At our yoga hotel in Trentino we offer our guests various alternatives such as energising morning yoga, yoga Ashtanga, hatha yoga, yoga nidra, yin yoga and meridian stretching, as well as various walks integrated into the meditative practice such as yoga walk, yoga trekking and qi gong walk.
With this wide range of practices, we don't forget our younger guests either!
Children can experience yoga like a fun game where they interact with themselves and others, stimulating their motor skills and imagination.
Like adults, children also have to cope with the stresses of life.
Moving house, starting a new school, the arrival of a new sibling - these are all stressful events that weigh on children. Children need a way to cope with stress and anxiety, and one form of practice is teaching children yoga.
When children practise yoga, they boost their confidence, develop their concentration and strengthen their growing bodies. For children with behavioural problems, yoga can channel their impulses in a positive direction and provide them with an outlet to manage their behaviour.
That is why we offer group classes at the hotel in which the children approach yoga through a fun game with animals as protagonists.
You can also introduce your children to yoga at home with simple but engaging exercises.
Here are some fun yoga exercises and games for kids. If you are a parent who is familiar with yoga, you can try it out at home with your family.
BREATHING EXERCISES
Light yoga breathing exercise
Breathe in deeply and hold the breath for three seconds.
Exhale forcefully as if blowing out a candle.
Repeat for five breath cycles.
Flying Bird Breath
Stand with your arms at your sides and your feet hip-width apart (mountain pose).
Imagine that you are a beautiful, strong bird.
Pretend you are preparing to fly by breathing in and lifting your arms ("wings") until your palms touch upwards. Keep your arms straight.
Exhale slowly and bring your arms back to your sides with your palms facing down.
Repeat this with a constant movement with each breath: inhale when you raise your arms and exhale when you lower them.
Optional: Close your eyes while repeating the movements with your breath and imagine that you are flying through the air like a bird.
YOGA GAMES
Mirror, Mirror
This game is a good warm-up exercise to increase concentration.
One person starts as the leader. The leader chooses a pose and shows it to the others.
The other players copy the leader's pose as if they were looking in a mirror.
Change the leader at each round of poses, so that each person has a turn to take the lead.
The yogi says
One person is chosen to be the yogi. The other players must do the yoga poses that the yogi tells them to do when the instruction starts with "Yogi says". If the yogi does not use "Yogi says", the players do not perform the posture, whoever performs it is eliminated. Keep alternating the person doing the yogi so that everyone gets a turn.
MEDITATIONS
Meditation can be short and simple and need not involve complex yoga postures or standing still in a silent room. One mother describes a "meditation game" with her children before bed, where she turns off electronic devices and reflects on the day with her children, asking questions such as "What are you grateful for today?".
Mindfulness meditation
Find a comfortable sitting or lying position.
Close your eyes.
Try to listen to every single sound in the room.
Meditation on kindness and love
Find a comfortable sitting or lying position.
Close your eyes and think of someone you love.
Hold her/him close in your heart and think of that person again and again.
These simple exercises are just a starting point for you to create your own exercises for your children. Let your creativity and love run wild. Think like children and let your imagination run wild. In this way, both you and the children will have the opportunity to experience moments of joy and inner peace.
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