We don’t generally consider children as having stressful lives, but when you think about how busy they are and we are as well, always rushing around to school, sports, lessons and so on, we can begin to appreciate that they are under significant pressure. This can definitely have a negative effect on their lives in many areas.
Yoga can help children deal with these pressures and learn techniques to help them to face life’s challenges more easily. Yoga is a non-competitive activity that can foster self-esteem and awareness of one’s body for youngsters. Kids can learn methods for relaxation, inner peace, and self-health. This can help them develop compassion and cooperation as opposed to opposition.
Yoga is an excellent way to develop a child’s physical and mental strength. This is a good way to increase the body’s flexibility and stamina. Yoga focuses on breathing exercises and meditation to enhance your overall health and well-being. These yoga poses are beneficial for kids because they help improve posture, increase balance, and improve coordination.
Physically, the benefits of practicing yoga for children range from improving flexibility to enhancing strength and coordination. Their sense of calmness, relaxation, and concentration also improve.
Kids yoga is great for overall body health. It is proven to help kids to relieve stress and anxiety, and also helps improve their strength and energy. The best part of it is that you do not have to spend money on a new trainer because you can teach your kids yoga at home with the help of a few simple techniques. You will soon see your kids practicing yoga in their free time.
Many yoga poses derive their inspiration from animals and plants. When children are given the opportunity to imitate the movements and sounds of nature, it is not only very enjoyable, but it also gives them the chance to experience, for example, the power of the lion, the grace of a swan, or the grounding of a tree. This introduces kids to the true essence of yoga: union, expression, and honor for oneself and others.
In teaching yoga to children, instructors have found that an interactive, multi-disciplinary approach works very well. The yoga asanas can be expanded upon to playing and imitating various plants and animals. This can be further explored with storytelling, games, picture drawing, and playing musical instruments. The children can appreciate the use of their bodies and minds and how they can interact in play. Their natural tendency towards creativity and curiosity makes these classes fun and effective.
Yoga classes for children that take this multidisciplinary approach are indeed an excellent learning experience. Kids are provided with the opportunity to explore their innate abilities across many planes: linguistic, logical, visual, musical, kinesthetic, naturalistic, interpersonal and intrapersonal.
The great challenge in teaching kids is to be able to hold their attention. Fortunately, kids love to be in motion and they love to talk. They can do both of these in a yoga class and they will love playing with various animals, trees, flowers, cobras, and warriors. The instructor should allow them to let go and roar in the lion pose, bark in the dog pose, meow in a cat stretch, and hiss in a cobra.
Standard lessons can be integrated into a kids’ yoga class as well. Reciting their ABCs or practicing counting their 123’s can be a lot of fun while holding a pose. Children love the release of making sounds and their yoga classes will allow them to connect an auditory experience to a physical sensation. Providing a responsive, creative, and loving environment in a yoga class will help children to discover the world on their own and is an optimal method for instruction. Their minds can be engaged as they perform animal and nature asanas to deepen their awareness. When they’re snakes (Bhujangasana), invite them to really imagine that they’re just a long spine with no arms and legs. Could you still run or climb a tree? In Tree Pose (Vrksasana), ask them to imagine being a giant oak, with roots growing out of the bottoms of their feet. Could you stay in the same position for 100 years?
The many benefits of yoga: stillness, balance, flexibility, focus, peace, grace, connection, health, and well-being can be imparted to children in an interactive and pleasurable way that creates the foundation for a life-long practice. Children will be given the opportunity to express themselves and learn important principles such as reverence for life and the interdependence of all beings.