My private client one day asked me if I ever taught Yoga for Kids. I have not at the time. If I may be completely honest, I did not have any interest in teaching Yoga to children. She was really excited about the opportunity to provide private lessons in Yoga to her 3 and 4 year old daughters (now 4 and 5), so I let her know I would try one class and see how it was received. I loved it! It quickly became clear to me that it was going to be an excellent learning experience for my career as a Yoga Teacher and that the girls were going to be getting a benefit; doing Yoga vs. watching T.V with a babysitter after daycare. I did my own research. As a student of Yoga Therapy, I do not have the time or resources for a kids Yoga Teacher training just yet. 8 months later, I still see them weekly and heres what I have learned:
1) Discipline and Consistency.
Yes, children need discipline. This was very difficult for me. I do not have my own children right now, nor do I have nieces or nephews. I wanted the girls to enjoy their Yoga. Since that was the case, I had trouble providing boundaries and offering discipline. Thanks to the advice from my Mother (a kindergarden teacher), I realized that I am their teacher not there friend, and if we were going to get any Yoga done, there must be discipline (within boundaries and clear conversation with parents/guardians, of course). A good trick is to ask the parents or babysitters what works for them. Example: nap time was punishment for these girls, so if they did not listen there would be nap time after Yoga class.
Another tip is: CONFIDENCE. Be clear with your goals for their session and stick to it. Children can wander and often try to dictate the session. Allow for their creativity, but keep the structure. Consistency is important. After some learning curves I have decided upon starting and ending class the same EVERY time. This way they know when we sit cross legged and say Namaste, Yoga has started. It's also adorable.
2) Rewards and Praise.
A great partner to discipline - rewards and praise. If one child is listening attentively and following direction, make sure you praise them and use their name. The other child is watching and wants praise as well. Even adults will work for words of affirmation! Children love to accomplish things and receive praise and/or rewards. What works for us is that every time the girls listened and did a said Yoga pose/dance/breathing exercise, they each could teach me a Yoga pose or free style movement. Watch and learn about your children and find what works as a reward! The girls favorite reward and the most consistent is story time! If the girls are good and listen to 'Miss Amy', we have story time after class. I always have a book ready to read them. Keep reading for my favorite books and why.
“Even adults will work for words of affirmation!”
3) Patience and Grouding.
Patience can be a challenge, I am sure all caretakers of children know and understand this. As a Yoga Teacher, practice what you teach. Take a deep breathe, remember all emotions are fleeting, and that your presence is an important factor in the response from your students. So be mindful of your inner workings. Be sure to ground yourself briefly before your session. Find what works for you. Some of my favorites: 3 deep breath's in the car before I step out, Presence Affirmations: "I am grounded and present, I am a vessel of divine energy for my students.". Grounding Essential oils: Sandalwood, Cedarwood, Bergamot, Lavender. Children especially can sense your energy, if you are anxious or agitated, they know. Be calm and grounded so you can begin from that foundation.
4) Books.
This has been a big part of the teaching. I read the stories after Yoga since they also serve as a reward for practicing Yoga. Your local library has plenty, and they are free! I choose books that have teachings that are similar to Yogic teachings. Some themes: Self-study (Swadhaya), Acceptance, Compassion (Ahimsa- non-harming) for self and all beings, etc. The story time is following by a brief discussion: "What did you learn and/or like about the story"
Some of my favorites:
"The Golden Rule" by Illene Cooper :
"Do unto others as you would have them do unto you - everybody knows the Golden rule. But where does it come from and why is it important? It's easy to say, but what does it mean? Why is it called Golden? Here, a grandfather explains to his grandson the importance of this simple rule and demonstrates the wonderful effect following it."
Jamie Lee Curtis writes amazing stories for children -->>
"Today I feel Silly"
Such a good one. I believe this is a wonderful display of the principle of Self-Study (Swadhaya). It is about a little girl who has different emotions each day and explains why. I read this one often with the girls. The end has a spin wheel with different faces and emotions. They choose which one they are feeling and have recently begun to explain why. What a gift!
"I'm gonna like me" - Jamie Lee Curtis and Lauren Cornwell:
Acceptance and compassion for self.
"When I was little" - Jamie Lee Curtis
"Poetry by Heart" - Compiled by Liz Attenborough.
Beautiful short poems for children.
BIG HELPERS -->> Yoga cards <<-- I use:
"The ABCS of Yoga for Kids" by Teresa Power
"Yoga Pretzels" by Tara Guber and Leah Kalish
These offer photos of Yoga poses, the unique names of poses for children, and a brief statement about each pose!
5) Games.
Many ancient yogic teachings state that children should play. Yoga for children can look a lot more like a series of games. There are many great games to play with children that involve yogic teachings.
Some of my favorites:
Breathing Exercise: You will need straws and cotton balls. First explain to the children that this exercise is about learning how to control your breath. Let them know that when they breath deeply, they can calm themselves down. Each child gets a straw and cotton ball. They blow into the straw to move their cotton ball across the mat, play for up to 5 minutes. The girls love this game! Children will get creative and come up with their own variations of how to play the game. So fun!
Yoga dance party: Free style dance with Yoga inspired movements within the 5 planes: 1)Side bends 2)Forward bends 3)Back bends 4) Twists 5)Inversions. Encourage them to move with their bodies wisdom. Try this song: "Hara Hara Mahaadeva" by Krishna Das. The girls love this song, sometimes we play it 2-3x and dance away!
Themes: The girls love princesses and disney movies. Some sessions I will ask them what character they want to pretend to be. Then I ask them how that character would express each posture. The love it and it keeps them engaged.
Additional tip: Children should only do yoga for 30-45 minutes tops. Their sweet muscles and tendons are flexible and an hour is just too much stretching.
Whether you are a parent looking to do Yoga with your child, or a Yoga teacher teaching children, I hope this helps your journey.
Now go play!
Namaste,
Amy