Five simple Yoga asanas for Children

Yoga asanas for Children

• Wind releasing posture or Pawanmuktasana
  
• Bow pose or Dhanurasana:
  
• Lotus pose or Padmasana:
  
• Triangle pose or Trikonasana:
  
• Palm tree pose or Tadasana:

Wind releasing posture or Pawanmuktasana

Lie on your back with feet together. Inhale and raise both feet 45 degree above ground. Bend at the knees and bring them towards the chest. Hold legs in that position with both hands such that the fingers are interlocked. 

Inhale and slowly raise the head and shoulders towards the knees such that the chin is between them. Retain this position for a while. Exhale and come back to the sleeping position. 

Benefits: As the name suggests, this pose is very good to remove accumulated gases in the stomach and alleviate bloating and constipation. It massages the abdomen and tones up the back, waist and bottom. 

Bow pose or Dhanurasana:

Lie flat on the stomach with arms on the side. Bend the knees and catch the feet with the corresponding hands. Raise the head, shoulders and chest off the ground and simultaneously the knees and thighs, such that only the abdomen is in contact with the ground.

Hold this position for a while and then slowly release the hands and come down to the starting position. 

Benefits: This pose is a good safeguard against gastro-intestinal problems and obesity. It tones up the spinal column, arms, legs - in fact, the whole body.  

Lotus pose or Padmasana:

This is done in the sitting position. Sit down and stretch your legs in front of you. Bring one leg, with the aid of your hands, to rest on the opposite thigh such that the heel touches the groin. The sole of the feet should be facing upwards.

Bring the other leg to rest similarly on the other side. Hands should rest on the knees. Close your eyes and concentrate on the breathing.

Benefits: This calms and soothes the mind. It will help children become less excitable and increase their attention span. A child should learn to hold this pose for 1-2 minutes. 

Triangle pose or Trikonasana:

Stand erect with feet apart. Inhale and stretch hands and bring it to parallel to ground. With this as the base position, exhale and bend forward twisting to touch the right hand to the left foot. In this position, the left hand should be straight up and the head should be aligned to look up, too.

Come back to the starting position and repeat on the other side. Initially, do it slowly for two to three times on either side. Once you get it then you can alternate between left and right without coming up to starting position and count 10 - 20 twists. 

Benefits: This pose exercises the entire body - legs, arms, neck, shoulders, back, stomach - and tones it. It is very good to alleviate constipation as it improves digestion. 

Palm tree pose or Tadasana:

Stand erect with feet joined together. Raise arms above the head and lock your fingers such that the palm is facing upwards. Raise the heels and stretch upwards as much as you can so that you feel the tension in arms, neck and shoulders.

Hold the position for as long as you can. By each passing day you can hold the position a little longer.

Benefits: This is a very good exercise for increasing height in growing children. It stretches the spine and is also good for toning the abdominal muscles. 

Yoga for children

Yoga is not just for adults , it is a great way to usher tiny tots into a healthy regimen for children too.

Yogasanas are unique postures that involve stretching and bending which help in relaxing tensed or contracted body muscles.

Parents invariably do not pay much attention to the physical fitness of five-year-olds, as it is widely believed that children who cross the toddler stage are physically active anyway. That may indeed be true in most cases;

But it is not necessary that they will sustain that lead for a long time. Soon other pressures - like sedentary habits required for academic work, and irregular and insufficient dietary intake - are bound to catch up and whittle away that advantage. 

Yoga is best taught in school, but if your child's school doesn't than you can teach him at home. It serves a great way to bond with your child, too. Alternatively, you can get his friends or neighbourhood children together for a fun-and-games session of yoga to kindle interest in them. 

It is absolutely essential that you inculcate the habit of physical exercise - as distinct from sports and playground activities - in your child. There is no better way to ensure this than to teach your child Yoga.

Yoga moves beyond physical exercise and is a great tool for calming and controlling the mind and the senses. This, as you'll agree, is more relevant in the case of children who, almost without exception, are hyperactive and excitable by nature and need to be reined in. 

Yogasana carried out in slow, rhythmic repetition are extremely beneficial for toning the body and massaging the internal organs. They help in improving the overall immunity by restoring circulatory, respiratory and digestive vitality. It helps wayward children to get centered and more in tune with their inner selves, even if they may not realize it as such. 

Children can start yoga from age five. A 15 - 20 minute session is enough to get them started. This can be gradually increased to half an hour or more for older children