Yoga for Children

About the Book

It has often been mentioned that nobody had written a book on Yoga for children. When I wrote “Yoga For Children”, two things were uppermost in my mind: love and health.

Proper excercise for the small child, as for the small animal, is as natural and instinctive as breathing. The baby in its crib stretches its arms and legs, clenches its fists, wiggles its toes, braces and pushes its body with its legs, grasps the bars of its crib, and does all of these things because they give it pleasure.

To the baby, pleasure is what he experiences, but this is Nature’s way of teaching the child to use and develop its muscles and body.

With animals, this natural form of excercising continues through its entire life; but with the human child, once it has learned to stand erect, its body movements begin to be directed by its mind, and as a result, one part of the body maybe used more than another, so that the entire body is not developed equally as it was when instinct was its guide. We all have had occasion to observe the bad effects which this may lead to: bowed legs, curved spines, etc…which are difficult or impossible to correct later on.

The excercises in this book, are designed to continue the early natural excercises which tone and develop muscles, coordinate movement, ensure proper posture and breathing. Properly used, no part of the body is neglected or overdeveloped.

The excercises are imitations or modifications of the natural tensing, stretching, and relaxing of the body, which infants and animals do without thought, simply because it makes them feel good. Certain body movements and postures are characteristic of different animal types, and as used here, the child identifies with the animal, and like it, develops by playing.

At the same time, by identifying with these individual animals the child becomes familiar with them, has interest and love for them and all of the life they share with them. They learn easily and naturally and we have a happy, healthy and well rounded child loving all the life with which we share our world.

This is not a muscle building excercise. It is to make the body supple, teach coordination. Properly used it will keep the muscles firm and the whole body in perfect condition.

About the Author