Kids and Yoga
Under the guidance of a certified instructor, yoga classes for kids focus on building upon each child's strengths while helping them ease stress and bolster self-esteem, cooperation, self-trust, and reverence for one's inner world.
These classes are for kids of all ages and typically use music, activities, and props to create a fun, interactive environment.
Benefits
The benefits children experience from yoga include:
Enhanced awareness of, and better control of, their body
Greater ease connecting to other people and their surroundings
Confidence and improved self-esteem/ self-efficacy
Enhanced ability to focus and self-regulate behavior and emotion
Improved physical skills such as balance, coordination, agility, sense of direction
Ability to experience relaxation and learn how to access this state of being at any time
Children's Yoga Teacher Qualifications
Before choosing a class for your child, ask questions about the teacher's experience and certification. Children's yoga teachers should have:
Completed 200 hour Yoga Alliance approved teacher training
Educational or practical experience with children
If your child has special needs, that is additional qualification/experience you'll need to explore. Ideally, the instructor has obtained CEUs or certification in teaching yoga for children.
Observe a class and see the range of abilities being taught; trust your intuition about whether or not a class or a teacher is a good fit for your child.
A children's yoga teacher must be able to truly be present for a child just as they are, in the moment, and demonstrate acceptance that every child's body does yoga differently. This empowers even the most 'yoga clumsy' child to gradually achieve a sense of fulfillment and self-efficacy that can carry from the yoga mat to other areas of the child's life.