Yoga for Kids: What It's All About

— 3 min read —

Hi! If I haven’t had the pleasure of meeting you - I’m Sarah! Wife, mama, educator, yoga teacher (WEflow Yoga), travel fanatic and coffee lover, that’s me. I have been practicing yoga for over 15 years. The subtle yet profound shifts inspired by attending yoga classes eventually led me to continue on the path to teach yoga myself. Through teaching, I was able to discover both the spiritual and physical benefits a regular yoga practice has to offer. The classes I teach reflect the passion I have for yoga, movement, and lifelong learning. 

What you might not know about me is that I’m a trained K-8 teacher, and I have worked in public schools, taught abroad, tutored kids, and now work in higher education. 

When I first turned to yoga, it was to relax and to support my mental health +  injuries I was facing in sports. I discovered yoga was helping me manage my stress, connect to myself and support the “chatter” in my head, and also help me strengthen my physical body as well. During this time, I was also teaching K-8 and it wasn’t long before I realized that the children in my class could benefit from some yoga practices too! 

I’m always looking for ways to improve the curriculum for my students (no matter what age). I’m an advocate for teaching the whole person through age-appropriate and engaging learning experiences, so classroom yoga practice was something I definitely wanted to try. As I continued on to support students from K-8 through to Higher Education, I’ve really learned and witnessed that there are so many benefits to yoga, especially for kids! 

What I’ve noticed (and what research shows), is that yoga for kids: 

• improves attention and focus

• Yoga can improve students’ attention and focus by helping them learn how to control and balance their energy levels. 

• Through class, we focus on moving with intention, slowing down, and also releasing pent-up energy! 

• helps with stress and anxiety

• The deep breathing and meditative aspects of yoga help to promote executive functioning by fostering a sense of calm and well-being.

• Through class, we focus on breathwork and fun age-appropriate games/activities to support finding calm, connecting to emotions and finding focus. 

• enhances well-being and strength

• Through yoga, kids start to realize that they are strong and then can take that strength, confidence, acceptance, and compassion out into the world. 

• By challenging themselves through playful movements and games, kids start to learn more about what their bodies are capable of. Trying new things in a safe and supported environment is key to supporting well-being. 

• builds resilience and promotes mindfulness 

• Practicing yoga focuses on what you can do, rather than the things you can’t do/are struggling with. 

• Within class, we focus on how to support confidence and support each child with the goals they have for themselves. This really helps with self-esteem, connecting to the moment, and personal empowerment. 

As we launch the wellbe family wellness Mindful Movers series, we’re excited to work with various ages to support their needs and development. I’m very excited that we are capping these classes at 6 kids per class to ensure we are working to support each individual child and to cater the classes to their needs and interests! 

If you’re looking for some fun yoga games/activities to try at home - here are some of my favourites that work with a wide variety of ages :) 

Simple yoga breath exercise

1. Take a deep breath in and hold it for a count of three.

2. Breathe out forcefully, like you’re blowing out a candle.

3. Repeat this for five cycles of breath.

Note: The children who are really into competition love this one. I tend to use props to see who can blow the tissue the furthest with every cycle! 

Mirror, mirror

1. One person starts as the leader. The leader chooses a pose to do and shows it to the others.

2. The other players copy the leader’s pose as if they are looking into a mirror.

3. Change the leader with each round of poses, so that everyone has a turn at being the leader.

Note: This game is a good warm-up exercise to increase focus. 

What I love about this game is it taps into the child's interests! I once had a class where all the kids created sport-based poses (hockey pose, soccer pose etc.) 

Loving kindness meditation

1. Find a comfortable seated position or lie down.

2. Close your eyes and think about someone you love.

3. Hold them tight in your heart and continue to think about that person.

Note: In some classes, we do crafts. This is a great meditation to start a reflection and afterward do some crafting to support energy and to process emotions.  

Looking forward to seeing some of you in our Mindful Movers Series! 

Please reach out if you have any thoughts or questions. 

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This post was written by weFlow Yoga Founder & Yoga Teacher Sarah Memme. Click here to learn more about upcoming yoga classes at wellbe family wellness. Use the code BACKTOSCHOOL10 and save 10% off our Mindful Movers yoga series until September 8th.