When my daughter was young she loved doing yoga. Before school each morning she and I would take 10-15 minutes to do yoga together before leaving for preschool and eventually elementary school. This was not only a great bonding time for us, but a great way to start off each school day to help calm her anxiety. Yoga for kids can be so much fun, but they are also filled with important tools that children can use throughout their lives. They can learn increased body awareness, grow in strength and flexibility, and also learn self-calming and emotional regulation skills. Read on for some other benefits of yoga for kids.
Yoga can help your child in school
How can it help my child you wonder? Research shows that the deep breathing exercises your child does during yoga may improve their focus. By concentrating on their breaths they are able to keep their minds focused and undistracted. With better concentration can come better understanding of school subjects and possibly higher grads.
Yoga teaches compassion for others
When children practice yoga, they increase their ability to be aware of their own thoughts and emotions. This awareness helps them think about how they behave with others and, in return, helps them to become more compassionate and empathetic towards others.
Yoga improves their overall wellbeing
With mental health becoming a worldwide issue, especially in children, there are a number of situations in which yoga can help. Regular yoga practice can help a child's overall mental health including anxiety, depression, ADHD, anger management issues, and special needs.. It's been shown that children that practice yoga were better able to regulate their emotions and have better self esteem.
Yoga can help develop your children's creativity
Yoga poses are all related to nature in some way. By imitating animals, trees, or other creatures children can imagine what it feels like to be one. For example they may feel the rise and fall of the tummies like a slumbering bear, they may sway like a palm tree or curl up like a pill bug.
Yoga promotes healthy bodies
During yoga, children are practicing stretching, strengthening, breathing and building their coordination. Yoga has been shown to improve a child’s flexibility and increase blood flow.
