International Day
of Yoga 21st June
By Emma Jayne Morgan
There are so many benefits to yoga for all but especially for young children.
Physical Literacy – Yoga teaches children to be aware of their bodies, they can learn to move more freely as
the postures help them to become stronger and more flexible. By participating it will help children to gain
confidence in other physical activities.
Mindfulness – Children can learn to practice and develop mindfulness during yoga - by meditating or
practicing breathing techniques children learn to be still, which can help with attention and decision
making later on.
Stress Management – The Early Years can be the first time some children are away from their families
which can be very stressful when surrounded by new people and experiences. The mindful practices of
yoga can help children to manage their own stress levels.
Balance – Yoga allows children to be more aware of the need for balance in their lives When we practice
yoga, we learn to be more aware about the need for balance in our lives. This could mean equal stretching
on the left and right sides of our bodies or making sure we balance our very busy time with equal quiet
time and relaxation.
How to introduce yoga in your classroom?
You could start off by reading a story or asking children
what they know about yoga as you’ll be surprised how
much they may already know. A great story to start with
could be “Breathe” by Scott Magoon, a story about a
whale who needs to remember to take a breath. Start
off by showing the children how to take big breaths,
pushing their tummies out as they breath in, and
tummies in as they breath out and then use the story
to encourage children to take big breaths with the
whale.
Afterwards talk about how the breathing made you all
feel and how you could use it to help solve problems.
Discuss taking a deep breath when you are feeling angry
or frustrated and you could be surprised to see how the children start to use this technique to
self-regulate and calm down during the day.