This blog post will give you tips on how to nurture your inner child with yoga. It may be a helpful supplement to your mental health work. This guide is not meant to substitute mental health therapy, diagnosis, or treatment.
Taking My Inner Child to Yoga
Today, without intending to I took my inner child to yoga.
I firmly believe that we all have parts. Now, how each of us identity with or recognize those parts is personal. In psychology, we have a few theories that give meaning to those parts (more later).
Today, in therapy I wanted to work with my inner child. It might sound strange, but you have a childlike state inside of you. And working with that part of yourself can create PROFOUND shifts.
After therapy, I rushed off to join a yoga class. In the hubbub to transition from one thing to another, I forgot to transition back into my adult state. So, I took my inner child to yoga.
But I realized something very special in my yoga practice today – my inner child LOVES yoga.
And I bet your inner child loves yoga too.
Nurturing Your Inner Child with Yoga
Photo by Thiago Cerqueira on Unsplash
What do I mean when I say, “nurturing your inner child?”
Nurturing your inner child means giving yourself the things you needed as a child: self-nurturing, validation, emotional support, comfort, and permission to express whatever feelings are present.
Essentially, inner child work is connecting with the child inside of you. And when you find them, getting curious about what they needed, wanted, and loved.
Inner child healing is offering yourself those things you missed out on as a child. And you offer those things from the safe adult part of yourself. You get to be your own caretaker.
How to Nurture Your Inner Child
What did you love as a child? Was there anything you desperately wanted that you never received? As an adult you can give your inner child those things.
It’s amazing how healing that act of self-love can be.
You might be thinking how quickly something like that can get out of hand. I promise you, that is not the case. It’s actually the opposite that is true.
When we ignore our inner child (or another part) they choose inopportune times to make themselves known and heard. And it’s usually unconscious.
A few examples of what happens when we ignore the needs of our inner child:
- Excessive spending on luxury items
- Binge eating unhealthy food to the point of discomfort
- Emotional outbursts that seemingly come out of nowhere (yeah, your inner child can have temper tantrums)
There are safe ways to meet your inner child’s needs. And yes, it can feel a little “crazy” at first. But no one has to know what you do to nurture yourself in the privacy of your home. Give yourself permission to get weird.
Why Yoga is Nurturing for Your Inner Child
Kids are flexible, active, joyful, expressive, creative, playful, engaged, present, and compassionate.
Yoga allows us to access that part of ourselves.
How I Nurtured My Inner Child with Yoga (and How You Can Too)
Next time you go to yoga, notice what your inner child loves.
I noticed straight away my yoga teacher’s calming (nurturing) voice.
And then I noticed the big permission slip my inner child was given to play and self-express through movement. You might be able to guess the first pose I choose to go into: child’s pose.
Throughout class I allowed myself to show up. I sighed loudly. I breathed audibly. A few tears even made their way onto my mat. (What a gift to have such a safe yoga space in my community.)
At the end of class, one thing was clear to me: I have been coming here for my inner child all along.
As I laid my body on my mat and spread my limbs wide (we call that “taking up space”), the teacher asked if we needed anything. I raised a hand and without having to ask the yoga teacher mouthed, “blanket?” I nodded an enthusiastic yes.
Then, this lovely nurturing yoga teacher draped a blanket over my entire body. She tucked the edges of the blanket beneath my feet, and gave my ankles a gentle squeeze.
And then my inner child took a lovely little “yoga nap.”
Talk about nurturing.
Working With Parts
In the field of psychology, we have a couple of ways we work with parts. Each of the following examples comes from differing theoretical modalities. See which one resonates for you.
The Id, Ego, and Superego
The first idea of parts came about with Dr. Sigmund Freud’s idea of the id, ego, and superego.
Your id is your childlike state. It wants what it wants and demands it. It can be impulsive. The id is not governed by society. It is governed my inner desires, wants, and needs.
The ego is essentially what you might think of as yourself. This is the adult-like part of you that is governed by rules, morals, and values. It has the ability to say “no” to the impulsive wants, needs, and desires of the id (most of the time). It also has the ability to say “no” to highly structured, rigid, superimposed values and morals that restrict self-expression and limit pleasure or desire.
The superego can be thought of as the super self-conscious, judgmental, and morally driven part of you. You might think of it like a helicopter parent, overly concerned with health and well-being and rather risk-averse.
Ego States
In ego states work, you might separate your parts into three categories: parent, child, and adult. And simply put, you can liken them to Freud’s theory.
The childlike part is similar to the id. The ego is the adult state. And the superego is the parent.
Now, there is a whole lot more to this. You can research more into transactional analysis if you’re curious.
Internal Family Systems
Perhaps, the most popular form of working with parts in modern psychology is Dr. Richard Schwartz’ model of Internal Family Systems (IFS).
Instead of looking at parts of self across the developmental trajectory, the parts of self are broken up into parts of personality that might represent a family system.
In a nutshell, the parts are as follows:
- Self: ideally, self is the ultimate leader. Self represents the most authentic expression of an individual. One goal of IFS is for an individual to become “self-led.”
- Managers: the manager’s role is protective. You might think of this part like a defense mechanism.
- Exiles: exiles represent shameful parts of self often developed and hidden as a result of trauma.
- Firefighters: a firefighter’s job is to hide the exiles at all costs. Firefighters create distractions any time an exile is threatened to be exposed.
How to Nurture Your Inner Child with Yoga
Photo by Johannes Plenio on Unsplash
However you understand the childlike part of yourself is not what matters. What matters is you have a way to access that part of yourself.
You might even approach your inner child the same way you would a child in the external world. Take some time to get to know them. Make a list of everything they like.
Then, you can start figuring out what your inner child needs. It might be helpful to research what a child needs:
- What are a child’s emotional needs?
- What are a child’s boundaries or physical needs?
- How can you help your inner child to soothe and regulate? (Hint: the same way you would a child in real life)
The only difference in inner child work is you’re giving your inner child these things from your adult self, and you’re doing it internally.
Mindfulness
You can use mindfulness to show your inner child that you’re safe now. Show them your home, your pets, your friends, your chosen family. You might even get out photographs representing safe places and people.
Whenever you are in a space that feels truly safe and secure, take a moment of mindfulness to show your inner child. You might even say, “see, you’re safe here” or “I can protect us now.”
Why Yoga is So Nurturing for Your Inner Child
Bodily Autonomy
In yoga, we use physical postures (asana) as one facet of the practice. But in a truly trauma-informed yoga class, there is room for bodily autonomy and self-expression. Every pose is a choice. You can choose what feels best in your body or you can choose a different pose altogether.
If your physical boundaries were not respected (or were violated) as a child, yoga can feel like a safe way to inhabit your body. But don’t be surprised if that feeling of safety does not come right away.
Simply practice recognizing and honoring what does (and does not) feel good in your body. Start to understand how to regulate your own nervous system.
Nurturing
Nurturing can come both from the self and from others. You nurture yourself when you do things that feel good (and stop doing things that feel bad). I nurtured myself when I asked my yoga teacher for a blanket. She nurtured me when she safely draped the blanket over me (meeting my needs like a parent might for a child).
There are so many ways we can nurture our bodies. Gentle, safe movement is one. Slow, calming breathing is another. And existing in spaces that make us feel safe and supported is huge.
Take Your Inner Child to Yoga
So, I took my inner child to yoga today.
In fact, I think she might have been guiding me there all along. I can see why she loves it, and I plan to take her back again.
I hope you find a yoga studio and a teacher that allows you to nurture your inner child. If not, practice finding moments of playful movement in your day. Use your breath to nurture your inner child.
Your inner child is worthy and deserving of love and nurturing. Especially if they did not get it as a child. Lucky for them, they have you now.
About the Author
Olivia Lynn Schnur is a professional writer, Licensed Mental Health Counselor, and Certified Yoga Teacher. She writes about healing, health, and happiness to inform, educate and inspire readers.
What to Read Next
- Everything You Need to Know About Reiki Healing
- What is Yin Yoga?
- No Bad Parts by Richard Schwartz, PhD
- Easy Ego State Interventions by Robin Shapiro