Why yoga for children? Yoga for Kids

Why is yoga for children so important? Nowadays children are too busy and that creates stress. In addition to going to school all day, they have sports and other activities, and also homework in the afternoons when they get home…..

The practice of yoga is important to them for many of the same reasons that it is important to adults. It helps them relax, relieve stress and anxiety, sleep better, and improve emotional control and moods.

The practice of yoga teaches children to be more aware, that is, to see the various situations they go through and the thoughts and emotions they generate, from a broader perspective.

There are many very effective exercises that can be learned in the best yoga courses for children , which help them to be more present, more anchored in the here and now, and thus away from repetitive thoughts that create tension and negativity. .

Children are in the process of learning what stress is and how to handle it. It is up to us to provide them with effective and appropriate tools to help them manage their emotions, especially in conflict situations.

Here are 7 incredible benefits of yoga for children 

1.    Yoga improves memory and cognitive functioning

Some yoga poses, particularly balance poses, require a high level of concentration.

When children practice yoga, they are essentially practicing their ability to focus on the task at hand. In their daily lives, this translates into greater ability to focus and improved cognitive functioning in school, which translates into better academic performance.

2.    Yoga improves social relationships

Yoga is generally considered an individual activity. While that is partially true, yoga does have a social component. We attend yoga classes with other people and participate in the yoga community where we can share our experiences with others.

For children, all yoga practice is social. Kids yoga usually includes songs, games, and other fun activities that get kids moving together and learning from each other. This creates a positive and engaging environment where children can have fun, talk to each other and learn to trust each other.

Yoga also helps cultivate higher self-esteem, self-confidence, and empathy in children, which translates into more positive and open relationships.

3.    Yoga helps you sleep better

We tend to think that children “have it easy” and don’t feel stressed, but this is simply not true. Kids aren’t stressed about paying bills or getting to work on time, but they are stressed about schoolwork and relationships with their peers.

Yoga practice helps children relieve stress by using the breath to calm the mind and nervous system. The physical practice of yoga also helps relieve tension and release negative emotions physically contained in the body, which is key to falling asleep and its regenerative effect.

4.    Yoga improves strength and breath control

Yoga requires some strength, both mental and physical. When we practice it regularly, we notice many physical and cognitive changes, particularly increased flexibility, upper body strength, and mental clarity. All this newfound strength has a lot to do with breathing.

When we breathe hard or fast, we increase muscle tension, reduce concentration, and trigger the body’s stress response.

Teaching proper breathing techniques and developing physical and mental strength from an early age helps reduce the chances of obesity and going through depressive processes.

5.    Yoga increases determination and perseverance 

Children also love the feeling they get when they master what they find very difficult, like certain poses. But when after some practice they end up mastering it, they are very excited.

This determination and perseverance is what leads to the feeling of excitement. When they experience it, children will do anything to repeat it in whatever they do, not giving in to the difficulties that always appear.

6.    Yoga improves self-regulation

Self-regulation is the ability to recognize and change your behavior, thoughts, and emotions based on the situation at hand. Self-regulation skills help children solve problems and adapt to new challenges, as well as help them set and achieve both short- and long-term goals.

By paying attention to our minds and bodies, we look inward to better understand our thoughts and feelings. Practicing yoga helps children develop this ability.

7.    Yoga reduces stress and anxiety

Like any physical exercise, practicing yoga helps children to release their negative thoughts and feelings, to generate mental clarity and to feel better about themselves. When we do something physical, like yoga, we release endorphins, creating feelings of calm and happiness.

For children, it is important that we teach them to manage negative emotions, which accumulate in the body in the form of energy, which we call stress, or anxiety when it becomes difficult to control.

Practicing yoga helps to release stress and mental anxiety.

Where to learn yoga for children

 We do not want to leave our children in the hands of people who are not trained to deal properly with them, and help them in their physical and mental development.

For this reason, it is important to choose centers and/or professionals experienced in working with children, who know how to organize a class and pay attention to the particular needs of each one of them.

Summary

If practicing yoga is something we do to improve our well-being, why shouldn’t we do the same for our children?

There are many scientific studies that support the benefits of this ancient practice to achieve adequate physical and mental development.

The ancient yogis realized something that modern science is beginning to prove; the body and the mind are a balanced whole and any change in one of the parts affects the other. And yoga is a tool to positively affect this mind/body complex that we are.

I sincerely hope that this article has helped you learn a little more about yoga and how important it can be for the development of children.