Yoga Certification for Children

Yoga is a form of exercise involving physical postures, meditation and focused breathing that dates back 5,000 years. Yoga for children has the added benefit of increasing their discipline, imagination and self esteem. Becoming certified to teach yoga for children can give you the knowledge and professionalism required to teach in a yoga studio or on your own.

  1. Benefits of Yoga for Children

    • There are a multitude of benefits for any person doing yoga, like improving strength and flexibility, body awareness and physical health. For children, the benefits are more widely spread. Not only does a child enjoy the benefits of physical health, but yoga also has a positive impact on a child's self esteem and discipline. It teaches him how to be more calm and relaxed. It also instills the discipline of being in a structured class, while enhancing his imagination as the yoga instructor asks him to strike nature-inspired poses.

    Struggles

    • The main struggles that come with teaching yoga to children is keeping their attention. Children's minds tend to wander and become distracted easily. In order to battle this, keep the conversation flowing while you teach, and get the child involved. If you notice a child losing focus, ask her to pose like a tree or a bird. This gets the child active in the process and interested in the activity.

    Getting Certified

    • You need several years of yoga experience and the knowledge of yoga practices and proper techniques. You can go online or ask your local yoga studio for schools and certification programs near you to get the complete list of prerequisites.

      Teaching yoga to children is slightly different in the way their bodies are different from adults. Aside from the classic methods of getting yoga certified, learn about a child's development, physiology and lifestyle.