Toddlers love to copy parents in activities. To introduce yoga to your kids, practice yourself. You may not be a professional yoga teacher, but you can teach basic stretches. Ask them to take a breath through the nose only, so that their lung capacity increases and reduces the flight-or-flight response that occurs from mouth breathing. Toddler age kids are prone to temper tantrums, after all, you may have doubt, that how kids will sit still for practising yoga. As said before they love to copy parents’ activities.
1. Make it fun: The main motto of kids is to have fun. So make your journey fun by adding different elements in yoga. For example, tell them warrior II pose is like flying an aeroplane. Boost your creativity and include directions, numbers, animal kingdom in your flow
2. Have a plan: Here is a plan to get started
i) Call them for imitating animals (Kids love animal poses)
ii)Let them play a game.
iii)Go with the flow you can’t expect them to follow a pattern. So go with the flow.
3. Never expect them to follow your plan: Sometimes my daughter wanted to jump like a frog when I ask her to be like a lion. So whatever your plan is, don’t let them lose interest. Let your yoga journey be fun by making it a story like a manner. I start with the story of the forest and include the flight journeys, travelling through mountains, children passing by and finally by sleeping. It is not about a proper story but the poses you include with them.
4. Let them rest: Kids are yogis by nature they can do many poses with ease. Let them do in their own pace, better not try to correct them especially in the toddler age. Let them rest whenever they want.
5. No specific time: There is no specific time to hold the pose; more or less 10seconds is fine. For babies and toddlers, 5 minutes of practice in a day is fine.
6. Focus: Your focus must be towards the introduction of poses and make it interesting, not to correct their postures. Help them to concentrate and sit calm also getting some physical activity.
7. Don't over impose: Sitting in Sukhasana ( Easy pose) is also enough for the toddlers. Do not impose on them. Yoga must be fun for them.
8. Not after a heavy meal: Make sure that these practices are done before meals or in between the meals.
9. Make it a routine: Find a calm place at home and take out the yoga mat, to do yoga, and make it a routine for them at a certain time. Toddlers will be habituated to that time.
10. These are easy poses to introduce yoga to your kids
i) Cobra Pose
ii) Cat – and –cow pose
iii) Downward facing dog
iv) Easy Pose
v) Lion Pose
vi) Warrior I pose
vii) Warrior II Pose
viii) Corpse Pose
ix) Forward Bend
x) Squat Pose
xi) Hero Pose
xii) Child Pose
When you do yoga it generally creates interest in your kid. Tell them a story during the asanas, so that they go with the flow. Sometimes they may not concentrate on what you are doing, be prepared for that! Don’t insist to do yoga, it may create a negative impression for them.
Happy International Yoga day!!
Happy Motherhood!!
Happy Yoga!!
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