Animal-Based Fun Yoga for Kids

The trick to getting kids interested in exercise is to keep it fun. Yoga is one of the best exercise routines there is for kids. There are already a lot of poses which are named after animals which kids love to do. Let them really have fun with these yoga poses. (Note: always check with your child's doctor before starting him or her on any new exercise routine.)

Yoga Pose: Cat/Cow

Tell your kids to get on the floor on all fours. Have your kids arch their backs upward. This is cat pose. Then instruct them to go into a backbend. This is cow pose.

These poses are especially fun if they can meow and moo while they're doing them. Don't be to strict about yoga form, and don't expect them to be serious.

Yoga Pose: Cobra

Have the kids get down on the floor on their stomachs, preferably on a mat. They should pace their hands directly by their chest. Then they should push upward so that they stretch into a backbend. Encourage them to hiss like a snake.

Yoga Pose: Down Dog

Down dog is great to stretch the backs of the legs. Have your kids lean forward and place their hands on the mat, and stretch backwards slightly so that the body creates a jack-knife shape. Let them bark like a dog throughout this yoga pose.

Yoga Pose: Lion

Have the kids sit down in hero pose, with knees bent, sitting on the shins. Ask them to stick their tongue out as far as they can. Instruct them to breathe out forcefully and make a loud roar. Repeat.

Yoga Pose: Eagle

The kids should stand with feet flat on the floor. Then they should wrap their arms around each other so that the fingers of the right hand touch the palm of the left. To complete the pose, they should wrap the right leg around the left, tucking the toes around the ankle. Repeat on the other side. Look at this picture of eagle pose to see how to do this yoga pose properly. If they experience difficulty, simply have the kids flap their wings and squawk for a few seconds to release tension.

Yoga Pose: Fish

Have the kids lie on their backs. They should arch backwards, and place the arms under the buttocks. Have them place the tops of their heads on the floor. Instruct them to pucker their lips like a fish.

Yoga Pose: Camel

This is a more difficult yoga pose. Instruct the kids to get down on their knees. They should then reach backwards and grasp their heels. The noise a camel makes is rather nondescript, so let the kids make whatever noise they think a camel would make.

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