When it comes to yoga and kids, there’s only one rule. Make it fun - a rule we could certainly apply to our ‘grown up’ practice that can often feel uptight and far too serious.
So grab your little one and bust out these shapes that will inspire both the child and child at heart to move, breath and enjoy.
This is a great after school activity and one to pull out when away on holidays.
6 yoga poses for kids: Adventures from land and sea
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Our 6 yoga poses for kids are great for the imagination and encouraging your child’s creativity.
We’ll talk you through how to do each of these fun positions in a minute, but here they are in a nutshell:
1. Banana Pose – Get fruity with your little one with this great side stretch.
2. Tree Pose – A fun pose for both of you – try to keep your balance!
3. Raccoon Pose – Get wild and stretch your ankles, feet, quads, arms and wrists.
4. Turtle Pose – Face each other to stretch and stimulate wisdom.
5. Shark pose - Swim gracefully with ease with a strong core and open heart.
6. Bug Pose – Finish up with this playful pose to stretch the lower back, inner thighs and hamstrings
Now, time to get started!
How to do kid-friendly yoga poses
You can adapt or change these poses to suit your needs, always remembering to have fun with them!
1. Banana pose
Great for: Opening the side waist and expanding breath capacity for growing lungs.
How to:
- Stand with feet hip distance apart and arms by side
- Inhale stretch arms above head as if reaching for the stars. Bring palms together
- Exhale lift the torso and arms up and over to the left so that the right side waist starts to crack open and resemble the shape of a standing banana. Stay 5 breaths
2. Tree pose
Great for: Playfully improving focus and balance as well as strengthening the joints in the standing leg.
How to:
- Stand with big toes together and then take a moment to lift just the left heel up off the ground to feel a shift of weight into the right foot
- Eventually, lift the left foot and (using hands to help) place left foot to the inner right thigh
- Stay for as long as possible before swapping side