That's Awkward

Oct 11, 2023

Children are fascinated with their bodies and how they work.  Bring an anatomy book into a kid’s yoga class and you will be met with “oohs” and “ahhs” as well as a few exclamations of “gross!”  They are interested to learn not just from seeing the images, but also by doing new things with their bodies and exploring developing skills. 

It’s around age 8 that disparate gross motor skills begin to blend into more elegant, coordinated movement. It states in child development texts that children ages 8 to 10 years old, “like to assume awkward positions”. 

A favorite awkward yoga pose is Crow. Most adults struggle with this arm balance and may never be able to do it, whereas children often get it within the first few tries. If not, they are excited to keep trying until they do get it.

This is one reason the practice of yoga is so appealing to children.  They get to explore their body’s potential through movement. Gentle alignments as needed keep the exploration safe and fun. Putting your body into awkward positions also helps to develop confidence and courage.  There is an element of risk in bending backwards, an element of surrender in folding forward. I love watching the transformation from trepidation to elation when a child tries an “L Pose” handstand against the wall for the first time.

Daily life typically includes a limited range of motion.  We live our lives in a range the size of a box in front of our chest from the elbows to the eyes. Scrolling, reading, eating, driving or riding the bus is all done within this box. Even when we do move out of this box, it’s rarely to the full extent of our range of motion.

These “awkward” yoga poses dramatically increase that range of motion and allow one to be freer in the body.  With this freedom comes a greater sense of security along with more freedom in life.