The Benefits of Yoga for Kids
To purchase this book, click here
Yoga is all the buzz right now, but its actually been around for a very long time! Yoga’s origin can actually be traced to northern India over 5,000 year ago! It’s an ancient practice that focuses on breathing and flexibility to strengthen physical, mental, and spiritual well being.
There are many benefits in incorporating yoga in your life, and also you children’s lives as well. Many schools participate in yoga within the classroom or gym classes. At the Joshua Tree Community, where I volunteer with disabled adults, we have an amazing teacher who offers a weekly yoga class for all of us. Our teacher will play soft music, students are responsible for retrieving their mats, blocks, and blankets…the students’ stuffed animals are invited to yoga as well. Our teacher Shachiko will lead us in chair yoga, standing poses, floor positions, and relaxation techniques. Last week she brought clean lavender scented towels to lay over our eyes, it was such a wonderful experience.
Here are ten benefits of introducing yoga to children:
Manage anxiety-The gentleness and serene environment of yoga, whether in a studio, classroom, or home environment allows students to participate in a healthy form of stress management.
Emotional regulation-Students are invited to clear their minds, push aside their worries, and be present, peaceful, and mindful.
Self-esteem-Children will develop a healthy relationship with their body. They will find out that their body can do amazing things! This provides student with confidence, a sense of personal empowerment, strength, ability, and accomplishment!
Body Awareness- Students who may struggle with gross motor skills, can practice spatial learning, balance, and coordination in various movements. They will start to use and stretch new muscles and be in tune with their body.
Concentration & Memory-There is a variety of yoga poses for children to practice. Knowing these poses helps to practice memory recall and their involvement in hitting and holding a position with concentration will be a skill that can transfer to other areas of their learning as well.
Develop Strength & Flexibility-The best benefit of yoga for any age, is the flexibility and strength it builds over time. This helps to eliminate injury , soreness from exercise, and general well being.
Focus & Discipline-Yoga is a special practice and really a lifestyle for many people around the world. The formality of attending a class, listening to a teacher, practicing, reflecting, and honoring its practices sets a great example for kids in how to approach other areas of their life.
Breathing-So many of us breath through our mouth. Research has shown that it is best to breath through our noses. Nasal breathing can alleviate so many ailments like allergies, anxiety, inflammation, sinus infections, and more. Breathing techniques in yoga can instruct students how to control their breathing and use it as a tool to calm themselves down, a necessary skill for every area of life.
Social Skills-Yoga is just plain fun! Practicing yoga with friends is super special because sometimes the poses are silly, and kids generally have fun, laugh, and enjoy the company of others.
Self-motivation-Yoga is the type of exercise that you can do anywhere…outside, inside, at school, in your personal room, etc…by learning yoga it teaches students to be self-motivated for their own self care, which is a skill that can stay with them their whole lives!
With so many benefits for children to learn yoga I have attached some new reading and yoga materials for you to introduce to your children. I highly recommend the book titled The ABCs of Yoga for Kids written by Teresa Anne Power, a yoga instructor for over twenty-five years. The book has a yoga pose for every letter of the alphabet and the illustrations are beautifully created by illustrator Kathleen Rietz of Chicago.
Teresa Power also has created learning cards with the yoga poses and also a poster to hang in your classroom or home. Makes for a perfect center for your children to explore yoga on their own!
To learn more about the author and illustrator of these materials ….visit the two websites below:
To purchase this poster, click here.
To purchase these yoga cards, click here.
