Tree Pose, or in Sanskrit, Vrikasana, is the first balancing pose we teach children beginning around the age of 3.
We haven’t met a child yet that doesn’t love Tree Pose!
Tree Pose helps to develop strength, balance & body awareness.
Begin Tree Pose in a strong Mountain Pose.
Feet are 2 fists worth of space apart, toes pointed forward.
Ask your students to keep a bend or a bounce in their knees.
Lengthen the spine, ask the children to grab an imaginary string on the top of their head and pull them selves up tall.
Lift one foot, placing toes on the ground and heel against the standing leg.
Encourage the children to use a wall or a sturdy desk as support. Next, ask the children to lift their foot and place it on their lower leg, right along their calf muscle.
Make sure your children/students never place their foot on their knee or next to their knee.
When your children/students are ready, you can ask them to grab their ankle and lift their foot to their upper thigh.
Encourage your students to squeeze their foot into their standing leg and push their standing leg into their foot.
As you move your foot down to a lower tree position, ask the children to stand up tall like a Tree.
Make sure to practice Tree Pose on both sides.
As your children/students gain strength and balance, begin to add on to tree pose by lifting the arms to the sky, maybe swaying them back and forth just like tree branches blowing in the wind.
If your children/students are ready for a challenge, ask them to maintain tree pose with their eyes closed.
Tree Pose can be a lot of fun when done with a partner.
Begin by having your students hold their hands up, fingers together.
Next, the children can join their hands, palm to palm offering support to each other. Ask the children/students to keep their fingers straight and together, not clasping hands.
If you would like to add positive self talk in your Tree Pose practice, ask your children/students to say “I Can Do It!” while their muscles are engaged in a strong Tree pose.
You could also teach Tree pose with a lesson in identifying tree species. Or in a Science lesson about photosynthesis.
Remember to make yoga & mindfulness time with your children/students your own. Keep it simple and always practice with the children!
Check out http://www.kidsvirtualyoga.com for more about children's yoga & mindfulness.
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