When you think of yoga
gyms, chances are you picture a bunch of hipster women or middle-aged
individuals trying to get back into shape. We tend to think of yoga as a way
for people to increase their longevity, recover from injuries, and enhance
meditation – all of which are non-issues for most kids. However, yoga can
actually be great for kids as well and in recent years it has been catching on
as a trend for kids ranging from teenagers all the way down to elementary
school students. With that said, here are three reasons why parents should
consider getting into yoga with their kids.
1. Promoting Flexibility and Injury Resilience
Not all kids are as
flexible as gymnasts, but by implementing a yoga regimen you can make sure your
child has a core level of flexibility that is either on par with or ahead of
his/her peers. Likewise, by helping a child get to know how their body works and
by strengthening tendons and ligaments you can reduce the likelihood of
injuries that could be avoided. Likewise, as pregnancy advice sites like PregMed.org often point out, there are even yoga exercises
that are good for pregnant woman to help the birthing process go smoother.
2. Increasing Emotional Control
Yoga can teach kids
how to better control their thoughts and emotions by having them hone in on
certain thought processes and motions. The discipline that it takes to hold a difficult
pose can also help build mental toughness and diligence in other areas of life,
such as completing homework or getting up on time in the morning. When your
child does encounter emotional challenges at school or when hanging out with
their friends at home, they’ll be able to revert to their knowledge as a young yogi to control their anger and prevent childish outbursts. In this way, yoga
also helps to increase the mental maturity of kids.
3. Exercising the Imagination
Finally, yoga provides
the perfect opportunity to zone out and use their imagination during those
lengthy poses and guided visualization exercises that are normally a part of a typical yoga class.
In addition, there are thousands of creative poses kids can use to have fun
with make pretend, including a number of animal/plant poses where they can
“pretend to be a tree” or “pretend to be a seed.”
Instilling a Positive Habit That Will
Last for Life
There are two aspects
to yoga which will help your child grow into a healthy adult. The first is the mental
and emotional discipline every student of yoga learns to master. Those who
practice yoga regularly learn how to be in control of themselves at all times
and in all situations by stepping into that place of calm and quiet. That is to
say, they learn to step back into the quiet of their center. Secondly, yoga teaches that mind-body
connection so that those skilled in the discipline are also masters of their
own body and as such, achieve a level of physical fitness necessary for optimum
health throughout their entire lifetime.
I do yoga A LOT. I go to 5 or 6 classes a week and I keep trying to get my kids to try it because I think they would love it as much as I do, but so far no luck.
ReplyDeleteWell of course kids can practice yoga. Anything they are interested in let them explore and try out.
ReplyDeleteWe have kid yoga here and the kids all love it. Some schools have also started doing yoga sessions.
ReplyDeleteYou’ve made some good points! While I’ve never been into yoga myself, I did try some for my back prior to my surgery! Thanks for sharing these reasons why kids should try it too!
ReplyDeleteI think if they want to do it, they should! My daughter would probably enjoy doing yoga. I can't take it seriously. I just get the giggles.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed reading this post. I love the concept of children practicing yoga. I really feel that it should be included in school as well. Really a wonderful way to start and conclude a day.
ReplyDeleteMy kids both like practicing yoga. It is peaceful and relaxing for all of us.
ReplyDeleteOur elementary school offers a yoga class and the kids LOVE it! It's actually one of the after school programs that fills up first.
ReplyDeleteI never thought of yoga for young kids because it takes a lot of concentration and patience which most kids don't have. If they are interested it sounds like it is worth a try.
ReplyDeleteNoone in our family practices yoga but I have met some folks who do. I've never heard of any reasons why children shouldn't practice yoga.
ReplyDeleteI have one friend who has her own yoga instagram and her little girl is always wanting to do what mommy is doing. It's cute to see them do it together!
ReplyDeleteI think yoga can be started at a really young age! I totally agree, it's all about flexibility and how that can help down the line with preventing injury, especially during sports.
ReplyDeleteI think yoga is great for everyone in the family! It's so relaxing and just makes you feel good about yourself!!
ReplyDeleteI think it's really great for kids to start young. Yoga has many benefits and it can be helpful to health from the inside out.
ReplyDeleteI have actually been thinking about signing up my daughter for yoga. I think she would really enjoy the moves! She watches me do yoga sometimes!!
ReplyDeleteIt's good practice for the kids, definitely! It also helps with their mental health. I'd recommend parents to practice yoga with their kids or to have their kids practice yoga.
ReplyDeleteI think it’s a good thing for the kids to practice yoga. I wish I did when I was a kid!
ReplyDeleteI've been thinking about getting the kids involved in yoga. I think it would help Abby with her attention span and of course it would help them all health wise.
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