020 8132 5148

What Is Teaching Yoga To Babies & Toddlers Like?

blog Jan 26, 2023
Baby Yoga Classes

 

By Shannon

Are you a parent of a baby/toddler or a children's prospective yoga teacher and ever wondered any of the following? Beam academy teachers have put together some insight from their experience and training to answer some of the most common things they have heard. Keep reading to find the comments/questions followed by our responses.

 

“I didn’t know that was a thing

Yes! Yoga for babies and toddlers is becoming increasingly popular for many reasons. There are numerous health benefits which is why so many nurseries are incorporating sessions at least once a week. Beam academy offers free demos to show how much fun yoga for children is; at times the response is limited to stares and maybe even some tears. It takes a few visits before they get used to us and over time become super enthusiastic and can't wait for the next. Nursery teachers also look forward to the sessions because it gives them a moment to refresh or join in on the movement too. The children may never learn our names (and might call us yoga or yoghurt) but their faces light up when they recognise their favourite song/story.

 

“How on earth do you get them to do actual yoga?”

As mentioned above, the best way to get babies and toddlers involved is through the use of songs and stories. Taking familiar songs like ‘heads, shoulders, knees and toes’ and having them follow simple moves, either standing or seated. Now, that's not to say that they will follow us exactly! Often they do their own thing and we find them in downward dog when instead we have asked them to lie down like a snake. But is that not part of the fun? Letting them explore and learn at their own pace and creating a positive environment in which to do it in. Even breathing exercises can turn into blowing raspberries and giggle fits. To begin with, they might think that we are strange but a few sessions along we can see how much they love joining in; especially on their own terms. 

 

“It doesn’t sound like sessions would be very structured

Structure, at this age? Balance is the key here because sessions should not be too regimented. Classes can be absolute chaos with or without a plan; being too far on either side of the spectrum just takes the fun out of it for everyone. As a teacher or student, the love for yoga can quickly die out if you consistently leave the class feeling as though nothing went to plan. That's why the best classes are the ones that had very little planning, but we are always more than prepared. This is called intuitive teaching; observing how they react to certain songs or stories and working our way around any obstacles. It is not uncommon that a child might not be following (for many reasons) and disrupt the session. Luckily, nursery teachers are on hand to aid in diffusing the situation. We always give children a choice; ‘would you like to join in with everybody else, or do something different today?’. Pressure, at this age, will do more harm than good and in future they might associate their negative feelings with yoga.

 

“That must be chaos

The room we teach in has many distractions and from experience we are aware of the many ways a session could turn upside down. If there are too many toys, despite being tucked away in drawers, a child might naturally gravitate towards them. We always keep an eye out for children who stray because in a matter of moments the chaos escalates as a few are now wrestling for their ‘favourite train’. We highlighted the importance of giving a choice, however too much freedom could result in chaos. We use skills learned from our training to divert their attention back to the yoga rather than sending the child out of the session, sometimes they need a few goes to get back into it. As a last resort, if they keep going back to the toys (which does happen), we seek advice from the nursery teacher on what to do next; stickers are a great incentive for improving listening skills. Maybe the session turns to chaos simply because they are having too much fun, again perfectly normal to get carried away at this age. Suddenly, it can feel like we are in a zoo or a farm because we asked them to make animal sounds and they just keep going... Bringing things down a notch, getting them to lie down with some relaxing music and guiding their breath works most of the time. 

 

“Do they actually enjoy it?”

Of course they do! Just like adults, babies and toddlers can have a bad day too, its better not to force them into following along. As long as they are not distracting anyone we let them remain in the session because their attitude might turn around when they see all of their friends having fun. There is no better feeling than turning around moods and putting a smile on a grumpy face, but is that not the ‘yoga effect’? How many times do we drag our sorry butts onto our mat and come away feeling amazing. Moving your body creates chemical reactions you can't resist no matter what mood you are in, this applies to children too. Babies and toddlers can’t express themselves like you and I so don’t take it personally if they suddenly cry when you walk in the room.

 

“Isn’t that a little useless? That's far too advanced for them”

Of course asking a toddler to do an eagle pose or a crawling baby to balance on one leg for tree pose is extremely unrealistic and potentially damaging to their development. But you might be surprised by how much they actually can do! From experience, one age group does not depict what a child can or cannot do as they all develop differently. But as teachers who have trained and gained valuable experience a nursery trusts us with the safety and wellbeing of their children. Many yoga poses and breathing exercises for this age group aid in development at such a crucial time in their lives. 

 

“Do they fart a lot?”

Apologies for the TMI but yes… they do occasionally. This is absolutely harmless and normal but we admit, we can’t help but have a little giggle sometimes. Blissfully unaware in downward dog or happy baby pose we can't believe our ears! Such a loud noise for such a small human. Naturally, even for adults our digestive system and organs come under pressure in poses, some more than others, but this is just what we need sometimes. We are happy to help! Yoga is very beneficial for trapped wind or constipation which is common for babies and toddlers; even the nursery teachers see instant relief on a child’s face and suddenly understand why they have been so fussy all day.

 

 



Sign Up For Our Monthly Newsletter

Receive monthly emails with news, blogs and articles about teacher training courses, yoga, mindfulness, education and so much more.

We hate SPAM. You'll only get quality content.

We're supporting Starlight Children's Foundation Charity. Find out how.