Imagination Yoga is a fun way to get kids moving while building essential skills.
Imagination Yoga gets kids moving, but it’s much more than physical exercise. Visualization and mindfulness practices help students build essential capacities like self-regulation, critical thinking, planning, and self-esteem.
What Is Yoga?
While most people think first of poses when asked “what is yoga,” these are actually just a small part of what yoga is. Yoga is a way of getting to know ourselves. Often translated as “union” or “yoking,” yoga is, in essence, a practice of unifying body and mind to engage in self-observation, reflection, and self-regulation. Yoga poses, or asanas, are tools to aid this, but they are not the core of the practice, and perfectly executing them is not the main goal. As such, the idea that you have to be physically flexible, strong, or agile to practice yoga is misguided. If you can breathe, you can practice yoga.
Yoga practice begins with the breath. Our breath is a simple but powerful tool that can help us understand our own physical and emotional state. This is because attention to the breath brings the mind into more direct union with the body and the present moment. When our minds are firmly rooted in the present rather than ruminating about the past or fretting about the future, we have the greatest insight into our current feelings, desires, and needs and, by extension, the highest degree of control over how we manage our circumstances.
Asanas can bring our inner states into sharper focus as we strive to embody each posture. They provide input about how different parts of our bodies are feeling on any given day and give us opportunities to observe our thoughts and emotions as we feel our bodies stretch, work, and find balance. Importantly, asanas also provide a healthy form of structured movement that supports physical health. By incorporating asanas into the practice, yoga becomes a holistic form of exercise for body and mind.
Why Teach Yoga to Kids?
Children need to learn more than reading, writing, math, and science. To navigate today’s world with calm and grace, they must learn how to work effectively with their own bodies and minds. A yoga and mindfulness practice gives children time out of their busy days to pay attention to their internal states and learn skills to cultivate calm, focus, and self mastery.
Eugene Imagination Yoga provides child-centered yoga programs for schools, child care facilities, special events, and more. Book classes for a special day, or ask about setting up a regular program at your site. Request a free demo class to see firsthand what we do.
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Eugene Imagination Yoga’s mission is to promote physical, emotional, and mental health in our community through children’s yoga programs. By combining imaginative play and storytelling with yoga practice, we provide opportunities for fun and engaging physical exercise while supporting a child’s developing sense of self awareness and capacity for self regulation.
