PRINTABLE YOGA FLOW SEQUENCE HOW TO

If your child doesn’t click with using movement as a calming down strategy, don’t push it. Start slowly and focus on your child’s success. Twist your upper body one way and then the other. Then pretend to be a wise owl perched on a tree. To do Hero Pose: Drop your knees to the ground and come down to rest upright on your heels. Think of being an eager and friendly dog. Straighten your legs, relax your head and neck, and look down between your legs. Step your feet back to create an upside-down V shape with your buttocks high in the air. To do Downward-Facing Dog Pose: Bend down and place your palms flat on the ground. Hold your hands out in front of you, pretending to grasp ski poles as you fly down a ski run like a brave and fearless skier. To do Chair Pose: Stand tall with your feet hip-width apart, bend your knees, and keep a straight spine. Think of trees being kind by offering shade, creating oxygen, and providing homes to animals. To do Tree Pose: Stand on one leg, bend your knee, place the sole of your foot on the opposite inner thigh, and balance. Pretend to be a surfer and use your strength to catch tricky waves. Take your arms up in parallel to the ground, bend your front knee, and look forward. To do Warrior 2 Pose: From standing position, step one foot back, placing the foot so that it is facing slightly outwards. She could make up her own sequence by looking at our Yoga Poses for Kids page for inspiration or by following this yoga flow sequence. But let’s say your child is ready to choose five yoga poses. Depending on the age and needs of your child, you might practice only one yoga pose (like Child’s Pose) and count down from five while in that pose.

So let’s look at the Move to Calm strategy. Once he is comfortable with the yoga-pose sequence, he can take a deep breath in and a deep breath out during each pose, to further help to calm his body and mind. If he’s interested, he could also state the corresponding “I am…” statements. You might find yourself practicing the yoga pose sequence to manage your own emotions, too!Īs your child goes through the flow of these five yoga poses, he can pretend to be a surfer, tree, skier, dog, and owl. Introduce the “Move to Calm” strategy when you are both in a good mood and connected with each other. Your child will feed off your enthusiasm when you introduce this yoga-pose sequence. Introduce the idea of yoga and the yoga poses long before the tantrum starts, so you’ll be familiar with the routine when it’s time to take action. This process will help to increase their body awareness, too. Have them focus on gentle movement that feels comfortable. For example, they shouldn’t be trying to wrap themselves into pretzels or bending into deep back bends. And make sure that they are safe with their bodies. Ensure that your child has enough space to practice the poses so that they aren’t bumping heads or stubbing toes. Focus on using movement to invite calm, and don’t worry about practicing perfectly aligned poses.

Managing Emotions through Yoga for Kidsĭon’t worry if your family hasn’t tried yoga before use the images and descriptions below as a guide.

PRINTABLE YOGA FLOW SEQUENCE HOW TO

Modern people lead mostly sedentary lives, and we almost have to relearn how to use movement to lead happy and healthy lives. Our bodies are designed to move-just think about how many miles a day the cave people used to run every day. Science tells us that the parts of the human brain that are critical to handling emotions aren’t fully developed until into we’re in our twenties, but we can take little steps when children are young to help them manage their feelings.īrain research shows us that movement and breath help to alleviate stress and anxiety. Helping children to regulate their emotions doesn’t necessarily happen overnight. Sounds blissful, right? But it is possible. There’s a break of silence, and then after a little bit, your child comes back down to resume play. Then she darts away to her “calm zone,” where you hear her counting down from five, while going through five yoga poses for kids. You catch her eye and give her the signal. From your child’s facial expression, you see that she is about to explode. They are busy playing together, when suddenly your child’s Lego structure gets knocked down. Imagine that your child has a friend over for a play date. Be sure to read through Giselle’s suggestions for introducing the series, especially if you have never tried yoga with your child before.

Given the popularity of the first two Managing Big Emotions Printable Posters (you can find poster one here and poster two here), today I have teamed up with the author of Kids Yoga Stories, Giselle Shardlow, to bring you a simple yoga for kids sequence to use as a calm down activity with your child.

Printable yoga flow sequence