How Yoga Helps Kids Manage Anxiety & Big Emotions (Emotional regulation techniques through movement.)
- Jordan Concannon
- Apr 20
- 14 min read
📑 Table of Contents
🌟 We’ve all seen it: the sudden tears, the tantrum that seems to appear out of nowhere, the quiet withdrawal after a stressful day. For children, especially those still learning how to manage their big emotions, anxiety and overwhelm are real—and they’re more common than many adults realize.
Thankfully, there’s a gentle, powerful tool that children can learn to regulate their emotions: yoga.
At Root and Roar Yoga, we use movement, breath, and mindfulness not just to stretch bodies, but to support the emotional health of growing hearts and minds. In this post, we’ll explore how yoga helps children manage anxiety, process emotions, and return to a place of calm and safety.
😰 Understanding Anxiety and Big Emotions in Kids
Big feelings are a normal part of growing up—but for many children, they can feel overwhelming, confusing, or even frightening. From tantrums and tears to tummy aches and withdrawal, children often express anxiety and stress not through words, but through behavior and physical symptoms.
Anxiety isn’t just something teenagers or adults experience. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), approximately 9.4% of children aged 3–17 in the U.S. have been diagnosed with an anxiety disorder—that’s roughly 5.8 million kids. And that number doesn't even account for the many more children who experience undiagnosed stress or emotional dysregulation due to life transitions, sensory sensitivities, family challenges, or school-related pressures.
The Child Mind Institute also reports that:
“80% of children with a diagnosable anxiety disorder are not receiving treatment.”
This highlights a major gap: children are experiencing real emotional challenges—but may not have the tools or support they need to manage them in healthy ways.
🧠 What Anxiety Can Look Like in Kids
Children don’t always have the language to say, “I’m feeling anxious.”
Instead, anxiety and emotional overload often show up as:
Sudden outbursts or meltdowns
Physical complaints like headaches or stomach aches
Avoidance of certain people, places, or situations
Excessive worry or perfectionism
Trouble sleeping or staying asleep
Fidgeting, restlessness, or hyperactivity
These reactions aren’t misbehavior—they’re signals that a child’s nervous system is overwhelmed. When the “thinking brain” (prefrontal cortex) goes offline, the survival brain (amygdala) takes over—causing fight, flight, or freeze responses.
This is where body-based tools like yoga become incredibly helpful.
🌊 Why Emotional Regulation Is Hard for Kids
Children’s brains are still under construction. In fact, the part of the brain responsible for self-control, impulse management, and emotional regulation—the prefrontal cortex—doesn’t fully develop until a person’s mid-20s.
This means children:
Feel emotions intensely
May struggle to “think through” how to calm down
Need repetitive, physical strategies to learn regulation
While traditional methods like talking through feelings are important, they often aren’t enough on their own—especially in moments of emotional flooding. Kids need tools they can feel in their bodies, not just ideas in their minds.
That’s where yoga comes in: it gives them a safe, repeatable, embodied way to process those big feelings and shift back into balance.
🧪 The Science of How Yoga Calms the Nervous System
At its core, anxiety is a physiological experience—not just a mental one. When a child feels anxious or emotionally overwhelmed, their autonomic nervous system gets triggered. This is the part of the brain responsible for survival—controlling things like heart rate, breathing, and stress responses without conscious thought.
During stressful or overstimulating moments, the body activates the sympathetic nervous system, known as the “fight, flight, or freeze” response.
This can look like:
Increased heart rate
Shallow breathing
Muscle tension
Racing thoughts
Difficulty focusing or sitting still
Children often can’t “talk themselves out” of these feelings because their prefrontal cortex (responsible for logic and regulation) is still developing. What they can do is respond with movement and breath, which gives their body the message: You're safe now.
🧘 How Yoga Interrupts the Stress Cycle
Yoga activates the parasympathetic nervous system—often called the “rest and digest” mode—which helps the body return to a state of calm.
This happens through:
Breathing techniques (which slow the heart rate and lower cortisol levels)
Mindful movement (which helps discharge excess energy and promote safety)
Grounding poses (which help regulate sensory input and body awareness)
Rhythm and repetition (which soothe the brain and provide emotional predictability)
A study in Frontiers in Psychiatry (2021) found that yoga practices reduced cortisol (stress hormone) levels and significantly improved emotional regulation in school-aged children after just a few weeks of practice.
In addition, research from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) confirms that yoga-based interventions increase activity in the prefrontal cortex—the part of the brain associated with emotional regulation, decision-making, and impulse control.
🧠 Yoga and Brain Chemistry
Yoga doesn't just make children "feel better." It literally influences brain chemistry:
Boosts GABA levels – a neurotransmitter associated with calmness and focus
Increases serotonin and dopamine – which help regulate mood
Reduces amygdala activity – lowering the brain’s alarm system for perceived danger
In a world where kids are often flooded with stimulation—from screens, noise, transitions, and busy schedules—yoga acts like a reset button for the brain and body.
💡 The Big Picture
When children practice yoga regularly—even in short 5-10 minute sessions—they begin to:
Recognize the early signs of emotional overwhelm
Use breath and movement to self-soothe
Build neurological pathways for resilience and regulation
Associate their bodies with a sense of safety and calm
And the more often they use these tools, the stronger and more automatic their calming response becomes.
🌀 Why Movement Helps Kids Regulate Emotions
When kids are overwhelmed, anxious, or frustrated, their bodies often react before their minds catch up. You might see them clench their fists, stomp their feet, pace the room, or even collapse into tears. These behaviors aren’t random—they’re the body’s way of processing emotion.
For children, movement is not just physical—it’s emotional and neurological. They often experience feelings in their bodies first, and only later develop the awareness or vocabulary to name and understand what they’re feeling. That’s why movement-based tools like yoga can be so effective for emotional regulation: they meet kids where they are—in their bodies.
🧠 Emotion Lives in the Body
Children’s brains are still under construction, especially the prefrontal cortex (which governs self-regulation and rational thought). Meanwhile, the limbic system—the emotional part of the brain—is already highly active. This means emotions are powerful and intense, but the tools to manage them cognitively haven’t caught up yet.
That’s where the body becomes the bridge.
When a child moves intentionally—stretching, breathing, balancing—they:
Release physical tension
Discharge excess stress hormones (like cortisol)
Stimulate proprioception (awareness of the body in space)
Restore a sense of control over their environment
All of this helps shift them from “out of control” to “back in their body.”
A 2016 study published in The Journal of Developmental & Behavioral Pediatrics noted that children who engaged in regular yoga and movement-based interventions showed measurable improvements in behavior, mood, and stress response—particularly when taught emotion-labeling alongside physical movement.
🔄 Completing the Stress Cycle
Drs. Emily and Amelia Nagoski, in their book Burnout, describe how emotions—particularly stress—create a biological cycle. That cycle doesn’t end when the stressful event is over; it ends when the body receives a cue that it’s safe. For kids, movement is often the most natural and effective way to complete that cycle.
For example:
A child who’s anxious may need to wiggle, stretch, or shake before they can calm down.
A child who’s angry may benefit from strong, structured movement like warrior poses or jumping jacks to release heat and tension.
A child who’s sad might find relief through slow, restorative poses like Child’s Pose or Butterfly Pose paired with deep breathing.
Yoga offers a safe, intentional container for this kind of expression—helping kids release energy in a way that’s regulated, not reactive.
🤸 Movement as a Regulator, Not a Distraction
It’s important to note that movement doesn’t “distract” from emotions—it helps process them. Unlike some behavior management techniques that suppress or redirect feelings, yoga acknowledges the emotion and offers a pathway through it.'
Through movement, children begin to learn:
“I can feel big things—and I can do something about it.”
That’s a powerful lesson in resilience.
Over time, this builds a deeper internal narrative:
“When I’m overwhelmed, I can move my body and feel better.”
“My breath helps me feel calmer.”
“I have tools that help me feel in control again.”
🌿 Why It Works So Well in Kids
Movement-based emotional regulation works particularly well for children because:
Their bodies are developmentally primed to move—they are kinesthetic learners
They process sensory input best when they can engage with it physically
They often feel more in control of their bodies than their thoughts
Movement can be playful and non-threatening, which builds buy-in
Yoga, in this context, isn’t just stretching—it’s an emotional toolbox disguised as play.
And when practiced regularly, it doesn’t just help in the moment—it wires the brain to seek movement-based solutions to stress instead of impulsive or aggressive reactions.
In the next section, we’ll explore specific yoga poses that support this mind-body-emotion connection—so kids can feel empowered to meet their big feelings with calm, strength, and self-awareness.
🧘♀️ Yoga Poses That Soothe Anxiety & Emotions
When it comes to helping children process big emotions or calm anxious energy, not all yoga poses are created equal. Some poses energize the body and mind (great for mornings), while others are specifically designed to calm the nervous system, ground emotions, and regulate breathing.
The following five poses are gentle, accessible, and highly effective for helping kids find emotional balance. These poses can be done at home, in the classroom, or during transitions—and you don’t need a yoga mat or special equipment to get started.
Here’s what each pose looks like, how it supports emotional wellness, and tips to make it engaging for kids:
🌳 1. Tree Pose (Vrksasana)
What it looks like: Standing on one leg, with the opposite foot pressed gently against the standing leg’s calf or thigh. Hands can be at heart center or raised overhead like tree branches.
How it helps:
Emotionally: Boosts confidence, inner steadiness, and focus
Mentally: Requires concentration, which helps redirect spiraling thoughts
Physically: Strengthens core and improves balance
Kid-Friendly Tips:
Say: “Let’s pretend to grow roots into the ground and stretch our branches to the sky!”
Add sound: Encourage them to sway gently like a tree in the breeze
Challenge: Try balancing with eyes closed for a deeper grounding effect
🐢 2. Child’s Pose (Balasana)
What it looks like: Kneeling on the floor, hips resting back on heels, arms stretched forward or tucked beside the body, forehead resting on the ground or a pillow.
How it helps:
Emotionally: Provides a safe, inward space—excellent for overwhelm
Mentally: Encourages stillness and introspection
Physically: Gently stretches the spine and relieves tension in the neck and back
Kid-Friendly Tips:
Use a stuffed animal or pillow under their belly for comfort
Call it “Turtle Pose” or “Rock Pose” to make it playful
Say: “Let’s take three soft turtle breaths while we hide in our shell.”
🦋 3. Butterfly Pose (Baddha Konasana)
What it looks like: Seated with soles of the feet together and knees bent outward like wings. Kids can gently flap their legs or sit still and tall.
How it helps:
Emotionally: Encourages openness, comfort, and self-acceptance
Mentally: Supports calm attention and transitions
Physically: Stretches inner thighs and opens hips (where emotions are often stored)
Kid-Friendly Tips:
Ask: “What color are your butterfly wings today?”
Add rhythm: Inhale as they open wings, exhale as they close
Combine with positive affirmations: “I am calm. I am kind.”
🧺 4. Legs-Up-the-Wall (Viparita Karani)
What it looks like: Lying on the back with legs resting vertically against a wall (or lifted and supported by a chair). Arms rest beside the body, eyes can close.
How it helps:
Emotionally: Signals safety and relaxation
Mentally: Slows racing thoughts and supports quiet reflection
Physically: Improves circulation, eases tired legs, and lowers blood pressure
Kid-Friendly Tips:
Use a pillow or folded blanket under hips for comfort
Dim the lights or play soft music to enhance relaxation
Ask: “Can you imagine your legs floating on clouds?”
🐈 5. Cat-Cow (Marjaryasana-Bitilasana)
What it looks like: On hands and knees, alternate between arching the back (Cat) and dropping the belly while lifting the head and tail (Cow). Match each movement with breath.
How it helps:
Emotionally: Releases built-up tension and supports expressive movement
Mentally: Connects breath and body in rhythm, which soothes overstimulation
Physically: Improves spinal flexibility and digestion
Kid-Friendly Tips:
Add animal sounds: Meow for Cat, Moo for Cow
Encourage rhythm: Inhale Cow, Exhale Cat
Make it silly: “Let’s stretch like happy cows and sleepy cats!”
🌿 Final Tips for Using Poses Effectively
Don’t rush the process: Let each child find their own pace in the pose
Use props: Pillows, blankets, and stuffies can enhance comfort and focus
Pair with breathing or affirmations: “I am calm,” “I am grounded,” “I am safe”
Model the poses yourself: Kids learn through watching, and shared movement builds connection
Let them lead: Invite your child or student to choose the pose they need in the moment
These poses aren’t just exercises—they’re invitations to return to calm, confidence, and connection.
🌬️ Breathing Techniques for Calming Big Feelings
When emotions run high—whether it’s anxiety, frustration, sadness, or sensory overload—breath is often the fastest and most effective tool to bring a child back to center. Why? Because the breath directly influences the nervous system.
By slowing down the breath, we tell the body:
“You are safe.”“It’s okay to let go.”“You don’t have to fight, flee, or freeze.”
Children may not always understand why they’re upset, but when they connect with their breath, they begin to regulate from the inside out.
🧠 The Science of Breath and Emotion
Deep breathing increases oxygen flow, reduces muscle tension, and activates the vagus nerve, which shifts the nervous system into parasympathetic mode (rest and digest). According to the Journal of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology, children who practice controlled breathing regularly show lower levels of cortisol (the stress hormone) and improved emotion regulation in stressful environments.
And unlike some coping tools that require space, props, or privacy, breath is always available. It’s one of the most portable, teachable tools we can give children to handle their big emotions in real time.
🧒 Kid-Friendly Breathing Techniques
Here are five calming breathwork techniques that are especially effective—and fun—for young children. They’re simple, sensory, and designed to work even when a child is already dysregulated.
🎈 1. Balloon Breath
How to do it:
Inhale deeply through the nose while expanding the belly like a balloon
Exhale slowly through the mouth as if deflating the balloon
Place hands on the belly to feel the rise and fall
Why it works:
Encourages diaphragmatic breathing
Slows the heart rate
Teaches kids to breathe from the belly instead of the chest
Fun tip: Say, “Let’s blow up our balloon as big as we can without popping it!”
🐝 2. Bumblebee Breath (Bhramari)
How to do it:
Inhale through the nose
Exhale with a gentle, low “hummmm” sound
Hands can gently cover ears for deeper vibration
Why it works:
Calms the mind and body
Vibrations help quiet internal noise
Great for sensory regulation and self-soothing
Fun tip: “Let’s hum like bees and see how long we can buzz!”
🌈 3. Rainbow Breathing
How to do it:
Hold one arm out like a rainbow arc
Inhale while tracing up the arm
Exhale while tracing down the arm
Repeat with different colors or switch arms
Why it works:
Combines visual focus with breathwork
Helps younger kids stay engaged and on pace
Incorporates imagination and sensory grounding
Fun tip: “What color are you breathing in right now?”
🔢 4. Counting Breath (Box Breathing for Kids)
How to do it:
Inhale for a count of 4
Hold the breath for 4
Exhale for 4
Pause and hold for 4
Repeat several times
Why it works:
Engages the thinking brain through rhythm
Helps reset after tantrums or tears
Builds a structured sense of control
Fun tip: Draw a square with your finger in the air to visualize each count.
🪶 5. Feather or Stuffie Breath
How to do it:
Inhale slowly to make it rise
Exhale to watch it fall
Keep breath smooth and gentle
Why it works:
Provides visual feedback and focus
Soothes the body through stillness
Encourages quiet, restful breathing
Fun tip: Use a favorite stuffed animal and say, “Let’s rock your friend to sleep with your breath.”
🧸 Tips for Teaching Breathwork
Model it first: Kids learn best when you practice with them
Use before, during, or after big emotions: Try during transitions, morning routines, or bedtime
Keep it playful: Use animals, colors, shapes, or sounds
Pair with movement or poses: Tree Pose with “I am steady” breath, Child’s Pose with bumblebee hums
Create a calm corner: Include visuals, breathing cards, or glitter jars for sensory support
Breathwork isn’t a one-time fix—it’s a lifelong skill. With gentle consistency, children learn to pause, breathe, and self-regulate—even in the middle of life’s emotional storms.
💡 How to Introduce Yoga During Emotional Moments
Helping kids access yoga tools during emotionally charged moments requires more than just suggesting a pose—it requires timing, compassion, and trust. Emotional regulation isn’t about forcing calm, but gently guiding the body and mind back to safety.
Yoga can absolutely help in these moments—but only when introduced with patience and sensitivity.
🕒 Timing Matters: Calm First, Yoga Second
When a child is in full meltdown mode—screaming, crying, or shutting down—they’re operating from the survival brain (amygdala), and their reasoning brain (prefrontal cortex) is temporarily offline. In this state, it’s unlikely they’ll be receptive to instructions, deep breaths, or any structured activity—even yoga.
💡 Instead of forcing movement or breath:
Stay present and co-regulate by slowing your own breath
Offer comforting presence, not solutions: “I’m here with you. You’re safe.”
Use gentle physical grounding: a hand on the back, rocking, or sitting nearby on the floor
Once the child begins to settle (even a little), that’s your window to offer something more proactive.
🪴 Choose the Right Invitation
Rather than saying “Let’s do yoga,” try inviting your child into one calming action that feels accessible and pressure-free.
Examples of calming invitations:
“Want to come curl up in Turtle Pose together?”
“Let’s try blowing up our bellies like balloons.”
“Want to sit with me and hum like a sleepy bee?”
“Do you want to try laying with your legs up on the wall like clouds?”
These invitations are less about doing yoga perfectly and more about helping the child reconnect to their body in a soothing way.
🧸 Create Familiarity Before Big Feelings Hit
The best way to make yoga useful during emotional moments is to practice it when kids are calm. This builds muscle memory and emotional trust in the tools, so they’re easier to access when stress levels rise.
Try weaving yoga into:
Morning routines (“Start your day with three balloon breaths.”)
Transition times (“Let’s stretch before starting homework.”)
Bedtime wind-downs (“Try Turtle Pose to relax your body.”)
Playtime (“Let’s make our bodies into animals with yoga!”)
The more familiar these tools are, the more likely your child is to choose them on their own during tough moments.
🧠 Empower Kids with Choice & Voice
Offering yoga should always be a choice, not a command. Phrases like “You need to calm down” can feel invalidating or even escalate stress. Instead, validate their feelings and offer options.
💬 Try saying:
“It’s okay to feel upset. Would it help to move your body with me?”
“Sometimes stretching makes my big feelings feel smaller—want to try that together?”
“Would you like to pick a pose or breath to help your body feel better?”
This approach fosters emotional autonomy and teaches kids that they are active participants in their own regulation—a skill that builds long-term resilience.
🧭 Build a "Calm Down Toolbox"
Whether at home or in the classroom, create a physical or visual space where yoga and breath tools live.
This could include:
A cozy corner with mats, pillows, or blankets
Yoga pose cards or stuffed animals to mimic
Visuals for breathwork (like feather breaths or rainbow tracing)
Headphones with calming music
A glitter jar or sensory bottle
You might say:
“This is your calm-down corner. When you have big feelings, this is your safe space to stretch, breathe, or rest.”
When children associate yoga with safety and choice, they begin to build trust in these tools as their own—not something they’re told to do.
Yoga during emotional moments isn’t about discipline—it’s about connection, regulation, and healing. When we teach kids to move through their emotions instead of shutting them down, we give them tools that last far beyond childhood.
🌟 Big emotions are a normal part of growing up—but children shouldn’t have to navigate them alone or without tools. Yoga offers a safe, body-based way to manage anxiety, reset the nervous system, and build lasting emotional resilience.
At Root and Roar Yoga, we believe that every child has the power to breathe through the storm, find their calm, and return to center. Yoga isn’t just about movement—it’s about teaching kids how to feel and deal with what’s inside.
And that’s the heart of lifelong emotional well-being.
Stay groovy little yogis,
Jordan
📚 Sources & Further Reading
Frontiers in Psychiatry – Yoga Interventions in Schools
Journal of Child and Family Studies – Yoga and Emotion Regulation
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