Why is it Important to Introduce Children to Yoga.

In today's fast-paced world, children face various stressors like busy parents, academic pressures, extracurricular commitments, digital distractions, and competition. These factors can create a high-stress environment for children, leading to emotional and psychological difficulties.

Yoga acts as a valuable resource to address these stressors. By teaching children how to manage their emotions, prioritise self-care, relax, and find inner peace, they can develop a strong foundation to tackle life's challenges and cultivate resilience. Introducing yoga early promotes self-awareness, self-confidence, social connections, compassion, and confidence. The yoga practice can assist children in reducing stress and anxiety, enhancing focus and memory, boosting self-esteem, improving academic performance, refining classroom behaviours, and nurturing social relationships.

As children navigate the complexities of growing up, providing them with tools to regulate their emotions and nurture inner joy empowers them to lead more fulfilling and balanced lives, laying a solid foundation for their future well-being.

Regular yoga practice can significantly enhance children's physical abilities, such as flexibility, strength, gross motor skills, and coordination – all vital for their growth. Moreover, yoga can aid in improving children's concentration by teaching relaxation techniques to remain calm and unwind. Allowing kids to explore in physical activity, play, connect with their inner selves, and establish a deeper bond with the natural world, ultimately illuminating the inner light within themselves.

When yogis practiced asanas thousands of years ago, they had a deep connection with nature, plants, and animals. This inspired the qualities they aimed to embody from the natural world through their poses. Poses like grounding themselves like a tree, embodying the grace of a mermaid, or the fearlessness of a scorpion were some of the aspirations of these yogis. When children mimic the movements and sounds of nature, they go beyond their own being and embody the essence of another creature, adorned with its unique spirit and characteristics. When children practice Spider Pose (Utkata Konasana), they not only embody the strength, focus, and balance of a spider but also uncover their inner strength and equilibrium. This exploration enables them to tap into their creativity and importance within society. Through these mindful movements, kids are introduced to the essence of yoga, which represents unity, expression, calmness, and self-appreciation in the intricate web of life.

5 Poses to Boost Confidence in Kids

Warrior 1 Pose (Virabhadrasana I)

Stepping your left foot back, place it at a 45-degree angle, with toes pointing out.
Bend the right knee over the right ankle, sweep your arms up and relax the shoulders, push into both feet firmly.
Look at the thumbs, engage the back thigh. Keep the spine lifted.
Pull up the back kneecap by straightening the back leg and grounding the back foot into the mat firmly.
Holding the pose for 5 full inhalations & exhalations.

Repeat on other side.

Cobra Pose (Bhujangasana)

Lying on your stomach, place your hands on the floor next to your chest. Inhale and lift your belly, chest, pelvic floor, abdomen, and face off the floor.

Straighten your arms while inhaling to move into Bhujangasana or Cobra Pose.

Hold this position for about 4 breaths.

Release and return to lying on your stomach to rest.

This pose is excellent for engaging the sacrum as it contracts during the backbend. The tension around the sacrum enhances spine strength and stability, facilitating the flow of energy (Prana) from the base of the spine to the head.

Dolphin Pose (Catur Svanasana)

Come down on your hands and knees, placing your forearms on the floor. Tuck your toes and raise your hips, bringing your feet close together. Aim to gaze towards your belly button. Maintain this position for 5 slow breaths. Then, relax and transition into child's pose.

Wheel Pose (Chakrasana)

Lying on your back with legs bent.

Inhale - place the hands close to your shoulders
Exhale - relax and adjust the feet taking it a few inches apart.
Inhale - press the palms on the floor and raise the entire body up.
Exhale - press the feet firm on the floor and take the body in a backbend, stretching the arms, shoulders, chest. hips, and legs.
Stay in Wheel Pose for 5 breaths, stretching the throat and neck.
Exhale - to stretch more as you get comfortable.

Release and come back down lying on your back with the legs bent and rest.

Crocodile Pose (Makarasana)

Lying down on your belly, place your elbows in front of you, while resting your forehead on your elbows and begin a slow deep breathing here.
Watch the movement of the belly breathing slowly. Feel the belly expand out to the side when your inhale and feel the belly comes back to the middle when you exhale.

The movement of the belly and the chest, with awareness helps to connect to the body  and generate the positive flow of energy (prana).

5 Breathing Techniques for Kids

Belly Breathing (Balloon Breathing)

Guide your yogi to either sit or lie down, placing their hand on their belly and gently closing their eyes. Encourage them to visualize a balloon inside their belly – as they inhale, the belly expands, and as they exhale, it slowly deflates. This imagery of the balloon aids in correct and effective breathing.

Once they start to relax and get used to the rhythm, you can suggest inhaling and exhaling with 4 counts each. Belly breathing activates the parasympathetic nervous system in children, signaling to the brain that everything is safe and reducing the fight, flight, or freeze response.

Blowing Bubbles

Children adore bubbles. One of my favourite techniques, especially with younger kids, is this breathing and calming exercise. It not only captures their attention but also subtly imparts self-calming skills. By emphasising the 'exhale,' which signifies a sense of release, children will quickly feel more relaxed while enhancing their spatial awareness, hand-eye coordination, and breath control.

To engage your little yogis, provide them with a bubble wand. Encourage them to take a deep breath, hold it for a count of 1, 2, 3, and then blow into the wand to create numerous bubbles. Vary the pace, speed, and intensity of the breath, focusing on the exhale.

For a mindful twist, incorporate questions about sizes, numbers, colours, and directions during the activity.

Pinwheel Breathing

Another popular activity for younger children is Pinwheel Breathing. Similar to Blowing Bubbles, the focus is on the exhale, guiding children to practice deep belly breathing and breath control.

Here's how to do it:

·        Have the child sit up straight and relax the body.

·        Hold the pinwheel in front of their face.

·        Encourage them to take a slow, deep breath in and exhale slowly to make the pinwheel spin, adjusting the pace as needed.

For a more mindful approach, ask questions like:

·        How does your body feel now?

·        Did you notice any differences between breathing quickly and breathing slowly?

·        Was it easy to stay focused on breathing or did you find yourself getting distracted?

Bumblebee Breathing

Bumblebee breathing, a yoga technique known as ‘Brahmari’ in Sanskrit, is inspired by the quiet hum of a black bee. This calming breath exercise helps children focus on their breath, promoting relaxation, a calmer mind, reduced heart rate, and an opportunity for bonding.

·        Encourage your child to join in the buzzing!

·        Guide your child to take a deep breath and see if they can make a buzzing sound like a bee ‘bzzzz!’

·        Once they grasp the buzzing concept, suggest they cover their ears and buzz again.

·        Ask your child if the buzzing sounds louder or softer and if it's a pleasant sensation.

Remind your child not to do more than 3 breaths in a row to avoid feeling dizzy!

Loving Kindness Breath

Cultivating compassion towards oneself and others is an act of self-love and self-care.

To guide your child in this practice:

• Encourage them to sit comfortably, whether in a chair, cross-legged, or on their heels.

• Ask them to close their eyes and focus on the sound of their breathing.

• Instruct them to take a deep breath in and exhale slowly for five counts, visualizing filling themselves with love on each exhale.

• Guide them through the following steps:

• Envision the color red surrounding their body.

• Send love and kindness to someone close on the next exhale.

• Send love and kindness to someone they're having a tough time with on the following exhale.

• Extend love and kindness to the world around them, including animals, trees, neighbors, and the city.

• Conclude by sending love and kindness to the world.

• Finish the loving-kindness breath exercise by returning to natural breathing and opening their eyes.

This breathing exercise is suitable for Valentine’s Day celebrations or when they need to pause and show more love to themselves and those around them.