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Yoga can gradually lead children to a state where they don’t need to be constantly stimulated, distracted, or kept busy
Body awareness and relaxation are the first steps to achieving better physical and mental states of being. (Representative image)
Ten-year-old Mira wakes up on a summer morning and, hugging her stuffed toy, walks into the living room and flops onto the sofa. Her parents are getting ready for work. Little Mira feels lost — summer holidays are so boring, she thinks. Like many parents, her mother has planned several activities to keep her engaged.
Activities such as camps, treks, art and craft, music, dance, book clubs, family outings, and home chores are good distractions during the summer break. They help stave off boredom, but crucially, they also reduce digital overload and screen exposure.
Yoga as an activity has an added advantage — and we are not referring to flexibility, coordination, concentration, or memory here — which is this: Yoga can gradually lead children to a state where they don’t need to be constantly stimulated, distracted, or kept busy.
CONTROLLING ‘INTERNAL CHAOS’ THROUGH BODY AWARENESS AND DISCIPLINE
According to Yoga guru and scholar Dr Jayadeva Yogendra (1929–2018), Yoga can help control the “internal chaos” — and this, in turn, may help correct the external chaos we see in the world today.
Dr Jayadeva — then president of The Yoga Institute, Santacruz — had prepared the NCERT syllabus for teaching Yoga in Indian schools in 1991. He firmly believed that without experiencing peace within herself, a child could not contribute to peace in the world.
In his book Yoga for Children, Dr Jayadeva writes that it is important to give children “building blocks from which they could build a lasting edifice to live and grow in.” His choice of yoga practices centres around the correct way of being — starting with the correct way to sit and stand, and progressing to the development of “self-direction” and “objectivity of perception”.
Body awareness and relaxation are the first steps to achieving better physical and mental states of being. Here are some related practices from the book, based on his unique approach.
STHITHAPRARTHANASANA: THE STANDING PRAYER POSE
This pose helps with the correct way of standing. It prevents the tendency to shift weight from one leg to the other and, in doing so, aids concentration.
How To Do It:
- Keep your feet together, firmly on the ground.
- Ensure the knees are straight (not bent), the head is held high, the abdomen is flat, and the chest is lifted.
- Draw the shoulders back and let the arms hang loosely at your sides.
- Now join your hands in front of your chest and close your eyes.
- Breathe normally and keep your attention on the breath.
- Stay in this position for three minutes.
KAPĀLARANDHRADHOUTI KRIYĀ: A FACE MASSAGE
Beyond body awareness, this practice subtly teaches children that the body is an instrument. It also gives the face a soothing massage and helps clear the sinuses.
How To Do It:
- Place your thumbs on your temples. Using your fingertips, gently massage the forehead — moving from the centre outwards.
- Next, massage around the eyes in a circular motion, move down towards the nose, and return to the centre of the forehead.
- Using your thumbs and forefingers, gently press the eyebrows from the centre towards the sides.
- Keep your thumbs at the sides of your neck. With your index and middle fingers, massage the sides of your face and the area behind your ears in a back-and-forth motion.
- Massage the areas above and below your lips.
- Massage your cheeks using both hands in an upward direction.
- Finally, massage your neck with upward strokes while looking upwards.
YOGENDRA VIRĀSANA: THE HEROIC POSE
Similar to what is widely known as the Half Hero Pose (Ardha Virāsana), this seemingly simple āsana imparts many qualities — a state of readiness and alertness, a disciplined mind and body, and a sense of fixity and firmness.
It also helps reduce the number of thoughts and can often lead to a state of ‘not thinking at all’.
How To Do It:
- Sit on the floor on a mat.
- Bend the right leg and tuck the foot under the right buttock (sit comfortably on the heel).
- Fold the left leg so that it is perpendicular to the floor, with the left foot flat on the ground.
- Place the right hand close to the right knee, and the left hand on the left knee.
- Keep the back upright, head straight, elbows relaxed, and eyes closed.
- Observe your breath in this position for three minutes.
ŚAVĀSANA: THE CORPSE POSE
Children often experience stress due to assignments, parental and peer pressure, punishment, or ridicule. This practice builds awareness of the need for relaxation and teaches them how to release stored tension.
Śavāsana helps children consciously erase tension from different parts of the body and relax fully.
How To Do It:
- Lie flat on your back on a mat placed on the floor.
- Keep the feet about 20 inches apart. With palms facing upwards, keep the hands roughly 10 inches away from the body.
- Close your eyes. Feel the body completely sink into the mat. Allow the weight of the body to ‘let go’ into the ground.
- Mentally scan the body — start with the feet. Notice any tension in the feet, calves, thighs, arms, shoulders, or abdomen. Consciously release it.
- Continue breathing normally, releasing any tension as you become aware of it in any body part.
- Remain in this position for five minutes.
*Yoga for Children: Teachers Handbook; The Yoga Institute Santacruz; 2022.*
(Note: This article is for information purposes only. Please consult your Physician before starting any Yoga practices. Always learn Yoga from an experienced Yoga teacher.)
The author is a journalist, cancer survivor and certified yoga teacher. She can be reached at swatikamal@gmail.com.
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