How To Help Kids Stay Longer In Yoga Poses

There’s lots of ways to help kids stay in yoga poses longer

by Gopala Amir Yaffe, Rainbow Kids Yoga

The benefits of the Yoga Poses increase as you stay longer in them.  But staying for a long time in the poses is not easy for kids simply because, for them, it is totally boring… unless you do some of the following:

Counting

You can count to 10 when you bake a Yoga Pizza (Seated Forward Bend with legs apart), when you go under a yoga tunnel with your imaginary car while in the Yoga Bridge Pose, count down to launching a Yoga Spaceship (Chair Pose with hands raised)… or you can even count really, really slowly when you are in a Yoga Tortoise.

 Singing

This is simply the best for younger kids!  Try to find a song for every single pose. You can always invent songs on the spot–the kids wouldn’t know if you can’t carry a tune!

 Sound effects and animal sounds

It can make the same pose be a totally different animal or object, and it definitely makes everything much more interesting, exciting, and fun!

 Balancing animal toys on the head/ back/ arms/ legs/ tummies while in yoga poses

You’ll need to stay still so they won’t fall down!

 Telling interesting facts about animals or objects/ cultures/ countries

Sometimes the kids will know more about it than you, and you can all share facts and discuss it – all while you keep holding the pose!  Older kids will also be interested to hear about the amazing body they live in.

 Saying faster/ higher/ more/ one more / again!

If you are in a Traveling Pose, you can tell the kids “Faster!  The _____ (place) is very far!  We’ll never get there if we keep going that slow!”  In the Sun Dance (Sun Salutation), you can say “One more time, this time double speed!”  While doing the Candle Pose (Shoulder Stand) you might want to guide them “Higher!  Try to reach the ceiling with your toes!”.

 Interaction between the kids

Spice it up!  Some kids can be Yoga Tables while the others sit around them in Yoga chairs for dinner.  Yoga Flowers and buzzing bees, Yoga Down Dogs and dog owners, Yoga Animals and Zoo Keepers, Yoga Trees and Yoga Monkeys and Yoga Bananas are all great options.  Any partner yoga pose or group interaction will help the kids to do the poses for longer.  It’s always more fun to do yoga together!

 Depending on each other

You can practice relaxation with each kid resting their head on the belly of the person before them (we call it Anaconda Snake Relaxation), or try having some of the kids go under a tunnel made out of Down Dog Poses or crawl under any other pose.  If a kid moves out of the pose, they will destroy it for everyone; it’s a great way to learn how interdependent we are.

 Using props

You can pass a ball from one to another while staying standing in Yoga Tree or in any other pose, slide a ball down all the Yoga Slides (Incline Plane Pose), hold an umbrella while in the Dancer Pose, wear a crown and hold a wand while in the Yoga Prince or Princess (Chair Pose), put a table cloth (can be a yoga mat) or plastic plates and cups on a Yoga Table, or be covered by a blanket during relaxation… This little flare makes the pose much more engaging!

Petting animals

The kids love it!  Go around and pat all the Yoga Dogs or Yoga Bunnies and tell them how cute they are, or that they are a good dog.   The kids are sure to stay still in the pose waiting for their turn to be patted.

Taking pictures

You can do it with an imaginary camera, or a real one.  The kids need to stay still in the poses for you to take a good picture!

Making it varied and interesting

Lighting all the Yoga Candles and blowing them out, watering Yoga Flowers or Yoga Seeds (Child Pose) that will slowly grow into trees, checking how steady the Yoga Mountains are by gently pushing them to test their stability, fixing Yoga Tables and Chairs, riding Yoga Bicycles upside down in the Shoulder Stand and then continuing to walk and run and surf and snowboard and rollerblade, and skateboard a jump and hop and skip all on the ceiling or sky! …and all while staying in the Shoulder Stand!

 Combining poses

Start in Yoga Tree, for example, and then have an eagle in the tree (or a butterfly, owl, or even an elephant) just by changing your hand positions… and all the while staying steady in the Tree Pose!  In the same way you can have not just a Warrior 1 and 2 and 3, but also warrior 4 and 5 and even 10… all while you keep holding the same basic pose.

Poses Story

Make up, or let the kids make up, a Yoga Story and have the kids stay in a certain pose until the next Yoga Animal or Yoga Object come up in the story.  If the story is interesting enough, it will motivate the kids to stay in the pose.  You can even make a rule that the storyteller can only tell his or her story while everyone is in a pose.

 Yoga Freeze

With or without music that you pause, freeze for as long as you can in different poses.  You can call out names of specific poses, or let the kids choose poses one at a time by calling out their names, or give more general instructions like “Freeze in a pose that will make you stand on one leg” or “Freeze in your favorite pose.”

You can also play the freeze game in a more creative way by turning the kids’ “switches” on and off, or pressing on their “buttons.”  When the “switch” is on the kids can move all around the classroom in any way they want, but when you turn them off they have to freeze in a yoga pose.  They can’t move until you switch them back on.

Another way to play is to be a Yoga Wizard who turns the kids into Yoga Animals or Yoga Statues where they will be frozen forever! Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha (evil laugh)!

 The real point here is that you must make it interesting if you want the kids to stay in the poses…or even do them at all.  If your class is boring, the yoga class simply won’t happen.  Either the kids will not come to the class, if they have the choice, and there won’t be a class; or they will disturb your class, and you won’t be able to teach.  Be smart – be FUN!

Source: http://theyogalunchbox.co.nz/2012/08/14/how-to-help-the-kids-stay-longer-in-poses/ 

We Belong To One Another...Storytime Yoga Promotes Healthy Relationships

Relationships are everything.  When we like ourselves…are comfortable with ourselves it is much easier to get along with others…much easier to be in relationship.  To prove how vital healthy relationships are we need only admit that when the relationships in our lives don’t feel right there is no amount of success in other areas, be it academics, athletics, or business, that can satisfy.

Classes at Story and Stretch are designed with the knowing of how difficult it is to relate well with others when we have a low sense of self-worth.  Children get the opportunity to move through yoga poses that make them feel controlled and confident, practice positive affirmations aloud and internally, learn how to make good choices through stories, discuss their interests & strengths, and achieve success no matter what level they are at.

With regular practice children will develop into adults who are comfortable with themselves and comfortable with others…setting them up for a truly blessed life.    

Take A Deep Breath (from Alluem Kids)

Go ahead. Inhale for 1...2...3...exhale for 3...2...1... Feel better? I thought so.

Believe it or not, this little 6 second pause you take for yourself to simply stop and take a deep breath calms your nervous system, slows your heart rate, changes your mood - maybe even your whole day. Want to take another? Go ahead. It's your special day!

I was told in one of my recent Little Flower Yoga trainings with Jennifer Cohen Harper, that if you teach a child nothing else but how take a deep breath, then you've done enough. 

So true. The breath is a powerful tool and even the youngest of children understand this. Just yesterday a 6 year old told me how she used her breath to calm herself down...

"Miss Karen, one time when I was on the monkey bars, I got really nervous! My hands got sweaty and I thought I would slip right off! But you know what? I stopped for a second and took a deep breath. Then I calmed down and I kept going!" 

I was so proud of her! Even in the midst of trouble and fear, if we can break through and tell ourselves to breathe and relax - we can keep right on going strong! Teach a child this at a young age, then no doubt it will stick with them as they grow. But really, that goes for any age! Recently I got into a discussion with a woman at the studio who finds breathing exercises difficult. She feels as if she's thinking too hard about it and her breath becomes too shallow. I could completely relate! I remember the first time I did alternate nostril breathing - I thought I was going to die! I grew up with exercise induced asthma and it brought me right back to those moments when my breathing became so short that I thought I may never take another deep breath again. I used an inhaler and a nebulizer right up into college during my soccer playing days. It wasn't until my early 20s when I was introduced to yoga, that I stopped using my inhaler. Honestly, I chalk it up something we yogis call Pranayama - the art of breath control.

Prana = Life Force      Yama = Control or Discipline

The more I sat and practiced the breath, the easier it became. And I kid you not when I tell you, there were times during class, when tears would fill my eyes over the anxiety that crept in from not being able to breathe correctly. Maybe I was putting too much pressure on myself. Maybe it was the bronchial spasms that I would experience. What I wanted most was to just breathe and relax! But the more anxious you get over it, the more shallow your breathing becomes. The more shallow your breath becomes the more anxious you get. Really, it's a vicious cycle. 

How do we stop it? Patience. Acceptance. Internal focus. When being introduced to a new breathing exercise, say alternate nostril breathing, first be sure the body is relaxed. When you begin, see how you do with the first round. Close the right nostril, inhale through the left for 1, 2, 3. Close both nostrils, hold for 1,2. Open the right nostril, breathe out for 3, 2, 1. Inhale through the right for 1, 2, 3. Close both, hold 1, 2. Breathe out through the left 3, 2, 1. Pause. How do you feel? If the chest feels tight or you're uncomfortable in anyway, stop. You've done enough for today. Just because the rest of the class continues, doesn't mean you have to! Same as when you practice the asana. Just because your neighbor is binding their seated twist, doesn't mean you have to! When we push ourselves when we're already uncomfortable, that is when the anxiety sets in and the breathing becomes shallow. By that point, Pranayama serves us no purpose. Just like I tell the kids, take it slow. We're in no rush. Come back to it tomorrow and try again.

Also, don't be afraid to let go. Many times we hold on to things that we're afraid to let go of in fear that we may need it at another time. This holds true for the breath as well. Take a deep breath in...hold it. Now let it go. Pause. Can you let it out a little more? Often times we hold onto our breath, especially asthmatics. If you are able to push out more breath at the end of an exhale, you probably aren't using your full lung capacity. Studies show, many of us only use half to two thirds of our lung capacity, depriving the body of oxygen. This is why a regular Pranayama practice becomes essential in taking control of the breath, strengthening the lungs, and possibly, (I'm no doctor) in my personal experience, reversing asthma. So where do you begin? Find your breath. Just notice it. Maybe start by lying on your back. Place your hand on your belly and breathe. With the kids this week, we used our Breathing Buddies. With our favorite stuffed animals sitting on our bellies, we are able to see the breath rise as we fill our bellies and fall when we exhale. It becomes a very meditative, relaxing and fun activity! Try it! Relax! Have fun!

Reposted from http://alluemkids.blogspot.com/2012/06/take-deep-breath.html

FAQ: What Should My Child Bring/Wear To Storytime Yoga?

 ·      Comfortable clothing that he/she can easily move around in. 

Jeans are not recommended. 

·      Shoes that easily slip off. 

As you enter the studio there are cubbies for your child to place his/her shoes in. 

·      A mat if you have one.
We can provide mats, blankets, and eye pillows at the studio!