In India people start practising yoga as kids, so kids have been practising yoga for as long as yoga has been around - thousands of years. But creating a specific approach for children or teens, adapted to their body and mind is a relatively new thing.
In the 1980s, American teacher Marsha Wenig created "YogaKids," a program that adapted traditional yoga poses into kid-friendly movements and games.
Since then, many other teachers have developed their own styles of kids yoga, incorporating elements of play and imagination to make the practice more engaging for children.
There are specific yoga for kids certifications. One of our teachers, Vanessa Langlois is a certified and experienced Kids and Teens Yoga teacher.
While the basic principles of yoga remain the same, there are some key differences in how kids and adults approach the practice. Here are a few ways in which kids yoga differs from adult yoga:
Many schools now organise yoga classes on-site, and there are many books and apps available to help teachers and parents.
In the UK, Cosmic Kids Yoga is a famous app for children aged 3+ created by Jaime Amore from Reading. Their strapline: "screen time that gives kids superpowers". The Cosmic Kids yoga app costs £7.99 a month or £49,99 for a year. Cosmic Kids is also a YouTube channel with more than 400 Million views.
Kids love animals, and luckily yoga is already mimicking a lot of animal behaviours, so kids will love to practice the dog pose or the cobra pose, for example, as they can visualise them. They even get to impersonate animals we don't usually find in yoga, like Dinosaurs! Practising in pairs and ballon breathing also adds fun to the sessions:
As children grow into teenagers, they face unique challenges and struggles. Teen yoga is specifically designed to address these issues and support teens in their physical and emotional well-being. Here are some of the benefits of teen yoga:
When you leave your parent's house and venture into a new world, it can be tough emotionally and physically: studies, the stress of the exams, job interviews, first job or apprenticeship. Better be grounded and self-confident to be ready for these challenges!
Practising yoga during university is very beneficial for students. Many universities do offer yoga to their students, and sometimes yoga is available at student accommodations for free.
For years I was a person who enjoyed yoga but wasn’t dedicated to a regular practice. YouTube and the odd class here and there were my ways to get to the matt. Then one summer, whilst spending time with my chosen family, my niece had a book ABC of Yoga.
In my teens, I was an aspiring swimmer but it was discovered I had serious hip deformities. In my 20's I was told I had chronic arthritis and needed both hips replaced within the year. It was then that I discovered yoga