TLDR: Kids today are overstimulated and under-regulated and it’s impacting their ability to focus. This article explores why attention is a body-based skill, not just a mental one, and how yoga poses like Tree, Warrior, and Child’s Pose can help children develop real focus, balance, and self-regulation. Includes classroom-friendly instructions, pose variations, and videos to help you get started right away.

Ever feel like your students can’t focus for more than five seconds?

It’s not them – it’s their nervous systems. Between increased screen time and jam-packed academic schedules, kids today are living in a world that moves faster than their brains are designed for. Overstimulating shows, constant notifications, and quick dopamine rewards make it harder for children (and adults!) to slow down and stay present.

Even our classroom routines often emphasize doing “more, faster.” Add in less time for creative play and outdoor movement, and you get a generation of learners who are overstimulated and under-regulated.

Yoga changes that. It gives children a way to tune in instead of constantly tuning out through breath, movement, and mindfulness.

Don’t feel like reading? Watch our vlog on YouTube!

Why Kids Struggle to Focus

We’ve created an attention crisis for kids, and now it’s up to us to fix it. Recent studies confirm what many teachers already know: overexposure to digital media is linked to shorter attention spans, poor sleep, and higher anxiety levels in kids (AAP, 2016). A 2022 study in Frontiers in Psychology also found that kids who move less and scroll more struggle with focus and self-regulation.

Meanwhile, physical education and play-based learning are disappearing from many schools. The 2024 U.S. Report Card on Physical Activity gave children and youth a D- in daily physical activity, with only 20–28% of kids getting the recommended hour each day.

Movement and attention are deeply connected. Children literally learn through motion. So when a kindergartner fidgets or zones out, it’s often about biology and not behavior.

That’s why yoga is more than a “nice extra” for the classroom. It’s an essential tool for rewiring developing brains for focus through rhythm, breath, and mindful movement.

How Yoga Builds Focus & Concentration

Yoga isn’t just exercise — it’s brain training for kids. Unlike many activities that rely on external stimulation, yoga invites children to notice what’s happening inside: their breath, balance, posture. These skills light up the same brain regions responsible for focus, working memory, and emotional regulation.

Whether they’re balancing on one foot or breathing in sync with a group, children are learning to pay attention in real-time. Studies support this:

One study found that kids practicing yoga twice a week had improved attention and emotional regulation over those doing traditional P.E.
The NIH reports yoga can enhance memory, academic performance, and mental focus in children.
Even breathing alone helps: alternate nostril breathing balances both brain hemispheres (ResearchGate, 2017).

Focus is a skill, not a switch — and these five yoga poses and sequences can help kids build it.

Yoga Poses That Help Kids Build Focus

1. Focus in Jungle Cat (Bird Dog)

If your students can’t focus, start with their bodies — not their brains. Jungle Cat, also known as Bird Dog, may look simple, but it builds coordination, concentration, and core strength. Reaching one arm forward and the opposite leg back is a cross-lateral movement—meaning it activates both sides of the brain—which is especially helpful for children developing coordination, concentration and balance.

When kids reach one arm forward and the opposite leg back, their brain is doing complex work:

Integrating the left and right hemispheres
Activating core muscles
Building proprioception (body awareness)
Strengthening the spine

How to teach Jungle Cat:

Start in tabletop position (hands and knees, shoulders above wrists, hips above knees).
Inhale and extend the right arm forward and the left leg back. Keep the hips level.
Exhale and curl inward, bringing elbow and knee to touch underneath the body.
Repeat 3–5 times, then switch sides.

Variations:

Add animal play! Ask: “Can you prowl like a jungle cat?”
Use a small stuffed animal on the child’s back to encourage steadiness.
For younger kids, simplify by just reaching one arm or leg at a time.

Classroom tips:

Encourage children to move slowly and mindfully. The control required to hold and transition through this pose builds both physical and mental stillness—perfect before a learning activity or after transitions. Try practicing along with our Jungle Cat video on YouTube Kids!

2. Balance in Tree Pose

Want balanced kids? Teach them how to focus in tree! Tree Pose is one of the most powerful yet accessible yoga poses for kids. It strengthens balance and focus while giving children an embodied experience of steadiness and growth.

At first glance, it’s simple: stand on one leg, grow tall. But in practice, Tree Pose is a powerful tool for teaching attention, confidence, and body awareness.

How to Teach Tree Pose

Start by planting both feet in Mountain Pose — standing tall, arms by the sides, gaze forward.
Shift weight onto one foot.
Gently lift the opposite foot and rest it on the ankle or calf (avoid the knee).
Bring hands to heart center or stretch them overhead like strong, leafy branches.

Ask kids to pick one still spot to focus their eyes — this helps anchor their attention and steady their balance. The more they focus, the steadier they become. It’s a simple and effective way to turn physical stillness into mental clarity.

Kid-Friendly Variations:

Make it imaginative! Ask:
“What kind of tree are you?”
“Are you swaying in the breeze? Standing strong in a storm?”

Add gentle arm movements like “swaying branches” for coordination.
Try closing one eye to increase challenge.
Pair up for partner trees and practice cooperation.

Encourage group creativity by forming a forest together — if one tree wobbles, others help hold them up. This builds not only body awareness but also classroom community.

Tree Pose teaches focus not through correction, but through play. It shows children that attention is something they can grow — with patience, imagination, and a steady breath.

3. Build Perseverance in Eagle Pose → Warrior 3 → Tree Pose

Got kids who give up easily? This sequence teaches perseverance one balance at a time.

In a world where it’s easy to get frustrated and give up, especially when something feels challenging, we can help children build grit, patience, and confidence through movement. The Eagle → Warrior 3 → Tree sequence is one of our favorites for nurturing persistence and showing kids that trying again is how we grow stronger.

These three balance poses build progressively, each one encouraging focus, breath awareness, and coordination. Together, they offer an embodied lesson in perseverance, where wobbles aren’t mistakes but learning moments.

How to Teach this 3-Pose Sequence:

Eagle Pose:
• Stand tall in Mountain Pose.
• Cross one leg over the other (foot can rest beside or wrap behind the calf).
• Cross arms at the elbows and press palms together.
• Bend knees slightly and find a steady gaze.
Warrior 3:
• Unwind gently from Eagle.
• Extend arms forward like wings.
• Reach one leg long behind, hinging at the hips until the torso and leg are parallel to the ground.
• Engage the core and breathe steadily.
Tree Pose:
• Slowly return to standing.
• Place the back foot onto the inner ankle or calf (avoid the knee).
• Bring hands to heart or reach up like branches.
• Focus on an unmoving point to stay balanced.

Variations for Kids Yoga:

Use a wall or chair for extra balance support.
Let kids choose their favorite “animal arms” or turn Warrior 3 into a flying bird or airplane.
Invite students to breathe in each pose with affirmations like “I am focused,” “I am strong,” or “I can try again.”

This three-pose flow encourages resilience through movement. Each wobble is a reminder that balance takes practice — just like learning, listening, and growing do. When we make space for imperfection, we build space for growth.

4. Grab Kids’ Attention with Half Moon Pose

Are your kids zoning out? The secret to attention isn’t sitting still. Half Moon Pose (Ardha Chandrasana) is one of our favorite ways to build focus through dynamic balance.

This pose invites children to open up their bodies while asking both sides of the brain to work together in harmony. It’s light and playful on the outside…but inside, it’s deep concentration and coordination in action.

Balancing in Half Moon requires strength, spatial awareness, and proprioception. Kids must engage their core and stabilize while expanding wide, which brings them right into the present moment. It’s a challenge they can feel and one they’ll want to master.

How to Teach Half Moon Pose to Kids:

Begin in Warrior II, with the front foot forward and arms stretched wide.
Place the front hand on the ground or a block just in front of the front foot.
Slowly lift the back leg, straight and strong, parallel to the floor.
At the same time, raise the back arm toward the ceiling, creating a “T” shape with the arms.
Keep the gaze down for balance or look up to increase the challenge.

Kid-Friendly Variations:

Wall Support: Practice against a wall to help with alignment and balance.
Block Under Hand: Use a yoga block or book to support the lower hand if the floor feels too far away.
Bend the Lifted Leg: For a more playful version, bend the top knee and pretend to wag a tail or flap a wing.
Imagination Play: Turn it into a rocket ship flying through space or a star lighting up the sky!

This pose teaches that focus isn’t about being still. It’s actually about steady effort, body awareness, and the courage to try something wobbly. Practice half moon in our Firefly kids yoga activity on YouTube Kids!

5. Reset in Child’s Pose

When your classroom feels like chaos…start here. In a noisy, overstimulated classroom, sometimes the most powerful thing we can do is pause.

Child’s Pose is a gentle, grounding shape that offers kids a chance to rest, reset, and regulate. The best part is that kids can do this pose anywhere, no fancy equipment or yoga mats required.

It’s more than just a resting pose. When a child folds inward, forehead to the floor, arms resting or reaching, their body is activating the parasympathetic nervous system, which is the part of the brain that signals safety, calm, and restoration. That’s why Child’s Pose can be such an effective classroom tool for managing big feelings and bringing energy down.

How to Teach Child’s Pose:

Start on hands and knees (tabletop position).
Gently bring the hips back toward the heels.
Arms can stretch forward or rest by the sides.
Forehead lowers toward the floor or a stacked hands/pillow for support.
Breathe slowly and quietly.

Kid-Friendly Variations:

Turtle Shell: Invite kids to imagine they’re curling into a safe turtle shell to take a rest.
Rocking Pose: Gently sway side to side or breathe into the back body.
Partner Pose: Have students sit back-to-back and then take turns moving into Child’s Pose to feel connection and shared stillness.
Guided Relaxation: Add a chime, singing bowl or peaceful music to provide a calming auditory anchor.

Child’s Pose gives children permission to view slowing down not as punishment, but self-care. Just 30 seconds in this position can change the energy of the whole room. It’s an accessible, inclusive tool to help kids practice mindful rest and build emotional resilience.

Want to use Child’s Pose in your next class? Play our Sleepy Lion Game! Kids start curled up in Child’s Pose as a “sleepy lion,” then rise into Upward Dog with a big ROAR. It’s the perfect combination of breath, movement, and imagination.

6. Balanced Breathing for the Brain

Want to teach kids focus? Start with a breath that balances the brain. Before we can ask students to focus their minds, we need to help them calm their bodies and nothing does that faster than breath.

Balanced Breathing, also known as Alternate Nostril Breathing, is one of the most effective techniques for improving attention, emotional control, and classroom readiness.

Breath is the only automatic function of the body that we can also control — and when children learn to notice and guide their breath, they gain access to a powerful tool for self-regulation. Balanced Breathing in particular is known to activate both hemispheres of the brain, bringing coordination, clarity, and calm.

How to Teach Balanced Breathing:

Invite children to sit comfortably and upright.
Demonstrate alternate nostril breath:
- Gently close one nostril with a finger, breathe in through the other.
- Switch sides to exhale.
- Continue alternating for several rounds, breathing slowly.
Use simple language and visuals for younger learners: “In one side, out the other.”

Variations For Kids Yoga:

Palm Flip Breath: Instead of touching the face, flip one palm up and one palm down. Inhale through the upward palm, flip both, exhale through the new upward palm. It’s visual, bilateral, and engaging for all ages.
Feather Breath: Hold a tissue or feather and breathe in, then blow out slowly to see it move.
Sound Breaths: Pair the breath with a quiet “humm” or “shhh” on the exhale to lengthen and soothe.

The beauty of breathwork is that it’s always available. Whether you have 60 seconds or a full class period, Balanced Breathing helps children feel centered and in control. Over time, they learn that their breath is a tool that they can return to anytime they feel overwhelmed, scattered, or stressed.

Ready to bring breath into your classroom? Watch our Balanced Breathing activity on YouTube Kids!

Supporting Focus from the Inside Out

What if focus isn’t something we demand from kids but something we help them grow?

We ask children to “pay attention” every day, but focus isn’t an on/off switch. It’s a skill and, like any skill, it’s developed through practice, encouragement, and the right environment.

The yoga practices we’ve explored—Jungle Cat, Tree, Warrior, Half Moon, Child’s Pose, and Balanced Breathing—aren’t just stretches. They’re playful, powerful tools that help kids regulate their nervous systems, build mind-body awareness, and strengthen their capacity to concentrate.

And it doesn’t take a full class period. These poses can be used as quick resets, energizers, or transitions right in your classroom or therapy space. Even a 2-minute breathing break can shift the energy of a room and help a distracted group come back to center.

When we give students a chance to move, breathe, and connect with their bodies, we’re not pulling them away from learning…we’re helping them prepare for it. Focus begins in the body, not just the brain. And when we nurture that foundation, kids feel more grounded, more capable, and more ready to learn.

Ready to Bring This Into Your Classroom?

If you’re nodding along and thinking, “Yes, this is what my students need” — we’d love to support you.

At Yo Re Mi, we help educators like you bring calm, creativity, and connection into the classroom through music, movement, and mindfulness.

Our Children’s Yoga Teacher Certification is 100% online, self-paced, practical, and designed with real classrooms (and real schedules) in mind. You’ll get everything you need to start right away:

Simple, playful yoga tools to support focus and regulation
Ready-to-use activities and lesson plans
Strategies for classroom management, transitions, and trauma-informed care
A supportive community of educators who get it

You don’t have to be a yoga teacher or a musician. You just need the heart of an educator who believes in joyful, embodied learning. Let’s redefine what focus feels like…one pose, one breath, one empowered teacher at a time.

Learn More about Kids Yoga Certification

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