Savasana For Kids!

Ask any adult what their favorite part of yoga is and 9 times out of 10 you'll here Savasana, or relaxation! This is the time spent relaxing at the end of class in corpse pose, legs up the wall, or any number of other comfortable poses. During this time we try to relax our bodies, relax our whole being, and quiet our minds. Not an easy task .. but quite a rewarding one.

Savasana is just as important for children as it is for adults, if not more so! There is no better time then when they are young to teach children how to relax and find peace. This is a skill they will be able to use time and time again! We tend to forget that children are under a lot of stress too these days and we should give them every tool available to help them learn how to turn off the stress and the craziness and just be.
Here are some creative ways to incorporate savasana into your child's at home yoga practice .. or simply to introduce relaxation techniques into their day to day routines!

• Music - Children love music, and it can be a great tool for helping them to relax and calm their bodies and minds, whether its at the end of yoga class, or at the end of a long day! Some of my favorites include The Savasana Song by the Bingo Kids, The Namaste Song by Kira Willey, and ALL of the Rockabye Baby Cd's. These peaceful melodies are great for setting a calm & quiet atmosphere for relaxation.
• Toys - While its true, most toys wont help children to relax but in fact produce the opposite effect, there is one toy that I use quite frequently during savasana with my kids. The Hoberman Sphere, which my little yogis know as the breathing ball, is a sphere that comes in several sizes, and it expands to about twice its size, and then shrinks back down. It is a great tool for teaching children how to control and slow their breath. I allow the kids to take turns inflating and deflating the breathing ball by taking a deep breath in, which we call a long slow breath, and a deep breath out. They LOVE to see the ball expanding every time they take a deep breath in. Its also a great way to teach children about our lungs and how they expand with our breath. All around, a great yoga prop for kids! Check out this great video from activity tv to see an example of how to use the "breathing ball".
• Comfort, Comfort, Comfort! When helping your child to relax at the end of a yoga session, allow them to find a position that they feel the most relaxed in. Don't try to force them into the traditional corpse pose where you lie on your back with your arms out and your palms up. While this may work for adults, a lot of children prefer to relax on their bellies, or curled up on their sides, and that's OK! Whatever works for them should be encouraged!
• Stories - Children love stories, whether its something you make up on the spot, or their favorite book. Giving them something to focus on while they relax will help keep them in the moment and stop their little minds from wondering .. even children fall victim to living in the past and the future sometimes .. lets pull them back into the present! Whether you read them a book or sing them a story, give them something to focus on.
• Relaxation Themes: Find a happy & comfortable theme for your child's relaxation. Tell them to imagine they are napping in the sky on a soft white cloud, or floating down a river on a beautiful green lilly pad. Talk them through their relaxation and their imaginations will do the rest!
• The NOODLE TEST! If your kids are regulars here at Powerflow Kids, ask them to demonstrate for you, its every ones favorite and I'm sure they would jump at the opportunity to give a noodle test to mom or dad! Have your kids lie down on the floor on their yoga mat, or on a carpet. Walk them through a full body relaxation by having them focus on one muscle at a time and having that muscle relax, starting with the toes and working your way all the way up to the face. Remind them with each muscle they relax to that we want our muscles to be relaxed and loose like spaghetti noodles. After they have relaxed all the muscles in their entire body, its time for the noodle test! Gently pick up their legs at the ankles and toss them into their air like spaghetti noodles. Catch them on the way down, and repeat! Kids love this test! If the muscles in their legs are nice and relaxed then you will be able to toss and catch their legs without any resistance. If they feel stiff, help them to loosen up with some encouraging words: "relax your legs completely, let those muscles take a nap" or "pretend their asleep". If its hard for them at first, just keep trying, they will catch on!
• Finally, keep in mind that it may be tricky for your little one to relax in the way that you want them to. Try not to force any specific way of relaxation on them - if they prefer to sit upright rather then lie down, let them experiment with that. Maybe they want to keep their eyes open instead of closing them, and that's OK too! Lengthy relaxation periods don't go over too well with kids after a yoga class - 5 to 10 minutes tops and they are ready to get up and do something new!
  

Please feel free to share your relaxation comments, ideas & techniques!