Top 5 Balance Yoga Poses for Kids
New ways to improve your kid’s focus and ability to concentrate with balance yoga poses! A new way to learn how to focus is available to children through animal yoga poses and other mindfulness practices. Children can learn self-regulation skills by using our top 5 balance yoga poses for Kids, which offers them a healthier and more entertaining alternative to typical activities.
Kids need yoga, too! There are a lot of misconceptions about Yoga and children, but many benefits can be gained if they start young.
You may believe balance and coordination poses are easy and not a challenge to master, but they do require a good amount of concentration and balance. One foot is on the floor with the other in the air, and you might also need to hold your arms in any position to make it more or less challenging.
The skills practised in balancing poses directly apply to regulating emotions. To hold a pose, students need to focus on the present moment and tune in to their bodies. This same kind of attention is necessary for emotional regulation. When you’re experiencing a strong emotion, try to tune into what you’re feeling.
When children learn to recognise the signals of stress, frustration, and exhaustion in their bodies, they can try to maintain their sense of emotional balance. By noticing bodily sensations and applying the right techniques, children can learn to cope with any situation.
“As parents, one of the most satisfying things we can do is help our kids maintain balance. It can be challenging, but it’s worth it. A big part of this is advocating for them when they are faced with difficult tasks. The more they see us doing this, the more they understand that they can do it too. These difficult tasks no longer bring out their usual emotional upheavals.” – – Says Avi Basuki, mum of a teen in the 21st century.
Falling down is okay, but it’s only the first step. After you fall down, you can get up with a deep breath, and start again.
Here are our top 5 balance yoga poses for kids and young people:
1. Aeroplane Yoga Pose (Also known as the Warrior 3 Pose)
How to do the Aeroplane Yoga Pose: Stand tall with the arms out to the side at shoulder level. Breathe in and lift your right leg behind you. Now swap sides!
2. Boat Yoga Pose
How to do the Boat Yoga Pose: Sit on the ground and bend your knees. Place your arms around your thighs and, being very gentle, rock back so that you are lifting your legs off the ground. Keep your arms outstretched in front of you.
3. Crow Yoga Pose
How to do the Crow Yoga Pose: Sitting in a squat position. Place your hands between your feet, with the inside of your legs on the outside of your arms. Begin to bend forward, balancing on your hands, lifting off the ground.
4. Tree Yoga Pose
How to do the Tree Yoga Pose: Start in mountain pose. Lift the left foot to the inside of the right leg to the shin or thigh, depending on your ability to balance. Then, bring your hands together in front of your heart. Lift them up overhead, now swap sides.
5. Dancer Yoga Pose
How to do the Dancer Yoga Pose: Start in mountain pose. Bend the right leg, grab the right foot with your right hand, and raise your left arm. Breathe in. Breathe out and bend forward; be careful to balance by keeping most of your weight on the left foot, now swap sides.
Looking for more fun yoga practises with your children? Take a look at our Sun Salutation for Kids printable activity pack here. This pack includes 11 downloadable “ Yoga Pose Cards” that correspond to each of the movements in the Sun Salutation, as well as 2 Yoga Pose posters. This pack will help your child find calm & focus and build mindfulness and stability, all while having fun!
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About the Author
Jeanne Welsh, E-RYT® 200, YACEP, is an experienced early childhood specialist and yoga teacher. Jeanne is committed to providing children and adults with the opportunity to learn the physical and mental benefits of yoga. She founded Yoga for Kids Bali and provides consultations to schools and organisations in person and online. Jeanne has seen firsthand the benefits that yoga and mindfulness can have on a child’s life and believes that this is a new approach to revolutionise the way we heal young people.