Yoga instruction for children

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Practicing yoga for children is the choice of many parents to help children reduce stress, be more confident, and be healthier. There are some yoga movements that are very suitable for children such as warrior pose, cat - cow pose, ... that parents can refer to to guide their children.

1. Benefits of yoga with children

Is yoga for kids good? The answer is yes. Practicing yoga brings many benefits to children such as:

1.1 Stress relief

The fast paced world makes even adults feel stress. This affects children even more. If your child has symptoms such as trouble sleeping, bed-wetting, lack of confidence, stomachache, headaches, aggressive behavior, especially with other children, etc., it is possible that the child is under stress.
Yoga is a form of exercise that helps adults relax and it has the same benefits for children. Yoga helps children slow down and focus more. A California State University study found that yoga not only improves children's academic performance, but also helps children develop a sense of self-worth and self-confidence. So more and more schools are seeing the benefits of yoga and adding it to their curriculum as a healthy form of exercise and as a positive coping mechanism for stress.
MORE: How does yoga help relieve stress?

1.2 Increase physical flexibility

Yoga promotes physical strength as children learn to use all the muscles of the body in new ways. All positions such as standing, sitting or lying down help train different muscle groups, and help children better understand their body and understand how muscle groups work.

1.3 Improve balance

Balance is an important element of yoga. The balancing poses were created to promote mental and physical readiness to exert effort. Even if your child has trouble standing on one leg, he or she will learn mental and physical balance if he can stay calm when he falls and when he gets up, try again.
When children learn how to improve their physical balance, they get a sense of accomplishment. Coordination also comes with balance and is part of the overall dexterity of the body. Yoga teachers will use specialized techniques to help children better coordinate gross and fine motor.

1.4 Developing the ability to concentrate

The practice of yoga poses encourages children to clear their mind and focus and make more efforts. As a result of this focus, children will be able to successfully perform a particular posture or maintain better balance. And some studies also show that yoga helps children focus in school, get better grades.

1.5 Promotes self-confidence

Yoga helps instill confidence and gives children a curiosity to learn. Yoga teachers will teach children perseverance and patience to always aim for the goal. A teacher only assumes the role of a guide, the child must work on his own to succeed. So when a child masters a yoga pose, he will gain more confidence.

1.6 Strengthening mind-body connection

Yoga helps children have a healthy mind in a healthy body by training the body and soothing the spirit. As the current world changes so rapidly, for children, it won't be long before they face all kinds of pressures from themselves, their families and society to keep up with everyone around them. Yoga functions like a relief valve, helping to relieve pressure for children, as a foundation to nurture and develop a more resilient body, mind and spirit.
Yoga is beneficial for children of all ages. But it was found to be particularly beneficial for children with special problems. Studies have shown that yoga is beneficial for children with autism and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.
MORE: Meditation and yoga therapy for children with autism

2. Yoga poses suitable for children

To focus the child's natural inclination from play into a regular exercise, parents can take their child to yoga classes or follow an online yoga class. In addition, parents can also start by teaching their children the following basic yoga poses:

2.1 Warrior Pose Line

This sequence is performed in a crouching position with arms extended, which helps to increase body strength and endurance. This is an invigorating pose that helps release negativity through the breathing method. Warrior I and Warrior II are great poses for beginners. To make this exercise more fun for kids, parents can scream like a warrior, using swords and shields to cover their chests when practicing (like playing with children).

2.2 Cat-cow pose

The cat-cow stretch helps to create emotional balance while releasing the back muscles and massaging the digestive organs. When teaching children these simple poses, parents can choose to integrate them with animal-themed games. That is, the parents should make a cow-like meow when bending down, and meow like a cat like arching its back.

2.3 Downward-facing dog pose

This pose helps to stretch the body, while releasing tension in the neck and back. Again, when doing this pose with young children, parents can integrate with animal games to create excitement for children. That's when practicing, sound like a bark, bring your legs back like a wagging tail to stretch the leg muscles even more.
SEE ALSO: Yoga meditation – A therapy to help relieve stress

2.4 Tree pose

This balancing pose develops mind and body awareness, improves posture and relaxes the mind. Your child may find it difficult to balance on one leg. Therefore, parents should encourage children to put their feet in any position that they feel comfortable. That is, placing the foot on the ground, near the opposite ankle, or below, above the opposite knee. At the same time, extending the arms overhead also helps maintain this pose.

2.5 Pose of joyful child

Children will be attracted to these funny and somewhat goofy poses. Child's Pleasure Pose opens the hips, realigns the spine, and calms the mind. When performing, parents should encourage the child to sway back and forth in this position to gently massage the back.

2.6 Sleeping position

Experts call corpse pose a sleeping position when teaching children. This pose often concludes a yoga practice and encourages the practitioner to breathe deeply in conjunction with meditation. Parents can place a damp washcloth over their child's eyes, play relaxing music, or massage their feet while they rest in a sleeping position.
When children know these positions, parents should let them practice regularly to avoid stress. When starting out, just let your child learn 1 or 2 poses to get his or her attention. Over time, the practice will become easier, parents can gradually increase the practice time and number of yoga poses.
Yoga is an active exercise to prevent diseases, help children be more generous, more focused, more confident and have better health. It is never too early or too late to teach children yoga. Therefore, parents should choose the right time to let their children start with these useful exercises.

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References: healthline.com, parents.com