At-Home Yoga for Harnessing Powerful Positivity

Photo credit: https://www.yogajournal.com/poses/kids-breathing-practice-emotional-health

Take a deep breath. Hold it for a second. Okay, let it out. Whew. We all need a reminder to do that every once in a while, right? Something about those three seconds of focus on nothing but a calming breath makes me feel a little better and maybe more ready to tackle what lies ahead. Taking a moment to tune out and turn inward calms our nervous system. 

Now, if you need a bigger mental renovation - go for a walk! Aerobic exercise like walking or jogging promotes the uptake of chemicals in our brain that make us feel more relaxed and improve our mood. This month, I want to talk about using yoga to find moments for your child to experience more movement, free-form play, and downtime away from a screen to harness some truly powerful positivity as they navigate the challenges of their own world.

Photo credit: https://www.yogajournal.com/teach/yoga-for-kids

Let's talk yoga. Forms of traditional yoga include aspects of breathing, strengthening, stretching, story telling, and mindfulness. But, yoga doesn't have to fit any specific definition - it can simply be movement that makes us feel good. This is why it's so great for kids! Working some form of yoga into your child's daily or weekly schedule can reduce their stress and anxiety levels, increase concentration and memory during school hours, develop strength and flexibility, and improve self-esteem. Powerful positivity!​ 

I've created an activity for you to try at home. I think this creates a great opportunity for a "brain break" from school and opens the door for creative story-telling, movement, and play! Here are a few ideas for how your child can use the attached card set:

• Storytelling - Print the .pdf double-sided and cut out the cards. Use the front of the cards to create a storyboard and make up your own story about Nick the Knight. When the story is laid out from beginning to end, flip the cards over and act it out with the matching yoga poses. Can you create more than one story?
• Older kids - Print out only the yoga pose pages single sided. Cut them out and create your own yoga flow. Switch up the order and create a new one!
• Younger kids - Print out only the pages without yoga poses. Create a story about Nick the Knight and grab what's around you to act it out from beginning to end!

Including mindful movement in your child's day doesn't have to be an added stressor for you to plan and set up. It can be as simple as pulling a video up and letting your kids have free reign. I recommend exploring the hundreds of kid's yoga classes available for free on YouTube and find one with a theme your child is interested in (Star Wars, Frozen, colors, relaxation, animals...you name it!). Some tips and tricks for video-led yoga at home:

• Take it outside! A change of scenery, especially for those attending class at home, helps to switch gears from work mode to exercise and fun mode. Being outdoors enhances the mood-boosting effects of movement.
• There's no pressure. Don't worry if the poses happening on your kid's mat at home look nothing like what's happening in the video. Movement in itself is a stress reliever and by experimenting in different postures, the body becomes better at coordination, mirroring, balance, and proprioception (the sense of where your body is in space). 
• Repeat the same videos. There is a lot of value to repetition in adult and kid's yoga. With repetitive practice, the benefits transition from exploratory motor learning to relaxation and strengthening as kids settle into familiar movements and can execute them more efficiently.
• Add in mindfulness practice. Look for videos that incorporate breathing exercises. Deep breathing helps to regulate emotions and calms the nervous system. Tapping into this healthy self-soothing strategy as a young person provides lifelong benefits.
  
• Try it with them! Take the opportunity to experience a little piece of mindful movement in your day. Do a yoga class with your child, and harness some of those powerful benefits for yourself.

Photo credit: https://www.atlantaparent.com/kid_friendly_yoga_atlanta/

I can't wait to hear how you've used yoga and creative play as a jumping off point to add some fun, variety, and movement into your day. Be sure to check out KidSPOT’s Yoga in the Park program currently going on every Saturday at 9:00am! Click below to learn more and sign-up!

Yoga For Kids

Written by: Reagan Rupard, SDPT
KidSPOT Doctor of Physical Therapy Intern
RYT 200 Certified Yoga Instructor