The first year of life for a new, tiny human is an extremely important time for development, during which you need to help your baby develop their muscles. The toddler years are also vital, as they continue to develop and build upon that first imperative year. Thankfully, helping your little one in this area is by no means a chore for yogis. Even if you are new to yoga yourself, it’s an easy and beneficial strategy that will benefit both you and your child. In addition to muscle building and coordination, it’s a great opportunity to bond and reconnect.

Benefits for Your Bouncing Baby

When you introduce your baby to yoga, it should revolve around gentle movements, soothing touch, and calming rhythmic sounds. With a mat on the floor for baby’s comfort and protection, place them on their back and help ease him or her into gentle poses, like the butterfly. You can also move their arms and legs to practice range of motion. This one on one time is a great way to bond with your baby, as well as learn what movements help comfort them. As you continue this practice of yoga, combine it with additional means of calming and soothing your baby such as rocking or swinging for a while before sleep. Over a short period of time, your little one will soon recognize this as their bed time routine, which helps support quality sleep. Practicing these healthy sleep habits will also continue to help them throughout their lifetime.

Yoga for Your Tenacious Toddler

While babies are natural yogis, toddlers have developed muscles that allow for more movement and varying poses. Just as yoga can be calming for babies, toddlers (even hyper active ones) can learn to associate their routine with recentering themselves too. Sure, their attention span is short, but implementing different yoga movements can assist in that area. Not only does it burn off some of their energy, but it helps them learn to follow instruction, practice listening skills, and more. Allow your toddler to try to copy a yoga pose without physically correcting them, this way they learn better self-coordination. It’s also ideal to steer away from highly structured/rigid routines, and to keep things short and sweet, 5-10 minutes of yoga. Long routines and lots of rules are more frustrating than anything. Be loose, and have fun. 

Whether you choose to introduce yoga to your child from birth onwards, or you’re looking for  a supplemental activity to help your toddler’s coordination, yoga is a perfect activity. Set your own pace, and enjoy!