Children's yoga is a practice that offers mental benefits for children. In addition to building self-confidence, it helps them learn to better manage their emotions.
Yoga, a beneficial practice from a young age
Yoga isn't just for adults. This increasingly popular discipline is also suitable for younger children. There's no age limit to start practicing, quite the opposite in fact. Yoga offers many benefits to children from a very young age, promoting concentration, self-confidence, and self-awareness. It's a gentle approach to personal development that parents particularly appreciate for little ones.
The specificities of yoga for children
Yoga for children differs from yoga practiced by adults in the studio. The methods and exercises are adapted to the pace of the youngest children. Age-appropriate practice: There is no age limit for beginning yoga. Even infants can begin certain movements with their parents. However, for specific classes for children, it is best to wait until they are around 3 years old. The activity should be fun, arouse children's curiosity, and allow them to move through poses while having fun. For younger children (5 years and younger): Yoga activities for this age group revolve around stories, narrations, animated fables, and sensory play. From 8 years old: Sessions can progress to more structured exercises including specific postures, games, breathing exercises, and activities that promote attention and concentration.
The goals of yoga for children
The adapted version of yoga for children aims to achieve several goals, including self-awareness, developing sociability, and developing an awareness of belonging to a group. This practice allows children to discover tools to facilitate their personal development, by learning to know themselves and understand their bodies to better understand the world around them. The first exercises focus on mastering breathing, the basis of bodily and psychological mechanisms. Over time, children will learn postures and movements that promote self-control and relaxation, all in a fun setting to facilitate learning.
Yoga methods suitable for children
Yoga for children should above all be a moment of pleasure and fun, adapted to their limited attention span. Sessions are shorter than those for adults, often starting with 15-minute sessions and gradually extending to 40 to 45 minutes. Learning is done primarily through play and storytelling, through postures and an introduction to breathing exercises. A yoga session for children is divided into three stages: Introduction: Meeting, greeting, and presentation of the theme of the session, often linked to a story, a journey, or the discovery of animals. Active phase: Performing postures and breathing techniques. Relaxation: Concluding the session with a moment of relaxation.
Postures adapted to children
Yoga for children is not intended to replicate adult exercises. The sessions are specially adapted to remain playful, fostering imagination and fun. Some examples of adapted poses include the "cat" pose with alternating hollow and rounded back movements, the "tree" balance, and the "roaring lion" pose on your knees with your hands placed in front of you, your tongue sticking out, and your eyes wide open.
The benefits of practicing yoga for children
Regular yoga practice offers a sense of relaxation, improved concentration, and improved sleep. Psychological benefits include building self-confidence and managing emotions through sharing, concentration, and relaxation exercises. Physically, yoga promotes body awareness, anticipates postural problems, and contributes to the development of flexibility, balance, and strength in children.
How to introduce your child to yoga?
If you practice yoga yourself, this is a great opportunity to introduce your child to the discipline by sharing a fun, bonding experience. There are several options for deepening this practice at home, including using children's yoga books, which offer tailored postures and reading tips. You might also consider participating in parent-child workshops to further develop postures and breathing exercises. These enriching experiences help your child's focus, especially if they've already been introduced to some yoga exercises at home.
Children's yoga in Hossegor
Every Wednesday, Elsa, a yoga teacher and kinesiologist, offers small group sessions for children. Her practices focus on relaxation, emotions, and communication while exercising, having fun, and connecting with other children. Children from 3 to 10 years old are welcome, and can be found every Wednesday at YogaSearcher in Hossegor. Information and reservations are available here . If you'd like to know more about Elsa, click here to visit her website.