Some moms use yoga as a form of exercise, stress release, and socialization. However, many parents don’t know that yoga for kids can be equally beneficial for their children.
Kids deal with distractions and forms of overstimulation that can lead to stress, anxiety, and other difficulties. Yoga’s set of physical, mental, and spiritual practices can provide numerous benefits to a child’s well-being.
Learn how yoga can positively influence your little one’s life and how to get the whole family involved.
Helps Kids Manage Stress
Kids deal with more stress than many adults assume.
This pressure can come from academics, sports, peers, and numerous other origins.
Yoga offers relaxation, meditation, and breathing exercises that help reduce stress and anxiety.
Even intense forms of yoga have soothing, calming qualities.
The practice also teaches kids how to deal with stress in a healthy, non-destructive way.
Physical Strength and Flexibility
The physical benefits of yoga for kids are some of the most palpable.
It won’t be long before your child sees improvements in her or his physical strength, balance, coordination, and flexibility.
Yoga’s physical movements can also help your child maintain a healthy weight and reduce the chance of injury.
Develops Focus and Awareness
Yoga requires mindfulness, as kids learn about the movements their bodies can do and how to breathe deeply through them. They discover how to connect what they hear to what their bodies do.
Healthy body awareness can help kids breathe better and gain confidence while offering other benefits of yoga for kids, such as improved posture.
Yoga For kids Promotes Discipline
The mental benefits of yoga can have physical effects.
Kids learn about discipline by clearing their minds to perfect yoga poses.
Their ability to discipline themselves in their yoga practice can help at home, in the classroom, and beyond.
Yoga for kids also provides a physical outlet for kids to temporarily remove themselves from stressors and express themselves.
They can release challenging behaviors in the safe space of their yoga practice.
Develops Memory And Concentration
Yoga for kids is far more than physical movement. Mastering poses requires kids to memorize movements and focus on performing them correctly.
Some forms of yoga involve flowing through a series of poses, one immediately after the other.
The memorization and concentration skills kids learn through yoga can help them in the classroom and in life.
Yoga For Kids Boosts Self-Esteem
Through their yoga exercises, kids learn that they can perfect a pose or improve their flexibility and accomplish those goals.
The goals that kids achieve through yoga — whether large or small — can help increase confidence and promote a positive self-image.
Yoga is empowering.
Tuning Out In A Constructive Way
Many kids (and adults) tune out stressors and anxiety by turning to their electronic devices.
Yoga offers a healthy alternative for tuning out the world through intentional physical movement, relaxation, and mindfulness.
Get the Whole Family Involved
Yoga dates back to ancient India, more than 5,000 years ago. Time has proven that yoga can be physically, mentally, and spiritually beneficial for kids and adults of all ages.
About 37% of adults who practice yoga have kids who practice, too. Practicing yoga with your family can also deepen your connections. Here are some ways to practice yoga as a family:
- Practice kid-friendly yoga poses, such as mountain pose, tree pose, warrior pose, and cobra pose
- Perform yoga poses from a yoga book for kids
- Practice some of the many yoga games for kids found online
- Sing songs while integrating yoga poses as movements
- Encourage older children to create new yoga poses
- Practice partner poses with your spouse or older kids to establish trust by supporting and balancing with each other
- Enroll in a family yoga class
Final Word
The benefits of yoga for children are evident whether you practice with your little ones at home, they practice at school, or you attend a family-friendly class together.
All you need are the correct techniques and a positive attitude to improve your children’s lives through the ancient practice of yoga.
For more information about yoga for kids, check out the accompanying resource.
This infographic was created by Kids Car Donations, donate your car for kids
<a href="https://kidscardonations.org/" target="_blank">Kids Car Donations</a> is a national organization that accepts vehicle donations to better the lives of children. The organization partners with a number of well-known nonprofits serving children and teens who are confronted with physical, mental, and emotional challenges to provide the care they need.
