7 Simple Yoga Steps and Poses for Kids & Their Benefits

What is Yoga?

Yoga, a group of physical, mental, and spiritual practices or disciplines, aims to control and still the mind.

Yoga forms an amazing practice and lifestyle for people of all ages. However, the style of one’s practice changes on the basis of one’s age and specific needs.

Children, in particular, are benefitted from regular yoga practice for many reasons.

What Are the Benefits of Yoga?

• Sensory Input
• Balance
• Release of Excess Energy
• Helping With Anxiety/Depression
• Better Sleep
• Focus
• Relaxation
• Stress Reduction
• Better Alignment of the Body/Posture
• Increased Strength

Due to the many ways, children get to benefit from regular yoga practice. Some schools have initiated integrating yoga into their curriculum, programs, and philosophies. However, this change has only been made in a handful of schools worldwide, and a lot of kids do not receive the opportunity to do and learn about yoga.

Yoga is outside of school as well, and children practice at home with family. You can buy a yoga mat online and do yoga which can be a way of a great bonding experience for everyone involved.

For kids, yoga is very different from adults. While many are used to a quiet, calming, hour-long class, children do not sit still for very long. Yoga for children can be done through storytelling, singing songs, dancing, playing games, and even watching yoga on TV.

There are amazing yoga poses that children can do. Each kid is different and so some poses may benefit one child more than the others depending on the needs of the individual.

Here is a List of 7 Simple Yoga Poses for Kids to do:

1. Easy Sitting Pose (Sukhasana)
2. Child’s Pose (Balasana)
3. Half-Lotus Pose (Ardha Padmasana)
4. Cobra Pose (Bhujangasana)
5. Seated Forward Fold (Paschimottanasana)
6. Butterfly Pose (Baddha Konasana)
7. Corpse Pose (Savasana)

Best Yoga Steps and Poses for Kids

1. Easy Sitting Pose (Sukhasana)

How To Do The Easy Sitting Pose:

• Sit on the ground with the back nice and straight.
• You should cross the legs, and bring the knees toward the ground.
• The hands should be on the knees facing up, or they can be together at the heart center.

Benefits of the Easy Sitting Pose Include But are not Limited to:

• Promotes relaxation
• Increases focus
• Correct posture
• Strengthens the muscles in the back
• Increases flexibility in the hips and legs
• Decreases stress

This pose is practiced while taking deep, calming breaths or while you focus on a specific thought or image.

1. Child’s Pose (Balasana)

How To Do the Child’s Pose:

• Initiate with the hands and knees.
• Press the hips back toward your heels.
• The arms are stretched out in front of the body or curled down by the sides.

Benefits of the child’s pose include but are not limited to:

• Promoted relaxation
• Reduced stress
• Grounds oneself
• Calms oneself
• Increases flexibility and strength in the ankles, legs, and hips
• Releases tension from the body (specifically the upper body)

1. Half-Lotus Pose (Ardha padmasana)

You must note that this pose should be done on both sides of the body to get equal results on each side.

How to do the Half-lotus pose:

• Sit down flat on the ground.
• Fold your legs in front of the body.
• Bring one leg on top of the other, and flex the feet.
• Repeat the same on the other side.

Benefits of the Half-lotus pose include but are not limited to:

• Promotes relaxation
• Grounds oneself
• Increases creativity
• Strengthens awareness
• Increases flexibility in the hips and legs
• Corrects posture
• Releases tension from the body (specifically the upper body)

This pose is done while pretending to be a flower, which makes it creative and exciting for kids.

1. Cobra Pose (Bhujangasana)

The cobra pose is a very fun pose for the kids that includes laying on the belly. When doing this pose, you should make sure to only press up as far as one can go using the muscles in the back. This can prevent overextending and keeps the body safe.

How to do the cobra pose:

• Lie on the belly.
• Move the hands flat to the ground under the shoulders.
• Use the back muscles and the core to lift up.
• Hold this pose for a few breaths.

Benefits of the cobra pose include but are not limited to:

• • Increases positivity
  • Decreases stress

• Improves mental health
• Strengthens your muscles in the chest, arms, back, and abdomen
• Increases creativity
• Strengthens awareness
• Corrects posture
• Reduces fatigue
• Promotes proper circulation

A fun way to do the cobra pose is to lie on the ground with the hands flat, take a deep breath in, and then press up like a cobra hissing.

1. Seated Forward Fold (Paschimottanasana)

How to do the straightforward fold pose:

• Move the legs out in front of the body and flex the feet.
• Move the arms up.
• Fold into the forward position as far as comfortable.
• If you cannot reach the feet, reach for the legs.
• Try to hold on to this pose for a few breaths.

Benefits of the straightforward fold pose include but are not limited to:

• Promotes relaxation
• Decreases stress
• Improves digestion
• Decreases frequency of belly aches
• Decreases anxiety
• Relieves headaches
• Reduces fatigue

The seated forward fold resembles the wide-angle seated forward bend. The difference is that instead of having the legs out to the sides, the legs should be out in front of the body, creating a much different stretch.

1. Butterfly Pose (Baddha Konasana)

How to do the butterfly pose:

• Sit on the ground with your yoga equipment and accessories and move the feet together and the knees out to the sides.
• Hold this pose while flapping the legs like butterflies or while breathing deeply.
• Hold this pose for a few breaths.

Benefits of the butterfly pose include but are not limited to:

• Promotes creativity
• Strengthens the muscles in the legs and abdomen
• Improves digestion
• Decreases anxiety
• Calms oneself
• Relieves headaches
• Reduces fatigue
• Grounds oneself

The butterfly pose is very popular among kids. This pose allows for super fun bonding experiences, especially between parents and their children.

1. Corpse Pose (Savasana)

The corpse pose is the simplest pose to do. This pose is usually done when one meditates during a yoga practice.

How to do the Corpse Pose:

• Lie flat on the ground with the arms by the sides and the legs out in front of the body.
• Hold the corpse pose during meditation or deep breathing exercises.

Benefits of the corpse pose include but are not limited to:

• Promotes creativity
• Decreases anxiety
• Promotes relaxation
• Calms oneself
• Grounds oneself
• Increases focus

Final Words:

Trying different yoga poses for kids as a daily routine can be a great way to induce calmness in children. According to studies, if the kids practice yoga, it can let children have a stress-free and balanced life along with stable mental health. Yoga is easy, and a child does not need to be a master to practice it effectively. You must encourage your children to make it a fruitful habit and a way of life to improve their concentration.