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Kids Yoga
Children seem to be naturally drawn to yoga poses. Not only are yoga poses fun and sometimes silly (in the eyes of children), they are also great relaxation techniques to ease the stresses of childhood life.
The focus in yoga for kids is not so much about spiritual self-awareness but more about flexibility, coordination, body awareness, and self-control. Yoga poses are sometimes called by more age-level-appropriate animal names and resemble animals, like the Turtle Pose, the Bear Pose, and the Lion Pose. Others resemble traditional yoga poses, like the Wheel Pose and the Bridge Pose.
Scanning the internet one will soon find a plethora of sites dedicated to teaching yoga to kids. One such site, http://www.calmingkidsyoga.org, describes how some school districts in Colorado are using yoga to "decrease violence and increase concentration; utilizing breathing techniques, yoga poses, stress management, and conflict resolution strategies, thus resulting in Bullying Prevention."
Other sites, such as http://www.yogakids.com, give a plethora of information about yoga for kids, from offering a pose of the week - which can me emailed to subscribers each week - to finding a certified kids yoga teacher, to tools for schools to implement a yoga for kids program.
Teen Yoga
Whereas yoga for kids focuses more on the fun aspect of yoga and on building the foundation of flexibility, coordination, body awareness, and self-control, teen yoga builds upon those foundations and further emphasized the teens' increasing need for self-confidence, stress-relief, and peer interaction.
The yoga poses are augmented by breathing techniques, such as the three-part breath and alternate nostril breathing, and are geared to calming the mind, which helps greatly before a big exam or performance of any kind. Athletes are encouraged to use guided meditation, such as a walk on the beach or other relaxing story, to calm before a big sporting event.
A more age-appropriate yoga teen yoga is http://www.yogaminded.com. There are numerous teen yoga poses, articles about teen yoga, and a list of certified teen yoga teachers.
What is the Cut-off Age between Kids Yoga and Teen Yoga?
That is a very difficult, if not entirely impossible, question to answer. Children go through so many changes between the ages of 8 to 15 that some individuals may be ready to try yoga poses or even guided meditations for teens at 8 or 9 years of age while others will be more drawn to the yoga for kids until they're almost 13, 14, or 15.
The point is that the transition should be guided by the child. As with adult yoga, progress and learning should be slow and not forced. Even the teen who has been practicing yoga for years will probably enjoy doing some yoga for kids poses every once in a while. And many poses, such as the Wheel Pose, certainly are appropriate for any age.
Additional recources on Kids Yoga and Teen Yoga:
http://www.yogajournal.com/lifestyle/210
http://www.factasy.com/yoga/4.shtml
http://www.everythingyoga.com/kids-yoga.htm
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