Yoga can be fulfilling for all ages. Would you like to share your yoga practice with a developing young yogi? Read on for 8 easy kid yoga poses for 2 and fun tips for teaching kids about yoga.
Yoga has various benefits that include nervous system regulation, improved rest/sleep, increased self-awareness, reduced stress/anxiety, and elevated focus.
If yoga can provide support to us in our adulthood, imagine the effects of beginning the practice in early childhood. Children are sponges and often wish to do more of what they see.
Creating a shared yoga practice by incorporating these poses could lead to life-changing benefits. The key to sharing these 2 person easy kid yoga poses for 2 with your children is to create a framework within a world of play that they understand.
In this article:
- Creating a world of play
- Pranayama for kids
- Easy 2 person kid yoga poses
Creating a World of Play
In traditional yoga classes, the yoga instructor may ask if anyone has any suggestions or areas in which they would like to work on. As a class, various things may be thrown out such as hip, chest, lower back, and so on.
The instructor will then do their best to honor those suggestions in the class.
When thinking of sharing kids’ yoga poses, consider holding the same respect for their voices. Think about what themes the kid/s likes to explore. Are they into adventure? Dinosaurs? Animals?
Incorporate your kid’s world of play into the yoga principles to make it more attainable for them to understand.
Maybe they enjoy going to the park and having picnics, then playing with their friends.To bring them to their mat, you may suggest getting into a spaceship! When focus begins to feign, you may remind them that without their help there is no one to drive the spaceship and save the planet.
You can also choose to incorporate kids’ yoga poses that will align with this theme. Such as suggesting going into locust pose, putting on our spacesuits, and flying to explore each planet.
It is supportive for kid yogis who are learning the principles and poses of yoga to hear the true name of the pose in addition to the world of play name. It adds an element of fun to also turn the pose into something magical in your world.
We can use this same concept to teach pranayama.
Pranayama for Kids
We have all encountered a child who is unable to voice their feelings. This may lead the child to act in a way that may be harder to understand from the adult level. In this moment, we may even need our own pranayama.
Pranayama in Sanskrit means “prana”- life force, energy and “yama”- control by stretching and/or expanding. The term loosely translates as “life force energy expansion” more presently understood as breathwork.
When practicing pranayama, we are focusing on expanding the energy of our breath. The breath can be seen as a filtration center for energy in the body. The breath can clear stagnant energy, reset energy, and welcome calm energy.
Focused breathwork through pranayama allows us to activate this filtration system. The benefits of pranayama include supporting the immune system, calming anxiety, depression, and stress. Pranayama has also been shown as a tool to increase energy levels.
When incorporating pranayama exercises into the daily interactions with kids, we provide them a resource for self-soothing.
One fun way to teach pranayama is to invite the child to pick an imaginary flower:
1. For visualization purposes, you can ask them to even pick a color for the flower.
2. Once the flower is picked and the color is decided on, ask them to blow the flower petals and make a wish.
3. Once they become excited by the world of play, they will feel encouraged to keep picking flowers and thus, continue practicing pranayama!
Pranayama teaches us to focus on the breath. This is a fun way to encourage kids to focus on their breath in a way they understand. Sub out flowers for whatever interests the child you are sharing the practice with!
Imaginary bubbles are another fun suggestion, as well as candles. You can even incorporate it into a theme such as a spaceship. Each big breath makes the spaceship go faster!
Whatever way you choose is up to you. As long as it is fun, playful, and absorbable then mission accomplished!
8 Easy Two Person Kids Poses
You can modify these suggestions to teach various yoga principles and practices. You can also create your own themes for these easy kid yoga poses for 2.
1. Seesaw
This is a fun way to come into a Wide Angled Seated Forward Bend. You align your feet with the kid or encourage two kids to work together. They hold hands and move like a ‘seesaw’.
The movement feels fun and playful for them while also allowing them to have a deeper stretch!
2. Easy Pose
Easy pose is quite ‘easy’ to share because kids are familiar with sitting down with legs crossed. Think “criss cross applesauce” to cue this pose.
You can turn this into a two-person pose by encouraging the child to sit on your lap or bringing them to your lap if that feels safe and comfortable to do! This can also go well with the theme created to get them on their mat or to begin the practice.
3. Downward Facing Dog (Double)
This is a fun way to do a two-person pose by stacking your downward facing dog or doing it beside each other.
It can be used to describe various animals or to intertwine with a theme! Also, kids just love this pose and it’s easy for most ages.
4. Tree Pose
Tree pose is all about balance. Kids love testing their strength, but not as much as honoring their wobbles. They will have more fun falling than standing upright usually.
To make this an easy kids yoga pose for 2, stand beside them and hold their hand. This way you are like a “tree forest”. It can feel empowering to hold a tree pose. Partnering will help them get there with more ease.
Falling is just more fun…
Read more here on how to practice tree pose safely at home!
5. Eagle Pose
Eagle pose is another fun yoga pose for two as it plays with balance. To partner you can stand beside each other and hook arms. This will help stabilize the posture while also creating connection.
Children love to know they are supported and it gives them a good feeling! Until they collectively choose to fall and laugh of course.
Explore a partnered Eagle pose and other fun partner kid yoga poses!
6. Butterfly Pose
We call this seated posture butterfly, because of the way our legs look like wings! You can invite kids to flap their wings to deepen this stress and create some movement.
To make this an easy pose for two, sit facing each other and stare into each other’s eyes. Make funny faces to keep it entertaining!
It is important to honor the practice even when having fun, so naming the pose “Bound Angle Pose” or if you feel more aligned with using Sanskrit, teach that as well!
Another variation of this pose can be like the seated version of Extended Hand to Big Toe Pose! To partner, create the butterfly by interlocking the arms on the outside of each other’s necks. If this feels too complex, place backs together and try this variation!
7. Extended Mountain Pose
Enter traditional mountain pose collectively. Slowly inhale the arms up as you turn to face one another. Then connect your hands at the top. Press the hands together and sit the hips back for more of a stretch.
This can also be fun to test each other’s strength! If there is a huge height difference this can also be done with one or both participants on their knees.
8. Lizard On A Rock
This is more of a combination of poses.
Lizard on a rock invites one person to be in child’s pose and the other to go on top in a backbend posture, such as a reverse tabletop pose.
The reverse tabletop posture does not need to be engaged. The child can literally lay on top like a lizard on a rock. Shake the rock to make it fun and get a laugh or two.
Kids Practicing Yoga
If you feel called to share your yoga practice with kids, either in your home or in your realm, you can refer to these tips on how to create a world of play, teach pranayama, and have fun trying these 2 person easy kid yoga poses for 2.
These yoga poses can be instructed for kids to do together or you can participate as well!
The benefits of yoga can be absorbed and felt by all ages.
If you knew that sooner, would you have benefited from a yoga practice as a kid? If so, using these suggestions and easy kid yoga poses for 2 can help create a yoga practice for kids while also providing them support for their continued development.
Try practicing or sharing these poses and discover what most keeps their attention. When you desire to invite them to practice, pique their interest, by reminding them how much they enjoyed it!
In the beginning, you may be the reason they choose to practice. In the end, they will be the reason they choose to practice.
Did you enjoy these poses? Read here for more fun poses to try out!
If you’re going to start practicing with your children, why not take a look at the best yoga mats for kids?
