- J Sunitha
As is widely known, Yoga is an art and science of healthy living. Let’s see the role Yoga plays in the lives of children.
Kids are active and quick learners. Through Yoga, their energy can be channelized in proper way, and this will eventually help them move ahead in their lives with a positive goal in mind. Children are like seeds which grow into a beautiful tree if provided with proper sunlight and water. If we sow the seed of yoga at an early age they will grow into healthy adults. Yoga should be incorporated as a habit at an early age, so that it becomes a part of their lives.
Kids derive enormous benefits from yoga:
Improves Focus: Yoga creates focus within the mind and essentially helps kids use their ability to focus on the task at hand. When they do any posture, they need to focus on the their alignment. A focussed mind is always stable and leads to the achievement of goals.
Improves Social Relationship: For kids, their yoga practice is a social one., typically including stories, songs, games and other activities that help them learn together. This creates a positive environment, where kids have fun, talk to each other and learn to trust one another.
Improves Sleep: When one practices yoga, it relaxes the body and mind, hence resulting in a sound sleeping pattern. It helps kids relieve their stress by using their breath to calm their minds and nervous systems.
Improves Strength and Breath Control: With regular practice, children’s strength and stamina increases gradually. Yoga teaches them how to synchronise their breath with each and every posture. This steady and controlled breathing helps kids to gain strength while learning how to control their breath.
Increases Determination: Yoga is a fun activity for kids in a non-competitive environment. Kids love the feeling when they learn something new. This feeling leads them towards practising advanced asanas to gain mastery over it.
Improves Self-Regulation: Yoga builds children’s ability to control thoughts, behaviour and emotions based on the situation. Self-regulation helps kids solve problems and adjust to new challenges.
Improves Independence and Coping Skills: Yoga is both a social and an individual activity. Kids rarely do things on their own; yoga teaches them to be independent and builds their confidence. When kids get into any posture on their own, they gain a sense of independence and next try to do various things on their own. This would help them take independent decisions as they grow.
Improves Mood: Practising yoga helps kids to reduce negative thoughts, be calm and happy and feel good about themselves. Improving mood means reducing stress and anxiety. Yoga helps them learn how to balance their positive and negative emotions.
All these benefits make it clear that yoga is an important tool for our children’s physical, mental, and spiritual well-being. Practising yoga is something we do ourselves, as adults, to help us unwind and reduce stress. Why shouldn’t we do the same for our kids?
During yoga sessions, children exercise, play, connect deeply with their inner selves and develop an intimate relationship with the natural world that surrounds them. Yoga brings the marvellous inner light of children to the surface. Considering all these reasons, the question is not “why yoga for kids?” but rather, “why not yoga for kids?”