Below are a few links with creative ideas and tips for practicing together. Whether you have mats or an ideal space in your home or not, these poses can be performed together in manageable amounts of time during your weekly routine together. Perhaps you will find that adding some time to focus awareness to breathe and body as a family will increase the level of mindfulness and peace in your lives independently and as a group!
It has been such an interesting pleasure to teach yoga to children as young as 3 years old! Just being in a space set intentionally for a yoga practice can benefit a child even if they can't focus on breath or postures. There seems to be a noticeable difference in each age groups response and ability in a yoga class. I feel that it is healthy to let the children explore movement and breathe instinctually, especially if they have impediments to concentration. Just being allowed to move and express in their own way can be a very relaxing and releasing process. As long as the class isn't being entirely disrupted consistently, I think that a productive and beneficial activity is taking place.
Singing bowls and other instruments are very useful to get the attention of a kids yoga class and can also be employed to create interest in yogic traditions and sound healing. Using sound and simple mantra an be very exciting for kids who get to let out free noises and engage with Sanskrit - a mysterious and ancient language foreign to them. For example, having the class lay down in relaxation pose and chant the sound of the vowels can be a wonderful throat chakra release that can help with communication and release of stored, repressed energy. Often children are told to be quiet and to listen, not the opposite of allowing sound to be freely released!
A - ahhh
E - ehhh
I - ihhhh
O - awe
U - uhhhh
