Children and Yoga
Registered Children's Yoga Teacher
Children and adolescents can benefit immensely from yoga practices. Young children are naturally drawn to the imaginative expression of animals and nature, imitating the world around them through movement, mimicry, sound and song. As they grow, kids often seek out novelty and opportunities to challenge their developing abilities, including unhealthy risks or frequent screen-use to satisfy dopamine release. Yoga practice can be a setting for safe and meaningful risk, where a child can apply mindfulness and attention towards challenging activities, and feel proud of their new skills!
With guidance, children demonstrate the capacity to choose harmonious breath and right-for-them movements (or stillness) to calm their nervous system and regulate responses to stress. Beyond movement, breath and relaxation, kids benefit from learning about the ethical principles of yoga, such as practicing non-harmful behavior, truthfulness, responsibility, and the role of intention in life and relationships.
The creation of a thousand forests is in one acorn.
- Ralph Waldo Emerson
The future is in their tiny hands.
Parents wish for their children to create happy and fulfilling lives as adults. While children spend a considerable amount of time at school and around peers, the home environment and your impact as a caregiver is the biggest factor towards making this wish come true. Don't let that stress you out too much! Many parents also struggle to create work-life balance, dedicate time to care for themselves, practice healthy emotional regulation skills and respond with empathetic connection. It's possible that the behavior modeled to you as a child wasn't what you wanted, and maybe you're now ready for a change.
You can invite your child to be a leader in your home, and teach you what they learn in their yoga practice, or better yet attend a session together! We are raising the leaders and teachers for the future, and the caregivers that will be there for you as you age. It's never too early, or too late, to introduce your children to the practices and principles of yoga.
20 min