher training school based in Singapore. Siddhi Yoga runs intensive, residential trainings in India (Rishikesh, Goa and Dharamshala), Indonesia (Bali) and Malaysia (Kuala Lumpur).