Newlyweds in Kids Yoga Class
Oct 29, 2019
Last week in my after school Yoga class, I saw two kids who couldn't keep their hands off each other. Typically this happens with siblings but it turns out these two only just met at this Yoga class. They were like "newlyweds." At ages 8 and 9 years old, I could feel the charge buzzing between the two of them. Human connection is as important to our wellbeing as food and water.
In some parts of the class, this is appropriate - games and partner poses. In others, it is not - silent sitting and guided relaxation. As a teacher, you can assess the situation and decide to let them be or to ask them to stop or invite them to sit in separate areas of the class.
Some helpful questions to make this decision:
- Is this promoting healthy social relationships?
- Is this disruptive to other kids in the class?
- Are the kids involved open to the experience or not? Some times one kids is very interested in this connection and the other is not.
As a kids Yoga teacher, we are sharing Yoga techniques and we are also navigating and nurturing social relationships. It's not like an adult class where each student sits silently on their own mat. Kids' classes are much more dynamic and one of the benefits IS social development.
It brought up an interesting conversation around group dynamics in Yoga class. This includes BFFs, frenemies, siblings and strangers.
Interested in getting in on the conversation? Ohana members have a Facebook group for these kinds of discussions. Not a member yet? Check it out for two weeks free!
