Kids & Yoga

My Guru told me;
that child, which is you even now,
is your real self.
Go back to that state of pure being,
where the I AM is still in its purity
before it got contaminated with
THIS I AM or THAT I AM.
--Ramana Maharshi

I'll never forget my first experience with teaching childrens yoga.

I was hired to teach a couple of classes at a local daycare center that wanted to include yoga in their summer program. The school had small, crowded rooms and I wondered how a class could possibly go well in such a tiny, dim space. But then I walked into the preschoolers room (who were all seated in a circle on the Reading Rug). About 15 sets of eyes immediately turned towards me and as I neared them all the kids started jumping up and down while yelling "Yoga! Yoga! Yoga!" Now that was a way to start a class.

We all sat in a circle and I taught them about breathing by pretending we were blowing bubbles with big wads of pink bubblegum. We pretended to be animals like dogs, snakes and turtles. We balanced like trees, jumped like frogs, and at the end rested with eyes screwed shut. Seeing all those little bodies in motion made me realize something. Our bodies innately love movement. As children we jump, dance and twirl everywhere we go. Ask us to sit still and we'll fidget miserably. Movement brings joy, peace, freedom and expression--and if we feel stagnant in our lives one of the best cures is to shake things up with a little movement.

Yoga doesn't have to be all serious. Remember, even if the names sound complicated like "addho mukkha svanansa or vrksasana" all we're really doing is pretending to be dogs and snakes.

If you have kids there are many great ways to introduce them to yoga. The benefits they'll receive are innumerable: better health, flexibility, concentration and strength are a few of them. You'll also give them the chance to open up their creativity and sense of fun, and teaches them to relax and feel peaceful within their bodies. I've done yoga with tiny kids (age 1 or 2) through teenagers and they all love it.

Here are a few resources to get you started:
YogaKids.com
Create a Yoga Program For Kids (I've used and loved this book.)
You-tube "My First Yoga" (This is adorable.)

Also check your local yoga studios--many studios are now offering classes for kids and parents.