How to Introduce Your Kids to Yoga
Hiya! It’s been a minute since my last post (been pretty crazy around here!) but I’m back today and answering a question I’ve been getting more and more recently. The question I’m referring to is how to introduce your kids to yoga! I love that you guys are curious about this and that your little ones might be seeing you in your practice and wanting to get involved!
As much as I wish I could say I’ve been doing yoga since childhood, I actually found yoga at 31 when my kids were 5, 7 and 8 so they never watched me practice from babyhood to now. To be honest, they haven’t been that interested in trying it with me until recently with all of the extra time at home together. Thanks quarantine! I tend to let their own passions and curiosity steer their path while keeping lots of options available for them to keep discovering. However my daughter Ava has been asking more and more about becoming more flexible so I asked her if she wanted to join in my practice or parts of it and she said yes!
I’m still relatively new to the kids yoga game, but since Ava and I started doing some together, here are five tips I’ve learned along the way. I hope they’re helpful for anyone with kiddos in their life wanting to get started exploring yoga!
Play to their strengths
Once you have a second to understand what their strengths might be, play them up! Ava has super open shoulders and back so she is always up for back bending, which is really fun to practice with her! Of course you want to challenge them, but in the beginning make it much more about having fun. I think this eases them into it and helps them see yoga as something fun to do vs a hard workout that they might start to dread.
If they ask to try something, run with it
I was so excited to practice with Ava, but I wanted to be sure to work on the things SHE is excited about. For example, Ava thinks Crow Pose looks so cool so we worked on it! If your child is completely unfamiliar with yoga and all the poses, show them some videos and pictures on Pinterest or Instagram to inspire them. Whatever they’re drawn to visually, go for it!
Keep it light
Big tip here: don’t go into your sessions with your kids with the same mindset you do when you’re practicing solo. Think about where you were when you first started (whether you were 31or 12)and keep that in mind. Lots of tumbles and laughs keep our practices together really light, which I so, so enjoy. Plus, I never want to put too much pressure on our mini classes together.
Lead by example
If your child is asking you about yoga, it’s probably because they’ve seen you do it! Obviously Ava got curious because she sees me doing it all the time (especially the last five months or so with quarantine). This reminded me that our kids are always watching and listening. So if you want their interest in yoga to grow, continue leading by example.
Teach breath work
Breath work is one of my favorite parts of yoga. Learning to be aware of your breathing and how it flows with the movement of your body is so beautiful and I love teaching that to Ava. I think this has been my favorite part of practicing with her so far - sitting quietly with her while we breath together. Even just a minute or two feels like the best connection.