Yoga and children are looked upon like an antonym. Let me narrate a real incident to explain this. Once, I mentioned my 6 year old daughter’s yoga class to one of my friends. My friend went in shock and said, “Why are you torturing her at this age? And what does she have in her body to do yoga? She is already so skinny.” This was no surprise to me because I was also under the same impression before I met my Guru.

Most people perceive yoga as a mere physical activity to reduce weight. One main reason is also because of the modern yoga schools offering varieties of yoga like hot yoga, power yoga, etc.

Yoga is for everyone irrespective of age, gender, religion, and so on. Every movement that we make is yoga if made with complete awareness. A baby in the womb curls all its tiny fingers with the thumb inside, that’s what we practice as Adi mudra in yoga. Little babies sleep comfortably sitting on their heels and falling forward, that’s what we practice as Balasana. A toddler sits in a position where both the legs are outside the hips and the bottom in between the folded legs, that’s what we practice as Virasana. There are many such examples.

Yoga, as a process, can be different for each person according to their age, body type, etc. Ultimately, every practitioner is going towards the same goal. In this article, we are only looking at yoga for kids. Importance of yoga for children – 

Introducing yoga to children as early as

2.5 to 3 years of age:

• Helps them evolve as physically and emotionally stable and confident individuals.
• Promotes massive brain development.
• Makes them ethical, kind, and respectful as they grow.
• Makes them better decision makers.
• Keeps their health in tact.
• Helps in their all-round development, and much more..

Yoga for kids not only means teaching different fancy postures (asana). They can be molded effectively right from an early age. There can be a variety of activities like-

Allowing them to be expressive: Letting them express their heart out. Understanding their thoughts and how they feel without judging or assuming. This will help them to express their thoughts openly in any forum in the future.

Playing team games can help them to be a part of a team learning to help others and co-exist.

Calming them down: Unlike many parents who think that yoga will involve a lot of physical activities, yoga for kids must have a lot of calming down activities. Children are naturally very active. They run, jump, roll , etc. Activities like mandala coloring and puzzle solving can calm them down. They can’t sit with closed eyes and meditate. So these activities can help them relax and calm down.

Patience: This is one thing that’s lacking in today’s children. Not only in children, but also adults like us lack patience. There were days we used to wait for a particular day in a week to get a program on the television. We used to watch umpteen advertisements in between programs. Now, children get impatient to wait for 5 seconds to get the ‘skip ad’ in YouTube. They want everything instant. Where are they learning this from? Definitely from us. Children observe and learn a lot from us. As a part of yoga, a lot of patience building activities can be included.

Asana is a very minor part of yoga , but that’s what is seen as yoga by people. The best age to teach them the Yamas and Niyamas of yoga is when they are toddlers.

When a child spills milk or water, most of us immediately make a big fuss. We scream and react to the situation. This makes them feel small and scared. It is very common for a child to spill things. When we accept that saying its ok and help them to clean the mess together, next time when they make some mistake, they will admit it without fear of being screamed at. As they grow, they understand that it’s ok to make mistakes and to admit it. This way, we are teaching the second Yama; Satya, which means truthfulness. This is one example. All the Yamas and Niyamas can be inculcated very easily through simple activities or role plays.

Our tradition is vast. Sanatana dharma is an ocean. Every act has a sloka attached to it. Like a sloka as we open our eyes, as we put our feet on the floor, as we have a bath, as we eat, and so on. The meaning of every sloka is so intense, deep, and beautiful.

Introducing simple slokas and making children recite them can make their life more meaningful: They learn to respect everyone and everything they have without complaining. They understand the value of our culture and tradition. They understand ethical and moral values. All this can’t happen in a month or two. Consistent practice and attaching the child with a proper teacher (Guru) is important.

These are just a few of what can be yoga for children. Yoga is not just a practice. It is a part of our lives irrespective of which stage of life we are in. Introducing yoga to kids can help to make this world a better place to live.