Yoga For Kids
Most of the moms I talk to nowadays complain about how screens are ruining their kids’ concentrations levels. They also complain that kids don’t go out to play as they used to in their times. Of how there is little or no active physical activities their kids engage in. These are all the reasons I think yoga for kids is now more important than ever.
While other forms of exercises have come and gone, yoga is an ancient form of exercise that is still very popular after 500 years. With yoga, you can practice a healthy lifestyle with the entire family.
Benefits of Yoga For Kids
Yoga for kids isn’t just another form of exercise; it helps your kids to:
Build Concentration
If you ask my opinion, I don’t blame the kids. Even adults have problems with concentration. That’s because there are simply too many distractions in our world now.
Yoga helps the kid to take some time off from all these distractions. Simply by just sitting and breathing, you are helping your kids to concentrate. You take all the gadgets and toys away. Let them focus and concentrate. With a better concentration, your child will have better results in almost all aspects of life.
Develop a Healthy Mind and Body
Yoga for kids is a non-competitive, free-flowing exercise. The purpose of yoga is two-fold. It’s a workout for both the mind and body. The stretching and the movement allow your body to tone muscles and develop strength. The deep breathing relaxes your mind and puts you in a state of meditation.
Manage Stress
One of the very well-known benefits of yoga includes managing stress. Yoga allows us to connect with your spiritual self. This helps us come to peace with ourselves and the world around us. It uplifts our mood and allows us to relieve our stress.
We aren’t aware but our kids are facing stress on a number of levels. According to the American Psychological Association, one in every three children, between the ages of 8 to 16, are facing stress-related headaches. 44 percent face difficulties in sleeping.
That’s partly because life has become increasingly competitive. The competition that our children are facing translates into stress. Stress in kids can lead to anxiety, depression and in extreme cases suicidal tendencies.
If you are looking for yoga to manage stress for your kids, you should particularly focus on breathing exercises, guided imagery, and meditation.
Promote Calmness
By managing stress, and improving the mind-body connection, yoga helps kids to come at peace with their world. They start applying the rules of yoga, like breathing techniques, to help them deal with difficult situations. Yoga for kids has shown some very positive results for kids suffering from autism, ADHD, and other behavioral problems.
Self-Awareness and Confidence
Through yoga, kids learn a lot about their bodies and the mind. They learn to use their bodies to achieve spiritual peace.
Learning and mastering a pose helps them gain confidence. They become aware of what their bodies and minds are capable of. This is like a great awakening for kids.
Balance and Coordination
Yoga is all about balance and coordination. The impossible balances that we see yogis performing come after years and years of practice. They disconnect their mind from the outside world and put their entire mind in balancing and stretching their body. By indulging in yoga for kids, we help them develop balance and coordination early in life.
Yoga Poses for Kids
When you start yoga for kids, initially you might find it difficult to get the kids to practice. Start with these beginner yoga poses:
Note: Hold each pose for 4-5 seconds.
Cat Pose: Get down on all rounds. Round your back and tuck your chin in your chest. Meow like a cat.
Cobra Pose: Lie down on your tummy. Place your palms hand down, next to the shoulder. Pressing into your hands, lift your head and shoulders and look up at the ceiling. Hiss like a snake.
Resting Butterfly Pose: Lie down on your back. Bend your legs and join the soles of your feet together. Put your arms by your side. Breathe deeply and let your body relax.
Kangaroo Pose: Stand tall with your feet hip distance apart. Bend your knees and hop like a Kangaroo.
Happy Baby Pose: Lie on your back. Draw your knees toward your chest. Hold your feet with your hands. Lightly rock back and forth.
Boat Pose: Lie down on your tummy. Bend your knees and reach your hands to catch your feet. Hold your feet and rock gently like a boat.
Downward Facing Dog Pose: Stand tall. Now bend down and place your hands flat down on the ground. Step back with your feet to create a downward facing dog pose.
Remember to keep yoga for kids fun and simple. Make it a family fun activity. And do update us with pictures and stories of your family yoga adventures on our Facebook Group.
