Yoga and Kids

It’s hard to be a kid today. Our children today live in a hurried stressful world of busy parents, academic pressures, video games, and competitive sports. They are spending an increasing amount of time looking at screens or working on schoolwork. We usually don’t think of these influences as stressful for our kids, but often they are. The bustling pace of our children’s lives can have a profound effect on their innate joy—and usually not for the better.

Yoga has become quite mainstream for adults in recent years. Have we considered sharing the practice with our children? Is yoga good for kids?

Yoga can benefit kids significantly, and in some ways, possibly even more so than it nourishes adults. When yogis developed the asanas many thousands of years ago, they still lived close to the natural world and used animals and plants for inspiration—the sting of a scorpion, the grace of a swan, the grounded stature of a tree. When children imitate the movements and sounds of nature, they have a chance to get inside another being and imagine taking on its qualities. The physical movements introduce kids to yoga’s true meaning: union, expression, and honor for oneself and one’s part in the delicate web of life.

Here are just some of these benefits of yoga for kids:

Yoga is non-competitive: In today’s world, we hear so much about being the best and achieving the most. Yoga teaches kids that their bodies are different; different bodies do different things and all of them are okay. There is no one better or worse at yoga than anyone else; we are all just exploring our bodies and learning from them in our own way. Yoga is truly for everybody.

Breath Control: Breath control can help children feel more in control of their brains and bodies. Young kids deal with frustration most typically by crying and throwing tantrums. Most of us take shallow breaths, so when we concentrate on taking nice deep breaths, the extra oxygen gives our bodies a kick. When they learn proper, healthy breath‐ ing techniques and tools to focus the mind, they begin to learn how to apply those tools in their everyday lives and to react appropriately to any situation.

Deep breathing exercise: Take five slow, deep breaths through the nostrils, rest for five regular breaths, then take five more deep breaths.

Concentration /Focus

We live in a world of distractions. More and more these days, kids seem unable to focus on anything for any decent length of time. Yoga can help with that. It teaches kids to be present, and to concentrate and focus on their breathing. They learn how the breath can help them throughout the day, in any situation.

Yoga improves concentration and attention span, while teaching focus. When kids concentrate on their breath or feel a stretch in their arms, they learn body awareness. This teaches them to keep their minds in one place, instead of all over the place. They learn to focus on the pose by learning correct body alignment, and in so doing, learn to focus on their bodies and how they function—guiding each limb or part of the body through the nuances of the pose.

Mountain Pose: Stand up straight with feet together. Spread the toes and straighten the legs without locking the knees. Ground down by pushing through the feet and lift through the head, making sure to face forward, keeping your head level. Hold for 10 deep breaths.

Confidence

 Kids gain confidence by trying new poses and developing new skills. By learning self-control and self-calming techniques, they are likely to grow confident in interacting with other children.

Roaring Lion Pose (Simhasana): Kids love this pose because they get to make a funny face and roar like they own the jungle. Kneeling on the floor with their bottom resting on their calves, have them place their hands on the knees and sit up straight. Open the mouth, close the eyes, wrinkle the nose and extend the tongue as far out and down as possible. Inhale and then breathe out with a forceful ROARRRRR. Repeat five times. When they assume the pose of the lion (Simhasana) for example, they experience not only the power and behavior of the lion, but also their own sense of power: when to be aggressive, when to retreat.

Calmness

The routine of yoga can be calming to kids, especially when they practice the same postures and become confident doing them. Once the kids get on the mat, they are focused on their breathing and what their bodies are doing. Holding a pose is hard work, both mentally and physically. Start with deep breathing and then pick eight or 10 postures to practice. Once your kids get those down, replace a couple of the postures with new ones. If possible, practice the postures in the same order every time for consistency.

Child’s Pose: Kneel down and sit on the feet with the knees separated. Place the forehead on the ground in front of the knees, curving the spine. Arms can extend forward or be placed back beside the body. Keep those hips down! Relax and breathe deeply for two to five minutes.

Yoga teaches self-acceptance

In the same way that it provides children an opportunity to learn something that is non-competitive, it also teaches kids to accept and cherish themselves as they are. Again, with society sending so many messages of inadequacy, yoga teaches kids to love themselves .This incredibly valuable lesson arms kids with the tools to fight off the increasing feelings of self-doubt that come during the teen years and beyond. It has been found that yoga can help counter these pressures. When children learn techniques for self-health, relaxation, and inner fulfillment, they can navigate life’s challenges with a little more ease. Yoga at an early age encourages self-esteem and body awareness with a physical activity that’s non-competitive. Fostering cooperation and compassion—instead of opposition—is a great gift to give our children. Children are actually natural yogis. Their innate trust in others, combined with their lack of inhibitions, allows them to receive the teachings of yoga and grow from them in inspiring ways. Adults have a lot to learn from the way children receive yoga! If we can lead them there, they will not only benefit, but they will enjoy it immensely.