The 2024 theme for International Yoga Day is “Yoga for Self and Society.” Providing a holistic approach to health and well-being, yoga has been proven to assist in restoring balance in our busy lives.
International Yoga Day was officially adopted by the United Nations in December 2014 after the Indian Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, gave a speech proposing that the day fall on June 21st to align with the Northern Hemispheres summer solstice – the longest day of the year.
While yoga has been known in the past for bringing improved posture, flexibility, and balance to adults, it has grown increasingly popular for children over recent years with benefits proven to encourage physical health, build on emotional regulation, improve concentration, boost confidence, and increase social skills.
Unsurprisingly, children’s yoga is very different to any kind of yoga session you would attend as an adult. Most children’s yoga sessions incorporate games, storytelling, and singing to assist with their shorter attention span. Children’s yoga sessions often are a mix of practicing yoga poses suitable for younger children and song and dance.
At Children First Early Education, we believe so strongly in the benefits we have seen through children’s yoga that we have yoga as a weekly extracurricular at 5 of our centres located across Queensland, Victoria, and South Australia – and it is included in our daily fee.
Children First Windsor Gardens uses their weekly yoga session to increase children’s confidence, and concentration and build mindfulness at the end of their busy week.
The children at Children First Mitcham start their week off on the right foot with yoga to help build concentration, reduce stress, and expand awareness of their minds and their bodies.
Children First Evanston Park offers children’s yoga on a Tuesday at their centre where their instructor, Nicole, teaches breathwork and stretching through a number of fun and engaging activities.
Recently, our Children First Windsor Gardens centre have opened their yoga sessions up to their local community with a new initiative - “Mums and Bubs Yoga.”
During Mums and Bubs Yoga, a qualified yoga instructor comes to the centre to host new mums and their babies for a number or fun activities that can help babies to control their own movement and assist with future developmental milestones such as moving around and crawling. It is also a great opportunity for these new mums to get some gentle exercise postpartum and meet like-minded individuals.
Places for our Mums and Bubs sessions at Children First Windsor Gardens are strictly limited. To find out when our next session is, keep an eye on our Facebook page.
Are you looking for ways to celebrate International Yoga Day with your family? Why not try out some of these common yoga poses and test your skills!
We are proud to provide children’s yoga as an extra-curricular included in our daily fee at the following centres:
- Children First Mernda
- Children First Mitcham
- Children First Salisbury Downs
- Children First Windsor Gardens
- Children First Evanston Park
By incorporating yoga into our weekly routine, we are providing children with invaluable tools to navigate life’s challenges with grace and resilience and guiding them towards a healthier, happier, and more balanced future. Namaste!
If you are interested in finding out more about our children’s yoga program and other extra-curriculars we offer as part of our early education program, please phone us on 1300 004 111.
