Aren’t you always trying to squeeze in some asanas into your busy “mom schedule”? But something or the other keeps interrupting you. Maybe your cat or your dog wants to jump right into the act. Or maybe there is something at work that needs your attention, right that minute. And if your kids are around while you do your yoga, they can react in two possible ways. They might just complain about getting bored and hence, disturb you repeatedly or they might be doing an excellent job at imitating your asanas and hence, distracting you each time. Either way, when it comes to kids, the best solution to enjoy your yoga sessions, is to get them to join you. Not only will you get your kid to start early on a beautiful healthy journey, but you will actually give yourself a fun yoga session with your little one.
Tip #1. Fix a time
Kids follow routines that we make for them. There is a time for school, for homework and for fun outside. While you can have your yoga sessions at anytime, with kids it is advised to stick to a routine. Pick a time, when they are free and have nothing to look forward to. Don’t pick a time right before they leave to play or meet their friends. That way they will be too excited for play-time and will just skip through the fun yoga session you had planned for them.
What to eat before your yoga class? Read.
Tip #2. Don’t force them
If you force them to do anything, you just take the fun out of it. Let them be silly or fool around. Don’t expect them to sit through the entire yoga session. Let them take their goofy breaks. As long as they think they are in a “yoga-class”, everything is okay.
Tip #3. Get them a mat
You might be planning to give them one of your old ones or maybe thinking they can do without it completely. But if you want to get them excited and feel like an important part of the activity, you should get them a new mat. Each time they’ll pick up and spread their bright new mat, they’ll want to do something with it.
Find some great yoga mats from the YogaHive store here.
Tip #4. They play the music
Let them choose the music each day. You’ll see how excited they’ll be to find something cool each time. And hey, you’ll enjoy a little change from those soothing and soft tunes you always do yoga to. You might just get a dose of some billboard hits. Let your little DJ get to the music.
Tip #5. Get creative, skip the sanskrit
Kids like to keep all complicated words restricted to their vocabulary class at school. Don’t get all those tongue twisting names that you know, even if you are a pro at pronouncing them right and teaching others too. Change them to names your kid will enjoy and will be excited to remember. Here’s graphic that explains the common ones.
Tip #6. They won’t meditate, but they can imagine
Kids aren’t really a fan of meditating. They are meant to be restless and curious. So skip the Om meditation and get them to imagine. Let their imagination run wild. Let them lie down flat on their backs, like a dog who wants a belly rub, get them to close their eyes and then narrate a nice story, keeping them in the centre of it. Kids will love imagining being Cinderella or Mogli in their thoughts. This will probably be the best part of the yoga session for them.
Tip #7. Give them a weekly challenge
You might be struggling with the headstand, but your kid will rock at it. Give them a challenge each week and you’ll see how excitedly they work towards it.
Tip #8. Mommy does extra
Once you have your kid to join you, let them know that Mommy does extra because she is the older one. After your yoga session together is over, ask them to let you do some extra yoga alone. They will be tired and they will feel like it’s a a part of the act. Basically, they won’t disturb you.
Give these tips a shot and start enjoying yoga even more. And who knows your little yogi might just grow up to be a maestro. If nothing else, the yoga will surely keep them healthy and healed. Put this on your mental list of happy to-dos.