How to Teach Kids Wellness, Emotional Intelligence, and Resiliency
Yoga practice is about developing self-awareness of physical sensations through the whole body, feeling the movement of the breath, and focusing the mind on the present experience. It’s the union of mind, body, breath, and spirit.
Kids need yoga to move, play, collaborate, develop emotional intelligence, and build resiliency now more than ever.
Luckily you do not need to be a certified yoga teacher to teach yoga to kids.
You should, however, have a basic knowledge of yoga asana (the physical poses) practice so you have an idea of the general shape the body moves into and out of from pose to pose.
You want to keep your kids safe physically and help them navigate their physical expression from one pose to the next. (By the way, kids’ bones grow faster than their muscles, which leads to inflexibility. Teach them to be kind to themselves if they don’t feel they can get their legs straight in a forward bend—it’s just fine!)
Kids live in their imaginations and inner worlds. The gateway into the inner-felt self is the breath.
Teach them how to feel the breath moving in and out. You can start with feeling the breath at the nose then guide them to feeling the breath move inside the body—chest, back, belly, and/or side ribs.
Next, learn what topics and themes are popular with kids to shape your kids’ yoga practice. You can look at popular children’s literature in the age group you want to practice yoga with to get ideas. Then ask what it is about that topic or theme that hooks them in.
If you are working with preschoolers and you see a theme of construction vehicles and dinosaurs, notice that these are BIG. You can design yoga practice around taking up space and having power (which is what preschoolers want to feel anyway, right?).
If you are working with younger elementary-aged kids, you may notice a theme of fairies, mermaids, and outer space. You can design yoga practice around fantasy and magic—that which we cannot see, but liberates the spirit.
If you are working with elementary-ages kids through a practice themed around a trip to the beach, you might start with packing the beach bag. You can sit on the floor with legs wide and reach forward, back, side to side, and twist to pack the bag with items they identify they need for the beach. You are creating a story and you have also warmed up the spine in six directions.
As you reach forward, ask the little yogis what they feel in their bodies. They may say “my back stretching” or “my legs are a little bent.” This is awareness of the most external nature of the body—it’s actual shape in space. Great!
As you move from pose to pose, ask how they feel their breath—is it in their chest? Belly? Back? All of those places?
Invite them to breathe in and out to notice how the breath moves the body.
The more you invite them to feel from within, the better they will develop the skills to do the same with their emotions, which is a subtle energy.
Ask how they feel emotionally in a pose as you move through the practice. Let’s say you are in Warrior Two and calling it “Surfer Pose.” You can ask how they feel their body in space (“Arms are wide, legs are strong!”), how they feel their breath (“In my belly!), and how they feel emotionally (“Powerful!” “Silly!” “Strong!”). Continue with fun-filled yoga practices until you sense they are identifying sensations.
Here's a kind disclaimer: Please do not put your hands on a child’s body to make a physical adjustment to get into a pose or to go into a pose more deeply.
Not only could you risk hurting the child, but this defies the larger lesson of the child having agency over his/her/their body. It’s better to verbalize a cue for how he/she/they can inhabit a clearer physical expression of a pose and have the child make micro-adjustments based on the inner-felt feeling process.
Besides, isn’t it hypocritical to teach a child to not allow someone to touch their body, yet have your hands all over them to adjust a yoga pose? It’s a mixed message. Let’s be clear, consistent, and purposeful in how we teach children.
Start teaching kids yoga practice by guiding them to the breath. Guide them to sense their bodies in space when they are in still and as they move. Just ten minutes a day can open the door to big changes in how they feel physically and emotionally.
Do you have a yoga pose or practice you like to share with kids? I’d love to know about it-- leave a comment!