Teaching Kids

[Guest guest]

I have had some experience teaching yoga to kids. ashtanga yoga is not the

way to go.

 

kids have limited attention spans and are not too particularly serious.

focusing on the breath is a death knell to your class.

 

kids classes MUST be comprised of like 90% games. you can make up all types

of stuff, and you can have them help you do it. games they like include:

 

simon says (with yoga moves)

into the jungle (moving like animals)

into the ocean, (like fishes)

moving through space

follow the leader

yoga obstacle courses

red light green light (freezing in yoga poses)

 

dont bog them down with sanskrit names of poses

encourage the use of sound as well as silence

they love playing "dead person" for shavasana

 

Golden rule for teaching kids yoga: If you think its interesting, its

probably boring

If you are going to do anything be as silly as possible, leave your

inhibitions at the door and for god sake, DON't FOCUS on the POSES. Good

luck!

 

 

I let my daughter look at my ashtanga yoga practice card, have her do suryia

namaskara A and B, then have fun with the other asanas as she wishes, and

sometimes she makes up her own and names them for fun, like popcorn.