Yoga for Kids!

a bit of a stretch

Kiddie yoga may push twisty children beyond their limits. Follow this guide for total peace of mind.
By Cara Kagan

A Child in Upward Dog position

Little urchins of centuries past had sticks and hoops. Kids today have sticky mats, as yoga's expanding popularity reaches down to ever younger students. "Yoga is the new soccer," says Lawrence Rosen, M.D., of the American Academy of Pediatrics' Committee on Complementary, Holistic and Integrative Medicine. "People want their kids to do it because it's cool. They think it means they're modern parents who are looking after their kids' spiritual as well as mental and physical health."

Yoga does offer many benefits for kids—increased flexibility and strength, better posture and sleep—but it also entails risks for your pint-size pretzel. "Over the past year and a half, kiddie yoga has brought me a few patients a week with muscle tears and pulls," says Eric Small, M.D., chairman of the American Academy of Pediatrics' Council on Sports Medicine & Fitness. "I'm even seeing shoulder and hip dislocations, which I've seldom had to deal with before."

In yoga, children's natural gifts, agility and enthusiasm, are also their curse: Many are so bendy that they may not recognize their limitations and overstretch, inadvertently injuring muscles. Kids can also get hurt in efforts to compete with their friends, impress the teacher, or try advanced poses before they're ready. But there are several things you can do to help your child practice safely. Now take a deep breath....

Is your kid too young for yoga?
With the recent boom in prenatal yoga classes, it's no exaggeration to say that some kids started practicing in the womb—in fact, some Hindu texts say babies perform all of yoga's 108 postures there. And mommy-and-me classes are the logical continuation for kids up to the age of 4. "Yoga for children 3 and under is more of a partner activity, with the parent moving the child through stretching movements," says Baron Baptiste, a yoga instructor in Camden, Massachusetts, and the author of My Daddy Is a Pretzel: Yoga for Parents and Kids (Barefoot Books). From 4 to 8, kids "begin to follow direction and connect one posture to another," says Baptiste. "They can also participate in games that incorporate postures as well as ideas about yoga, like learning how to focus, breathe, and appreciate their bodies just as they are."

A Child in Downward Dog position

How to pick the program
Yoga is not a competitive sport, and you want a teacher who will convey that to kids, who may otherwise have a hard time grasping an athletic endeavor that doesn't include a score, a goalpost, a basket, or a fuzzy mascot. There's no certification program specifically for teaching children, so be sure to look for an instructor who has years of experience with them. "You need to find someone who lets the children know yoga is not about how many tricks they can do, or about being able to hold a pose longer or go into it more deeply than their friends," says Leigh Crews, a yoga instructor in Rome, Georgia. "If a teacher says something like, 'I'll have your child standing on his head in three weeks,' that's definitely not someone to go with." Baptiste says good instructors will give kids the freedom to move through their poses without criticism like "You're doing it all wrong!"

You might also seek a class that doesn't take itself too seriously. "Small children have short attention spans, so the key is letting them have fun," says instructor Tim Donohue, who teaches yoga in elementary schools in New Bedford, Massachusetts. "Sun Salutations are popular. Tree poses are fun, because they require balance, and kids like that. I'll even play a game of Simon Says with the poses." For his part, Baptiste recommends Warrior 1 and 2, Triangle, Mountain, Dragon and Twisting Dragon, Fish, Bridge, River, and Shavasana.

If your community isn't teeming with classes, visit Yogaalliance.org, where you'll find a searchable base of instructors who have all received at least 200 hours of training. There's also a list of questions to ask prospective teachers, including whether they continue to attend classes themselves on a regular basis. (If an instructor is a lifelong student of yoga, according to the alliance, she will be in line with core yogic principles, which stress the importance of learning from more senior teachers.) Another great Web resource is Specialyoga.com, a site devoted to instruction for children with special needs.

Try other exercise, too
Without question, yoga for children has its pluses—some research even points to therapeutic benefits for those with cerebral palsy, autism, and attention-deficit disorder. But in no way should it be viewed as a wholesale substitute for old-school aerobic exercise, especially with childhood obesity levels on the rise. "Some parents think that yoga is enough physical activity, so they don't encourage their kids to do anything else," says Small. "But children need to develop their gross motor skills through running and walking, as well as their hand-eye coordination through ball sports. They also need to be aerobically active to develop their hearts and lungs." In other words, yoga should be just one part of a well-rounded fitness regimen, not their only form of exercise.

A child in Warrior 2 position

Take it easy
While adult yoga students sometimes have a hard time with the mind-emptying, om-shantying parts of classes, kids can be more receptive—but don't expect them to become masters overnight. "Children are used to so much stimulation, it can be hard to get them to sit still," Donohue says. "Just closing their eyes can seem scary, and it usually takes me three to four weeks to convince them that it isn't, that it's good. But 20 kids sitting perfectly still and meditating is quite a sight—it's nice to see them so relaxed." He encourages his students to use such calming techniques in the (non-yoga) classroom—before taking a test, say, or speaking in front of a group. "This ability can be a wonderful thing for the rest of their lives." The yogic ethos should help kids remember that it's perfectly okay not to be perfect—that they don't have to push themselves or compete with friends. "I can tell, when their breathing becomes short and ragged, that they're taking a pose beyond their capabilities," says Donohue. "But flexible people aren't better than unflexible people; they just do the poses differently." With principles like that one, your child will be well on her way down the path to enlightenment. The downside of upside-down poses.

Flash back to your first few yoga classes: Remember that frisson of fear when headstands got tossed into the mix? Kids don't get scared like that: "They may want to attempt things like head-, shoulder-, and handstands," says Baptiste. "But it's important that they don't put weight directly on their heads until they've developed good coordination and body awareness, to avoid damaging neck musculature and joints." No child under 8 should try upside-down moves, and older kids should be supervised by an adult. "Adults also need to be aware of the right way to assist kids," Baptiste adds. "Poses should be demonstrated with visual and verbal cues, and perhaps a light touch, but children's bodies should never be pulled or pushed."

Source: Cookie Magazine