It’s the kind of thing you can only write (or say) with an
exclamation point: “Kids love yoga!” If it seems surprising, that’s because
adults associate yoga with “something that’s good for us” and by extension,
something kids wouldn’t like. But properly taught, yoga is fun, and kids love fun.
Of course, yoga for kids is somewhat different from the vinyasa class you took recently. Children’s bodies are growing, changing and developing, so their brand of yoga has to respect that. Only certain poses are appropriate for kids. And the same is true for yoga teachers.
Qualified Children’s Yoga Teachers
Led by a qualified yoga instructor, kids will have fun and learn new things. Yoga teachers for kids emphasize the physical aspects of yoga, while sharing some of the benefits that kids can understand, such as:
- Yoga promotes listening skills and improves concentration.
- Physically, yoga builds strength and flexibility as well as balance and coordination.
- Regular yoga practice increases body awareness, self esteem and confidence.
- Yoga teaches kids mindfulness and helps instill healthy habits.
- Yoga helps teach kids how to manage stress and how to self-regulate their emotions.
- Yoga fosters a sense of community that is supportive and non-competitve.
The Yoga Alliance, which certifies yoga teachers, has a special category for Registered Children’s Yoga Teacher. Properly trained yoga instructors know which postures to teach and how to keep the class orderly, safe and fun for different age groups. And that includes how to use yoga props like yoga eggs.
Junior Yoga Eggs
Children’s Yoga Teachers recognize that kids don’t need huge
blocks of foam to help them get into poses. But kids can use —
and love using — Junior Yoga Eggs. There’s just something about their shape and colors that draws
kids like finger-paint to white walls.
“Juniors” are yoga eggs that have the same shape as the classic Namasteggs, but are a couple of inches smaller. Three Minute Egg ® launched this new product at the end of 2013, and they’ve grown in popularity ever since. Junior Eggs are a natural fit with kids, given their smaller frames and lighter weights. Like regular yoga eggs, Juniors help with alignment, offer a curved cushion to lie over and provide subtle adjustments.
Junior Egg Varieties
Junior Eggs come in the same colors and densities as
Namasteggs. They’re not only for kids — adults, especially smaller adults, can
use them effectively as well — but kids
get a kick out of the Juniors. Kids love them because they’re so darned cute.
The recommended number of Juniors for each child is the same as Namasteggs: six. For all the yoga postures your kids will get into (and hopefully out of), they’ll use a maximum of four soft and two hard-boiled Eggs. If you already own two hard-boiled Namasteggs, however, you can let the kids use them and just buy four soft Juniors.
That’s assuming you’re not using them yourself. Family-oriented yoga classes also are growing in popularity. Doing yoga with your children can be a bonding and an exhilarating experience. While you may not be doing any handstands, you and your kids can benefit from Three Minute Egg ® Junior yoga eggs.