All your questions about kids yoga answered

Welcome to Part II of this topic where we have more answers to your questions about kids yoga. From mindfulness to simple poses, yoga teacher Yvonne Loh shares her insights.

Yvonne Loh is a full time yoga teacher who also teaches yoga for children and works with them on body alignment issues.

My kids can’t sit still or focus. How can they possibly do yoga?

I’d share an open secret we often forget – kids can sit still and they have a great ability to stay focused. It’s a choice. The trick is to make something interesting for them. Children are naturally predisposed to try new things and, often, they want to succeed at them. What they cannot manage with are the feelings of frustration and other emotions when they can’t really do it. Do not present them with something then leave them alone to figure it out. Encourage them, engage them, give them the tools to help them succeed.

So if you are interested to start your child on kids yoga, introduce it by practicing with them. Go through some of the body parts together, do a few movements like jumping back and forth like a frog, touch their toes with straight legs or even simple balancing pose on one leg.

What one tip to get them to come on the mat and stay present?

An easy way to get them to sit down and be still is simply put a book or a toy on their heads. Then ask them to start counting. Set a small target like 5 breaths and enjoy the joy of them achieving the targets, and how they can break the record. Once you create a little routine in your yoga practice with your little one, your child will soon know what to do and enjoy the journey.

I’m keen to get my kids to try yoga. What are some easy poses I can do with them at home for a start?

Tree and Boat poses are always good! Somehow children find balancing poses fun. They are great for developing body awareness while strengthening their core. Simple stretches like the Downward Dog and Snake pose are also great for a start. Kids love going upside down - try bunny hops around the room or up on a wall; forward rolls, and backward rolls on a yoga mat. The idea is to get them to try. Partner poses like sitting opposite each other with wide legged and holding each others’ arms while singing Roll, Roll, Roll a Boat will be a hit, too.

Yvonne and her daughter, Alexis, find grounding and bonding through yoga.

I’ve been hearing a lot about yoga and mindfulness for kids. How exactly does yoga promote mindfulness?

Mindfulness is about paying attention to yourself; being sensitive to sensations, the things and people around you, and your environment. Yoga cultivates a slower approach for better awareness. It lets kids observe what their bodies are capable of; by being able to observe and notice how things happen, they get to understand cause and effect, and relate better to things. There’s a clear connectivity and thought process going on when they practice yoga.

How many yoga sessions will it take for me to see my kids get more focused and mindful?

That’s the million dollar question. What parents need to realise is that yoga is a lifelong practice which needs consistency and patience. It’s not like learning the alphabet where you’d get to see a difference immediately or after 3 lessons. What I would like all parents to know is there is always a takeaway from each session and every practice is different. Sometimes you get it and sometimes you don’t.

I’d say it will take at least 3 months of regular practice. Even as adults, we can take up to a year to learn a pose or feel the changes in our body. The key is really to keep practicing.

We’ve talked a lot about how yoga is good for kids. Any other insights for parents who’re curious about kids yoga?

I’d like to share something about expectation versus experience. It is great to know where we are going, but where is the fun if we plan every single route and not have room for us to wander and discover what else is there?

That’s exactly the difference between expectation and experience. And the essence of teaching yoga to kids. The practice allows our kids to wander with confidence and be always curious about the journey, their body and about the surroundings.

This is part II of Yvonne’s insights about kids yoga. She shares more in part I. Click here to read.

If you’d like to find out more about Yvonne, reach her at yvonneyp.loh@gmail.com or follow her on Instagram @Yvonne.yogaroom.space