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The Magic of Kids’ Yoga

Can Something

so Fun also be Beneficial

Through each developmental stage chil-dren mature physically, neurological-ly, cognitively, emotionally and socially. Understanding these changes and pos-sessing the skills to adapt yoga to meet

and support a child’s developmental ability is critical to engaging children in safe and beneficial practices. Challenging routines that are beyond a child’s devel-opmental ability can lead to frustration and an unwill-ingness to participate in yoga.

Think chi ldren's yoga is all cute animal poses and making animal sounds? Think again! Of course, animal themes are fun and engaging, but there is so much more to consider when teaching yoga to chi ldren. And whi le a good pediatric yoga teacher will make it look l ike chi ld's play, leading de-velopmentally appropriate sessions that nurture the whole chi ld requires knowledge, creativity, and a lot of hard work.

?The of Kids’ Yoga:

Magic

Lisa Roberts

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The Magic of Kids’ Yoga

Conversely, offerings that neither challenge nor engage a child can result in boredom. Meeting the child where he is developmentally and introducing new experiences to support appropriate growth – and making it fun – is the recipe for success. Key pediatric developmen-tal milestones supported by yoga include: • Fine and gross motor skills and

planning • Balance, coordination, flexibility

and mobility• Posture, core tone, stability and

strength• Bilateral integration • Body awareness , spat ia l

awareness and orientation• C o m m u n i c a t i o n s k i l l s ,

language processing and speech development

• Self-awareness (mind-body connection)

• Self-regulation (ability to regulate moods, emotions, reactions and responses)

• Sense of community and social skills (connection to others, t e a m w o r k , c o o p e r a t i o n , l e a d e r s h i p s k i l l s , a n d communication)

Yoga Philosophy and Children

To truly benefit children, yoga must be approached through the lens of nurturing the whole child, not just the physical body. Energy systems and philosophy are an essential element of yoga often overlooked in children’s classes. Teachers avoid these topics for valid reasons – considering them too abstract for children, or due to boundaries set by the environment they are teaching in. But, just as the developmental changes outlined above

are occurring, children’s energy sys-tems are also developing and can (and should) be balanced and supported using yoga. This can be achieved with awareness and respect, without ever whispering the words chakra (energy centre), dosha (bodily energy constitu-tion), or kosha (sheath). Ditto applies to carefully planting small seeds of yoga philosophy to nurture a child’s connection to self and others.

Kids are often viewed as possessing oodles of boundless energy. I firmly believe what you see on the outside is a reflection of the energy rico-cheting around those little bodies

internally. Maturing emotionally, but not yet able to process big feelings or seismic shifts within themselves, the energy of a child, and conse-quently a kids’ yoga class, can shift very quickly. Drawing on yoga’s tra-ditional Ayurvedic roots and astute-ly analysing student behaviour and demeanour can give a fairly accurate sense of which dosha1 – fire (pita), air (vata), or earth/water (kapha) – is dominant allowing one to plan yoga sessions to balance the energy of the child and his environment.

Teaching is communicating. Evaluating students via observation, perceiving their needs, and adapting accordingly is a vital skill all teachers should possess, regardless of what age group or subject they are teach-ing. Here’s an example of my teach-ing style when addressing dosha energy by observation in a children’s yoga class: • Fire (pita) dominance manifests

as fiery, competitive and outspo-ken behaviour. I direct my class this way, “I feel like a dragon, dinosaur, volcano or hot sun. I’m going to cool down by creating

oceans, rivers, lakes, fish, starfish, mermaids.” I lead yoga poses, breathing techniques, guided relaxation and games pertaining to things and places to soothe and cool hot fiery energy.

• Air (vata) dominance exhibits as distracted, flighty behaviour, jumping from one activity to the next. In this case I say, “I feel like a bird, a cloud, the wind, or space. I’m coming back down to earth to be with the trees, moun-

Children are blessed with wonderful imaginations. Tap into this by creating yoga adventures that explore imaginary stories, characters and subjects that the children you teach love. Reinvent yoga poses, breathing and relaxation techniques, and play games that broaden imaginations and flex young minds beyond boundaries.

The Philosophy of OM

Add skills to your yoga teaching tool kit or explore as a student

tains, worms, and strong war-riors.” Leading a class centred around grounding practices with strong earthy themes will help balance the excess air element.

• Earth and water (kapha) domi-nance expresses as slow, lethargic and stubborn behaviour. To bal-ance excess kapha, I say, “Today I feel like an elephant, manatee, whale, or giant rock. It’s time to reach for the sun and dance and fly!” Proceeding to theme the class around dancers, birds, fly-ing witches, planes, rockets, the sky or the sun, to lift and awaken slow moving kapha2 kids.

So Much More than the Physical Body

Traditional yoga teaches that humans possess five koshas (sheaths), which I like to think of as layers: • Physical sheath (Annamaya) • Energy sheath (Pranayama)• Mental sheath (Manomaya)• Intellectual sheath (Vijnanamaya)• Bliss sheath (Anandamaya)

Sanskrit words alone can be too challenging for a child to grasp. Using a simple set of wooden nesting dolls, I show children that they are so much more than their physical bodies. Sadly, I’ve encountered children as young as eight preoccupied with body image and comparing themselves to others, rendering this valuable yogic lesson an important seed to plant as early as possible. Stumbling on a fabulous set of five animal nesting dolls early in my teaching career (from largest to smallest: a lion, tiger, pig, monkey, and a bird) I created the following lesson:

Beginning with the first doll, I explain what it represents and pose a rhetorical question for the children to reflect on before revealing the next doll (layer):

• “The lion is your body. Was the lion in the Wizard of Oz satisfied with only his physical body?”

• “This tiger is your energy. You may not see your energy, but think about a stalking tiger, does he move quietly and unseen yet still possess great strength?”

• “Mr. Pig represents your emo-tions and ego. Can the ego be a little piggy at times?”

• “Monkey is your wisdom. Is an old monkey often referred to as wise?”

• “And the bird is your heart and soul. Is a bird often referred to as free?”

Each doll standing side-by-side sends the loud and clear non-verbal message, ‘YOU ARE SO MUCH MORE THAN YOUR BODY’. Without rambling on about koshas or body image, I simply leave the five dolls in a visible place, sending this subtle yet strong message to my students as we practise yoga.

Creativity, Movement and Body Learning

Despite all of these growing pains, kids are still kids, and whether you’re a kid or a grown up, fun is a good thing. Let’s revisit animals for a moment – because they are fun and kids do love them! An animal themed lesson plan or two will cer-tainly have a place in your repertoire of kids’ yoga classes (take my kosha lesson above for example). However, do not fall into the trap of relying on

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The Magic of Kids’ Yoga

Lisa Roberts (E-RYT200, RCYT, YACEP) founded the in-patient yoga program at St. Louis Children’s Hospital in St. Louis, Missouri USA and leads professional development trainings for pediatric professionals. She is the author of Teach Your Child Yoga and Teach Your Child Meditation (Sterling).

animal poses week after week just because they are easy. A well-known benefit of yoga is strong and flexible bodies; but a children’s yoga teacher has the opportunity to expand minds and imaginations too.

Children are blessed with wonderful imaginations. Tap into this by creating yoga adventures that explore imaginary stories, characters and subjects that the children you teach love. Reinvent yoga poses, breathing and relaxation tech-

niques, and play games that broaden imaginations and flex young minds beyond boundaries. Be sure to allow plenty of time for children to share their interpretations too. It is, after all, their practice and by encouraging contribution and acknowledging cre-ativity, you will cultivate leadership skills and empower children with a sense of ownership and pride of their yoga experience.

Think outside of the box and theme yoga sessions around school curric-ulum. It’s a fun way for all kids to learn, and especially effective for kids with learning difficulties. Many children are challenged in the typical auditory/visual classroom environ-

ment and yoga can help. The four main styles of learning are:• Visual learners – learn through

observation• Auditory learners – learn through

listening• Tactile learners – respond to

hands-on activities• Kinaesthetic learners – respond to

movement and physical activity

A typical yoga class supports all four styles of learning but the traditional

classroom setting caters mostly to visual and auditory processes. Enter yoga and movement themed around classroom curriculum. A refreshing and revitalising way for all students to review material, and a beneficial approach to learning for tactile and kinaesthetic learners.

Considering all of the above, it’s fair to say that there is a lot more to kids’ yoga than mere horseplay. Children’s yoga is highly beneficial for kids, and a very rewarding vocation for those who teach. If you love working with children and truly care about pro-viding kids with tools to live healthy and happy lives. If you don’t mind dancing on a shifting rug or being

surrounded by joy and laughter (and the occasional cry/meltdown). And, if you’re not adverse to spontane-ous hugs, then teaching children’s yoga could be for you. Of my career choice I often say, “My bank account is empty, but my heart is full” … and I couldn’t imagine it any other way.

Notes

1The Ayurveda system teaches that doshas are three bodily energies that make up one’s constitution, affecting physical and personality traits. It is believed we possess all three dos-has; however, usually one or more is dominant. When all three are equally balanced it is referred to as tridosha.

2It should be noted that kapha can be a dominant trait in children. Especially teens who are experienc-ing rapid growth spurts and hormo-nal changes, depleting their energy. Understanding why a trait is domi-nant can be helpful. In the case of a kapha-dominant teen, simply allow-ing her to rest and/or defer her yoga session to an afternoon timeslot as opposed to fighting all that kapha energy at 8.00 in the morning may be more favourable.

Kids are often viewed as possessing oodles of boundless energy. I firmly believe what you see on the outside is a reflection of the energy ricocheting around those little bodies internally. Maturing emotionally, but not yet able to process big feelings or seismic shifts within themselves, the energy of a child, and consequently a kids’ yoga class, can shift very quickly.

Q

Q

Q

Q

yogaquest

with Siddhartha Krishna

What is the importance of patience on

the path of yoga?

There are no quick results in yoga. Develop-ment on the physical and mental levels takes place gradually. The tree of yoga grows at its own pace. The fruits of insight into the inner layers and workings of the body and mind, and also into the true nature of the self, grow and ripen very slowly. However, daily water-ing of the plant, in the form of a daily practice, is immensely important to its growth. This requires tremendous patience (dhairya) and perseverance (adhyavasaya) because working with the body, breath, senses and mind can be quite tedious, even tiresome at times. Thus, alluding to a famous ancient fable from the Panchatantra, Gaudapadacharya states, “the mind can only be mastered by an untiring effort like that [of the mother bird] to empty the ocean, drop by drop, with the help of [a blade of ] kusha grass [to reclaim her eggs from the ocean]” (Karika on Mandukya Upa-nishad 3.41). Not only practice (abhyasa), but also non-attachment (vairagya), which helps in avoiding distractions by encouraging a yo-gin to take hold of only what is truly beneficial and avoid that which is not, also requires pa-tience.

How does yoga explain contentment?

Why is it important? How is it prac-

tised?

Contentment (santosha) is explained as a lack of desire for more than what is truly required in life. It includes a sense of gratitude and thankfulness for the bounties of life, for what one already has. Wealth and luxuries indeed give happiness, but extreme desire for them can be very toxic for happiness. In general, as one grows wealth-ier, the desire for more also grows, which then ruins peace and happiness. The masters state, “A desire never calms down by appropriating and enjoying a desirable object; on the con-trary it continues to increase like fire through butter” (Mahabharata 1.75.50).

The yogins train themselves to live comfort-ably and totally at peace with very few re-quirements and possessions. When a desire arises, a yogin mindfully acknowledges its presence. He doesn’t consider it to be bad but retains an awareness of the truth that a desire is insatiable like fire, it increases with every attempt to fulfil it, and will continue to ruin his calmness and happiness if he undertakes such an attempt. Thus, he allows it to fade away gradually on its own by simply not en-gaging with it.

The yogic masters consider desire to be

the root cause of suffering. But is com-

plete freedom from desire really achiev-

able?

A yogin attempts to overcome specifically the desires that are in conflict with the laws of ex-istence, because those are the ones that cause most suffering. But he also recognises that the continued presence of some desires is not only inevitable, but also beneficial for other beings and required for his own physical well-being. However, having mastered his mind, a yogin may choose wisely before acting on desires. The masters add that the desires of a true yogin become like roasted seeds which can be eaten and enjoyed, but are incapable of sprouting (Panchadashi 7.164-165). In other words, they don’t give rise to suffering which results from attachment to the desired objects. Why in ancient times did students of

yoga go and live with their masters?

Apart from the practical purpose that living with the master made it easier to receive prac-tical instructions on a regular basis, this also gave the master the opportunity to teach by being an ideal himself. In the master, the student could witness the kind of person and beautiful human being that he will become when he will live totally by and through the yogic teachings. In the same way as most of the practical aspects of yoga, such as asana and pranayama, can only be taught through

demonstration, the crucial teaching on how to apply yogic principles in every walk of life can also only be imparted through demon-stration in real-life circumstance and by being an ideal oneself.

Also, living with the master for a long period of time gave a student the opportunity to analyse himself and identify his shortcomings and limitations where improvement is most required. This enables a student to grasp from the teachings what is most beneficial and truly required by him. Like a honey bee, he comes to know where the essence of the flower is to be found. Such a student then requires only very little verbal instructions. In fact, even an instruction containing a single letter has been more than enough for such a student who has fully prepared himself for that instruction (Bri-hadaranyaka Upanishad 5.2.1-3). The rest of the instruction happens in total silence by the mere presence of the master.

Residing at the Omkarananda Patanjala Yoga Center, Rishikesh, in India, Siddhartha can be contacted at sidha@iyengaryoga.in or www.iyengaryoga.in