Yoga Poses for Children Loved by Everyone

Soccer, baseball, and football have long been the competitive cornerstones of children’s sports. However, of late, parents are getting their children more actively involved in yoga. It is a great source of physical activity and really works to promote self-esteem and a calm balance in a child’s life. Read about these yoga poses for children and consider giving them a try.

Sunrise/Sunset

This is an excellent stretch series to warm up your child and get them in the mood for yoga. To start, teach your child how to breathe deeply while standing up straight. On an inhale, have the child bring their arms up high above them, telling them to imagine that they are the sun rising high in the sky. Make sure they plant their feet firmly into the ground. On an exhale, they can bring their arms back to their sides. Repeat this 5-10 times.

After completing the sunrise series, tell the child that now it’s time for the sun to set. After breathing in deeply, tell them to imagine they are diving into a pool, starting by raising their shoulders and bending deeply at the hips to touch the ground just like the setting sun.

Frog

This is an excellent pose that promotes fun, laughter, creativity, and hip flexibility. Have your child start on the mat by standing with his/her feet hip-width distance apart. Then, while breathing out, have the child bring his body down into a deep squat. Then, bring the hands in and wrap them around the back of the feet to resemble a frog. They should focus on tightening their biceps to their calves and inner thighs to increase the stretch. Make it fun by letting the children let out a few frog hops or “ribbit” sounds.

Butterfly

This pose is great for promoting a child’s imagination. And without them even knowing it is an excellent way to promote good posture by strengthening the upper back muscles. The child starts by sitting on the ground, holding tightly to their feet and bringing their legs downward so the feet are touching at the soles. Tell the child to sit up straight and imagine long butterfly wings are coming out of their back. Increase the visualization by allowing children to describe the color and motion of the wings and the flight of the butterfly.

This is a great start to teaching yoga poses for children. They will delight in the fun, creative movements. And, as a parent you will start to see changes in your child’s mood, balance, and strength.