Absolutely! I often have siblings in the class, usually after having a brother or sister having already attended the class for a while. Then they talk about it at home, the siblings get curious about the class and they would also like to try it. Being able to connect to something that is important to a close person will strengthen their bond.

Furthermore, the older siblings are such amazing support for their younger siblings.

The same goes for friends. Creating a community in our yoga classes is a very important aspect. It is great to have friends in the yoga classes, it allows for a safe landing and to have someone who can be a partner for the yoga couple exercises in the classes and at home.

Will they distract each other?

No, I have never experienced it. On the contrary, they show each other how to do it, they practice the poses together at home. The connection in a yoga class shows the children how to be gentle, understanding and patient with each other.

Towards the end of the class, we like to send love to someone who is close to our hearts. This is usually mom and dad, or grandparents, but I often hear the family dogs and cats, and their best friends, too.

It is so important to have that sense of belonging, connection and shared interest.

How can we best stick to our routines?

Same as for us, adults, children can also benefit from small reminders and good examples. When children remind each other of the importance of breathing, it will come across very differently, compared to an instruction received from an adult. This way the connection between the children will be strengthened and deepened. We must also admit, sometimes we just don`t feel like going to a class. But when a friend is there, it will suddenly become more tempting to participate.

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Yoga equipment for children

Nowadays, we have wonderful colorful yoga mats and yoga mats made especially for children. It will be their own little world. They need to take responsibility for their own yoga mats, they learn how to roll it out and roll it together. These might seem small things, but these little things lead to a well-established yoga practice where children learn where to find the yoga equipment, so they can also practice yoga any time, they can play with the different instruments (more on that later on) or they can teach yoga to their stuffed animals.

You will see that once they have their own yoga mat, they feel more encouraged to stay on their yoga mats and though they might not stay for an entire 30 minutes, they take their own practice more seriously.

There is a wide range of yoga cards, games and different supporting materials you can buy. In my opinion you don`t need a lot of things, if any, to do yoga with your children, but some of these things might be helpful to get started. Yoga cards made for children can show children that yoga is not only movement, it`s also mindfulness, breathing, activating your senses (with different sounds and smells) and allowing your focus to turn inside.

How to start your yoga practice with your children?

A simple way to start your practice is to talk about how you are feeling. When you close the yoga practice, you can ask this question again and see what has shifted. A few pictures of emotions (happy, sad, tired, excited, etc.) can allow children to get more in touch with their feelings and to grow understanding for their own bodies and emotions. Let your yoga practice guide you back to your heart and to your middle, so your inner balance can radiate through you.

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Testing your inner peace

Because they will climb on you, they will talk to you, they will tell you to do things differently and they will want you to finish your practice early so they can get your undivided attention. Then you will know where you stand with your yoga practice, because your yoga practice is just preparation of what will happen outside of your yoga mat.

Redefining your me time

I used to close the door when I practiced, so I could get some “real” me time. I used to practice when my son was asleep, so I could really focus on my yoga time. But getting from zero to hero doesn`t happen overnight. Yes, the older they get the easier it is for them to play on their own. Building their resilience however can start small. Just as meditating a few minutes with them in the same room, practicing yoga when they are with you will also teach them how to respect others’ needs. It will show them what a yoga practice looks like, how you come back to your practice on a regular basis and how you practice the same yoga asanas over and over again.

Let them explore your yoga practice

Start small and be ready for the unexpected. Let your children try the poses with you, let them guide you and let them play around you. Maybe get a deck of yoga cards and while you practice they can find the yoga card for the matching yoga asana you are doing. They could also put together a sequence of yoga asanas you can do together after you finished your practice. My son always loved to climb under me in downward facing dog or wheel/bridge pose. Accept what happens and be ready to play, to move, to stop and to continue. Your inner peace will become their inner peace (one day..).

The biggest reward of a yoga practice spent with your child(ren) is the cuddling time in savasana – enjoy those beautiful moments to connect and bond.

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Especially because teaching adult yoga classes, we give so many cues, and I really like to offer hands-on adjustments. This was something I had to let go of in our children’s yoga classes.

Why is it important to let the children self-correct?

Letting children explore and come up with different ways of carrying out a yoga position allows them to respect the differences between our bodies, our capabilities and our own way of expressing ourselves.

Forget the show

Children yoga should be a place for being a true version of ourselves, of bonding and of having fun. The (close to) correct execution of a yoga asana is our long-time goal. This is why we call it a yoga practice and not a yoga show.

During our children yoga classes, children are encouraged to feel free to play with the yoga poses, to push their boundaries and to feel safe to do less. Often children teach each other much better than we adults could ever do. They show and help and they also support each other mentally, explaining to the younger yogis who it also took them much practice to reach a more advanced yoga position.

Walk the talk and dare to fall

Next time you practice with your child, let them do what they are comfortable with. Let them see that you are also fine to fall and get back onto your feet. Let our yoga practice become a true reflection of our souls where we give ourselves the permission to try more, to do less, to try several times and to take extra-long savasanas whenever you need that.

How to support your children during their yoga time?

Encouragement will take the children much further than correction, criticism, comparison. Finding our inner balance will result in outer balance. Our inner strength and endurance will take us back onto the yoga mats every time. Make our yoga mats our happy places.

Allow the children to play, to move, to make mistakes and to know that they are accepted just as they are – if they self-correct and also when they don`t.

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They don`t need to know how. They don`t need a special place or special clothing. They don`t need to cover their eyes. But they need to feel safe to stay with their eyes closed, so stay close by. Make them feel loved and secure. Let them be there for 2 seconds and reward them with a big smile when they open their eyes. It`s a process. You can start anytime, and you can take as many breaks (days, weeks, months off) as children require – just come back to it. Meditation at the end is nothing else, just being with ourselves.

Where to start?

If you are not sure how to start, just sit down with them, close your eyes and stay quiet. I usually stay just a little longer than my son would like to stay, so he learns that we need to respect each other’s silence. It`s ok to just be. It`s ok to focus inwards, especially when everything seems too chaotic and busy. Children still remember this state, but we need to remind ourselves that for children everything happens a little faster. They need less time to warm-up and they need less time to stay with their eyes closed.

Most importantly what they need to learn is the process. Nothing happens from one day to another.

When to start?

The sooner they learn self regulation, the easier it will be for them to accomplish inner peace later on in their lives.

Similarly to adult yoga, in our children yoga classes we also have to get to the meditation part. This means, we move and stretch our bodies. We balance on one leg, so we can balance the difficult situations in our lives. Once we made sure that all the muscles and the joints in the body are ready to relax, we lay down on our backs, and we enjoy a break. Sometimes we listen to music, sometimes we just listen to our breath.

Allow your children to try new things, to experiment, to fail, to try again and to succeed. It`s all just a matter of time. And patience…

This little girl on the picture started coming to my children yoga classes when she was 2 years old. We have been practicing together for over three years now. It was also a process.

Your practice will become their practice

Over the years I have taught many children and many adults. My favourite class is still the mommy/daddy & children yoga class. Because yoga is about unity. Creating a common place and energy with our loved ones. We all know that children learn by imitating, so when you show the example, it will be more natural for them to do what they have seen from you. Let them try something new and they might love it.

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