Warrior Yoga Pose for social emotional learning

Warrior poses that kids LOVE

I have been in the kids yoga orbit for more than a decade.

I can tell you one thing, warrior helps kids feel powerful.

Warrior poses can help kids deal with strong emotions, remember their strength, feel grounded, and to take up space.

In this article, find many instances of warrior poses from the content I have produced, photos of children we have taught, and of teachers demonstrating variations of the pose.

Everything you want to learn about warrior poses for kids, you can find here.

Warrior pose for social emotional learning (SEL)

Early in my career, I would do workshops for teachers in schools where they were trying to find a a way to help kids move through emotions. As social emotional learning was becoming more prevalent, my studies showed me there was a lot of cross over between mindfulness, yoga, and SEL.

On the slide below, a combination of mantra (affirmation), breathing style, and a yoga pose (warrior 2) that a child can do when they feel ready to recover from sadness. Remember, never cover over a feeling or skip over processing it, only help kids move on from the feeling once they are ready so they don't get stuck there. Let kids share how the exercise felt for them when they are done, and remember, these activities are NOT a one size fits all. 

 Warrior 2 pose -

Mantra: "I am brave"

 

Reverse Warrior / Peaceful Warrior Warrior Pose for Kids

Mantra: "I am peaceful"

Kids doing airplane pose / warrior 3

Here you see children testing their balance in airplane pose, a variation on warrior 3.

Warrior 1 Pose 

Mantra - "I feel powerful"

Side angle lunge pose for kids

Mantra -"My heart is open to change"

Kids Doing the Side Angle Lunge (a sister pose to warrior 2)

This photo was taken during a free class we offered as a community service during the COVID19 pandemic.

Warrior pose sequence for kids (and adults!)

Warrior 1 to warrior 1 to warrior 3

**take your time, work on your balance, and practice them separately before linking them together

 Find many of the warrior poses in the Love and Compassion Lesson Plan and the EmpowermentLesson Plan

  

Here I am in warrior 2!

Chair Warrior 2

It's important to be inclusive. We are grateful there are variations of this pose to include more people! We found a great illustration of warrior pose in a chair from Kids Yoga Stories, thanks Giselle!

Yo Re Mi Kids Yoga shares a great warrior pose video

Benefits of Warrior Poses for Kids 

1. Strength
2. Flexibility
3. Focus
4. Balance
5. Spatial Awareness
6. Feeling calm and alert
7. Feeling powerful

For more instructions and complete lesson plans, visit our shop!

Share you favorite warrior sequence or warrior pose with kids stories in the comments!

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Love,

Lara