Fact: Children will exercise if adults, teachers and other role models encourage them to participate in an active, healthy lifestyle (including exercising with them). My blog this week is about why kids love to do yoga, and the broad range of benefits (some you may not have considered). I'll list many of them here for you.
1. Yoga assists in relaxation, which children are especially in need of these days.
2. It increases their awareness of their bodies, helps develop flexibility, self-control and coordination.
3. Yoga decreases hyperactivity and poor concentration skills.
4. It redirects and channels impulses for movement and sense motivation.
5. Yoga inspires balance, calmness and confidence for our children.
6. It's fun to teach children different yoga poses. They love to do poses including stretching like animals; such as, the frog, lion and the cat stretch.
7. Children enjoy these animal poses, and find themselves laughing and smiling (healthy practice).
8. They enjoy the breathing techniques, but children do not like keeping their eyes closed for certain poses.
9. Children love lying on their backs at the end of their yoga time, listening to the music.
10. They are very visual, and can easily imagine themselves walking on a beach, or being somewhere they love during the end of their calming yoga time.
11. Yoga allows children to relax, and takes the load and pressures many of them carry off their shoulders.
12. Children love to sing, so it's fun to include music and some singing, chanting during their yoga time. It gives them a chance to express themselves through music.
13. Include some small group yoga moments where children can interact, improving their social skills, teamwork skills and cooperation with one another.
14. Additional benefits of kids doing yoga include improving their ability to focus, concentrate and do better in their schoolwork and homework. Test-taking skills are improved, their stress levels are managed more efficiently and their behavior is improved.
After all the above benefits that come from giving our kids a chance to do yoga, it's clear that yoga is definitely a good thing for them.
If you are teaching kids yoga, remember to throw in some fun animal poses, musical chanting and singing, and give them a chance to do some peaceful visualizations. Your kids will love it! Remember, these yoga experiences will encourage good habits, positive attitudes and a lot of fun for our children.
