By all means a five year old can start practicing yoga. In fact, their health condition, notwithstanding, it is better to start Yoga practices at an earlier age and nothing is too soon. True, teaching children Yoga proves a lot more challenging; but it is exciting and rewarding as well. The innate joy, natural innocence, spontaneity and wisdom in children is always an delight and you end up having a lot of fun both teaching as well as learning from them. Children’s Yoga is particularly designed to inculcate the importance of yoga and meditation and the benefits to kids.
The popularity of Yoga for children is growing by the day. This is because of the excellent benefits is has to offer, not just in terms of good health and immediate happiness but by way of molding and developing character. Yoga for children is a delicate blend of dynamic movements, asanas (yoga poses), pranayama (breathing exercises) and simple meditation techniques rolled into one holistic and integrated program of education, physical fitness and increased awareness.

This is the perfect time for kids to start practicing yoga. Yoga for children first inculcates, then enhances body awareness, verbal communication, listening skills, teamwork and observation powers. It informs children about their environment and nature while exciting their tender imagination. Yoga for children readies kids for the rigors of grown up life through a program of instruction physical training and breathing techniques. Children learn while playing, dancing and singing.

Yoga for children balances Yogasanas (poses), pranayama (breathing exercises) and meditation with games, storytelling, studies, playing, dancing, singing and drawing. Kids are able to follow their instructor’s instructions quite easily. Better still as kids hear the names of Yogasanas (exercises and poses) they build up a yoga vocabulary of their own. They learn to use these asanas (poses) while playing, assuming the traits and attributes of different birds and animals or put their vivid imaginations to creative use to come up with stories about exciting tales about n a farm animals or wild animals in a forest. As a result they are able to progress on the path of yoga very rapidly.

Last, but not the least, kids of today are under tremendous stress to perform. Be it attention in class, homework, peer pressure or the endless extra-curricular activities – it all takes its toll. And today’s children are taking recourse to Yoga for relaxation, just like their parents.