Partner Poses make yoga even more fun for youth!
Yoga is often viewed as an individual activity. This is understandable since a person practicing yoga does so on one’s own mat. You definitely do not need anyone to practice yoga’s elements: positions, meditation and breathing. You can, however, enjoy yoga with others, such as many people do, in a class setting. On top of that, if you have a partner, you can perform partner poses. Youth of all ages enjoy this! Not only does it add to the fun factor of a yoga class, especially for youngsters pictured above (ages 3 and 4), but it allows many other components to enter the yoga experience.
Using partner poses allows yogis to move from independent choices to socialized choices. In a partner pose, students work on their balance, breathing, strengthening and flexibility just as they have done independently on their own mats. They also work on communication, compromise, cooperation and collaboration – all extremely important life skills. Using partner poses in youth yoga classes from these preschoolers to teens has been a great success in my classes! I have enjoyed watching students as much as they have relished in the engaging postures themselves!
April 2022