Yoga’s increasing popularity in recent years should come as no surprise, more and more people are beginning to take the initiative and work on their physical and mental health, and nothing does it better than a well-developed yoga routine.
With plenty of both physical and mental stimulation, yoga’s mass appeal is that it can be done anywhere, so no matter whether you decide to attend an instructor-led yoga class, or just do a basic routine by yourself in your room, then you’ll be on your way to self-improvement in no time.
Whether you’re a beginner or a seasoned yogi, learning new poses is always a fun way to switch up your usual routine, which means that it’s always a great idea to try and discover new poses to try.
Trying to get your children involved with yoga can sometimes be difficult, but by keeping the routines fresh and fun, they’ll be sure to love it.
The flower pose is one the best yoga poses to learn for children, and can help with increasing flexibility, and for releasing tension in the body, which is also healthy for the mind too.
So, if you want to learn more about this pose, including how to perform it, what its benefits are, and what to watch out for when doing it, then this guide is for you.
Let’s get started, shall we?
What Is The Flower Pose?
The Flower Pose has many different names, and can also be known as the Vikasitakamalasana Prep, or the Flowering Lotus Prep. This pose is a seated yoga posture that is perfect for helping to open up the hips and engage the core and abdominal muscles.
This pose is often used as a preparation pose for a number of other poses too, including the more advanced pose, the Vikasita Kamalasana (Blossoming Lotus Pose).
While it can be done by yogis of any skill level, it’s worth ensuring that whoever is doing the pose has already had experience with mastering a couple of foundational poses beforehand, such as the Balancing Bound Angle Pose (Dandayamana).
This will help to make them more aware of the muscles involved with performing the pose, as well as the right breathing techniques too.
This pose is great for helping to get your children into yoga too, especially since it will allow them to feel how much of an effect that routinely performing a pose such as this is able to increase their balance, core strength, and will help to set them on the right path to developing their skills further.
This pose is also sometimes referred to as a transitional pose, which means that it can be used to move from one pose to another, and therefore is an extremely versatile pose for any yogi’s routine, young or old.
It is worth noting that this pose can require a certain amount of patience and concentration, which might make it a little bit tricky for a child, but so long as they’re disciplined in their practice, it should be no issue for them to perform this pose.
While slightly challenging, this pose is inherently beautiful, and is a fun pose for your children to perform as they turn themselves into blossoming flowers!
What Are The Benefits Of Flower Pose?
A child’s coordination and balance can develop quickly as they begin to grow up, so by allowing them to participate in yoga, and perform poses such as the flower pose, they’re able to increase their mobility and flexibility in a safe environment.
In addition to this, children who frequently practice yoga are typically much better at regulating their emotions and coping with stress in a healthier way too. This means that teaching them new yoga poses is always a great way to aid in their development.
The Flower Pose is a pose that features a wide variety of benefits, both for the body and mind, which is why it’s such a great pose to teach children early on in their life as a yogi.
Firstly, as we’ve already mentioned, this pose is great for opening up the hips, and helping to engage the abdominal and core muscles in the body, which is a great way of improving balance.
More specifically, the pose’s major target is the hip flexors. For kids that sit at school desks for most of the day, or at home playing video games all evening, then it’s natural for them to experience tightness or stiffness in their hips.
This pose helps to relieve all of this tightness and tension in the hips, as well as in the lower back and legs too, which will also help to improve their mobility and flexibility, so they can have fun for longer.
For children who are often anxious or stressed, then the relaxation techniques and breathing that are a major part of this pose are a great way to help them ease and relax their mind, bringing them a deeper feeling of serenity and well-being.
Nowadays, many children often suffer from poor posture, which can lead to further complications down the line, such as bad spinal alignment, back pains, and even headaches, so encouraging them to practice yoga on a regular basis is a great way to help combat this issue, and the Flower Pose is one of the best poses to do this, thanks to its focus on maintaining an upright posture.
As you can see then, this pose has a whole host of fantastic benefits that make it a necessary inclusion into the yoga routines of yogis, no matter how old they are, so if you think that they’re up for the challenge, then it’s time for them to get learning how to do this pose.
In the next section, we’ll take a closer look at how to perform the Flower Pose!
How To Perform A Flower Pose
Now that you’re more familiar with the pose, as well as the various benefits it can bring, then it’s time for you and your children to learn how to perform this pose, so that you can do it wherever you are!
So, here’s how to do it:
- Step 1: To begin, place a yoga mat on the floor, and sit down, with your legs extended out in front of you.
- Step 2: Then, bend your knees, and bring your feet towards you, placing them against one another so that they form one shape.
- Step 3: Move your hands down to your ankles and ensure that you have a solid grip on them, ensuring that your fingers are facing forwards.
- Step 4: When ready, you’ll need to begin to lift your hips off of the floor, which will help to engage the core and abdominal muscles.
- Step 5: Hold this position for a couple of deep breaths, keeping your back straight, body balanced, and core engaged, before relaxing again.
This is the most basic version of the pose, and should be enough for most children to reap the benefits of this pose. However, if they’re good enough, and want to challenge themselves even further, then they can continue on to perform the more advanced version of this pose too.
- Step 6: Using purely the strength of your core, release your hands from your ankles, and then bring your legs up to balance on your forearms.
- Step 7: To ensure that you’re providing your legs with plenty of support, bend your elbows slightly, which should also help to keep your body properly aligned too.
- Step 8: From here, you can concentrate on honing your breathing, ensuring that each of your breaths is deep and meaningful, and try to become aware of each aspect of your body working hard to keep you in this position.
- Step 9: To relax out of the pose, return your hands to the ankles and re-assume the basics of the version of the pose, holding it for a couple of breaths, before re-extending your legs back out in front of you again.
The separation of this pose into two different stages, basic and advanced, means that it doesn’t matter what skill level you or your child are at, you should be able to perform some form of this pose, and reap those incredible benefits!
Modifications For The Flower Pose
While the separation of the pose into two stages should help to make it more accessible for people of different skill levels, if you find that your child is struggling to perform even the basic form of this pose, then don’t worry, as there are a number of modifications that can be made to ensure that your child is able to complete this pose!
The first modification you can make to the pose is great for those who are finding it difficult to lift their hips off of the ground, which is a result of weak core strength, something that only comes with practice and patience.
For this, instead of trying to lift both legs and the hips off of the floor at the same time, then instead have them lift just a singular leg and rest it on the opposite outstretched leg, while still holding it, and keeping their back straight.
The second modification is perfect for those finding that their hips are particularly tight, or for those that have bad balance, and find themselves falling out of position every time they try to assume this position.
Find something that is big enough to support your child under their hips, this could be a rolled-up blanket, a foam block, or even a pillow, and as they lift up their hips, place it underneath them.
This should help them to remain in the position for the necessary time without causing too much strain on their hip flexor muscles, or without them losing balance. As their strength increases and their hip flexors become more relaxed and open, they can then begin to assume the full pose.
So, if you notice that your child is having something of a hard time when it comes to this pose, then it is worth trying out one of these modifications, which will allow them to develop their strength and balance, before moving on to the proper pose in the future.
Poses To Incorporate Alongside The Flower Pose
If the Flower Pose has gone down as something of a success in your yoga household, then you might want to try some of these other poses too, which can be smoothly incorporated into you and your child’s daily yoga routine.
- Butterfly Pose
- Downward-Facing Dog
- Tree Pose
- Mountain Pose
Hopefully you have fun trying out both the Flower Pose, as well as these accompanying poses too.
Things To Watch Out For When Performing This Pose
As with any yoga pose, there are a number of things you should try to be aware of when performing the pose, and if your child complains about any of these issues, then you should ensure that they stop the pose immediately, and take enough time to recover before they do any more yoga.
- Joint Pain: Children’s determination is sometimes adorable, but if forcing themselves into a pose is causing them any form of joint pain, then they need to stop immediately.
- Knee Strain: One of the most common issues people of all ages encounter with this pose in particular is the fact that it can cause a lot of pressure on the knee. If their core is strong enough, and their foot remains flexed, they shouldn’t have an issue, but if the pose is done improperly, then this can become a problem.
- Overstretching: While the Flower Pose is excellent at opening up tight hip flexors, it can also be easy for a child to overstretch when doing the pose, especially as the hip becomes more relaxed. So be sure to remind them that they should only go as far as feels comfortable for them.
- Falling: Since this pose does require them to balance, if your child doesn’t have a particularly great sense of balance, then there’s a small chance that they might fall over. This pose should always be done on a comfortable yoga mat, in a clear and open space, so that they don’t knock anything if they do fall.
- Improper Alignment: Much of the emphasis of this pose is about maintaining proper alignment at all times, and is also the key to ensuring that their yoga practice is both safe and effective. They should be sure to avoid any sudden twisting to torquing of their body at all times.
In order to help ensure that your child doesn’t encounter any of these issues when performing this pose, it’s a good idea to remind them that there is no need to force themselves, and that they should stop if anything hurts.
By creating a sense of trust between you and your child, and not pushing them into poses they can’t perform, you’ll be able to ensure that every yoga session is a fun one!
Who Should Avoid This Pose?
While this pose is an accessible one, which means that most people should be able to perform it, it’s worth noting that there are still a number of people who should stay away from the pose no matter what, as it might prove to be dangerous.
So, here’s a guide to who should avoid this pose:
- Children With Knee/Hip Injuries: If your child has suffered from a knee or hip injury recently, then it might be a good idea to keep away from this yoga pose for some time. While it’s good for loosening the hip flexor again, it also places a large amount of exertion on the knee and hip, which can worsen the injury if you’re not careful.
- Children With Balance Issues: While this pose is great at aiding in the development of a child’s balance, if they have particularly poor balance, and struggle to keep themselves in the pose without falling, then it’s best to avoid the pose. There’s still a chance that they might fall and injure themselves seriously, so try other poses instead.
- Children With Pre-Existing Medical Conditions: If your child has a known pre-existing medical condition that has an effect on their mobility then you’ll definitely want to avoid this pose. Try consulting with your child’s doctor or assigned medical professional for advice to see if it’s a pose that they’d be allowed to do before attempting it.
Final Thoughts
We hope that this comprehensive guide to the Flower Pose is able to help you and your child incorporate something fresh and fun into your daily yoga routine.
As long as it’s performed properly, this pose can have a number of great benefits for both the mind and body, and is one that will be sure to help deepen your child’s love for yoga even more.
So, what are you waiting for? Try it out today!
I created this website to help newcomers to yoga and enthusiasts alike, and to share our common passions for yoga.
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