Yoga is a beautiful journey of mind and body, and what better journey to share with your child than this? But how do you introduce such a complex practice to a young mind? Don’t worry, we’ve broken down the process into 4 easy steps. Yes, just four !
We designed each step with exemples of speech to give you the easy way to explain him this activity.
How To Explain Yoga to a Child?
Step 1 : Introduce Yoga
Start by defining what Yoga is in simple terms that a child can understand. You can say it’s a form of exercise that helps people stay healthy and calm. It’s not just about moving our bodies, but also about learning how to breathe and relax.
- “Do you remember when we play ‘Simon says’? Just like in our game, in yoga we also move our bodies to different positions. But we also learn how to breathe deeply and relax, just like when we’re about to sleep.”
- “You know how we stretch in the morning when we wake up? Yoga is a bit like that, but we do specific stretches and movements that can make us feel strong and calm.”
Step 2 : Explain to the children why we do Yoga
Explain the benefits of Yoga in a child friendly language. Talk about how it can make him stronger, more flexible, and better at concentrating. You can also highlight how Yoga can help them feel calmer and happier.
Here are a couple of ways you might doing it :
- “Did you know that doing yoga can help you be stronger, just like your favorite superhero? It can also help you be more flexible, like a slinky toy!”
- “Remember when we talked about feeling calm and happy? Yoga can help with that too! It’s like a superpower for your mind and body.”
Step 3 : Break down simple way the components of Yoga
Asanas (Poses): Explain that there are many different Yoga poses, each with its own name. Use examples of poses named after animals or objects that children can relate to, like the Cat pose or Tree pose.
Here’s how you might put it into words for that:
- “In yoga, we get to pretend to be different animals or things. There’s a pose where we get to stretch and curl like a cat, and another where we stand tall and still like a tree.”
- “Just like how each animal moves differently, each yoga pose is unique too! We can have fun trying to mimic these animals or objects with our bodies.”
Breathing: Talk about the importance of deep, slow breathing in Yoga. You can compare it to how they might slow their breathing when they’re trying to stay calm or focused.
Consider explaining it, for instance, this way:
- “You know how we take deep breaths when we’re feeling upset or angry to calm down? In yoga, we use the same kind of deep breathing to help us relax and focus.”
- “Just like how we blow slowly to cool down hot soup, in yoga we learn to breathe slowly too. This helps us calm our bodies and minds.”
Relaxation and Meditation: Explain that Yoga also involves relaxing and clearing your mind. You could liken it to the calm feeling they get when they’re about to fall asleep, or when they’re quietly enjoying a beautiful view.
You could say something like this:
- “At the end of our yoga practice, we have a special time for relaxation. It’s like when we’re about to fall asleep and everything feels peaceful and calm.”
- “Remember when we’re quietly watching the clouds in the sky and how calm it feels? That’s how we want to feel when we’re relaxing in yoga.”
Step 4 : Show him that Yoga Is Fun
Highlight that Yoga can be a lot of fun. Talk about how they can imagine being different animals or objects while doing the poses. Mention that it’s okay to wobble or fall over sometimes – it’s all part of the fun!
Here are a few examples of how you could explain it:
- “Imagine being a strong mountain, a tall tree, or even a brave warrior – that’s what doing Yoga poses is like.”
- “Remember how we laugh when we’re playing and we tumble? In Yoga, it’s okay to wobble or tumble. It’s all part of the fun!”
At the end :
End by encouraging children to give Yoga a try. Reiterate that it’s a fun way to exercise, breathe, relax, and become stronger and more flexible. Now you just have to encourage him like that :
- “Just like we learn new games, we can learn Yoga together. It will be our special time to stretch, breathe, and relax.”
- “You know the best thing about Yoga? No matter how you do it, as long as you’re having fun, you’re doing it right!”
That’s all 🙂