1. How long should young children hold a yoga pose?

Children should practice yoga at their own pace and according to their own unique abilities. That being said, the general rule of thumb is that each pose should ideally be held anywhere from 10-15 seconds or longer, depending on the age of the child.

2. How many poses should a child do in one session?

There are 56 poses in The ABCs of Yoga for Kids book, and children need not do every pose each time they practice. Instead, they can pick a handful to practice at a time.

3. What are some of the benefits of yoga for kids?

Yoga for kids develops discipline, increases focus and concentration, builds balance and flexibility, tones internal glands and organs, and promotes calmness and eases stress. It also strengthens fine and gross motor coordination in children, improves their visual-motor and auditory processing, aides in the cognitive functions of sequencing and memory, and heightens body awareness and self-control.

4. Why should kids practice yoga?

Yoga is a healthy outlet to balance the busy lives of today’s children. Not only is it the ideal way for kids to naturally unwind and obtain physical activity at the same time, but yoga also paves the way for life-long tradition of health and fitness. Lastly, it is a non-competitive form of exercise, suitable for children of all ages and sizes and varying degrees of athletic abilities.

5. How do you instill a desire in our youth to take up yoga?

The key to encouraging children to practice yoga is making it fun. The goal is to make yoga enjoyable for kids so that they can stay engaged with their yoga practice to learn fitness, relaxation, concentration, and awareness. The key is maintaining the children’s interest in what they are doing. Retaining a light tone and intermixing games with the poses keeps the young child’s attention while at the same time fulfilling the educational goal of yoga for kids.