Top 5 reasons your child should start yoga

Thinking of starting your child on a yoga program? A class? Where to start? It doesn’t have to be complicated. Yoga will benefit your child no matter what the form. It doesn’t have to be expensive or difficult! A simple approach is best so that it will fit into your family’s life and routine. Here are the top reasons why yoga may benefit your child

 

1. Yoga can help them relax and slow down. Yoga creates some slowness, and stillness for your child. Our pace today is faster than it has ever been. We are expected to multitask, keep track of social media, get things done and constantly achieve. Yoga creates a space, physically and mentally, to just focus on your movements, and your breathing. There is no competition. You may see your child relax while awake for the first time.

 

2. Yoga is exercise. I will repeat it, yoga is exercise. For disbelievers, who think exercise has to involve pounding and sweating, I dare you to take and advanced or heated yoga class. But even in what seem to be easier classes, yoga involves a lot of a type of muscle contraction called isometric contraction. You are often holding a muscle contraction in a non-moving way. And it is strengthening. Your muscles will start to show definition over time. Children need this and all other types of exercise since childhood obesity is becoming an epidemic.

 

3. Flexibility: Flexibility and stretching in children ensures that their joints can move through their full range of motion. As they grow into adulthood. Also undetected muscles tightness in children can lead to sneaky problems like postural issues (tight hamstrings can make it difficult to sit upright in class for example due to changes in the way the hips are positioned with the legs)

 

4. Mental strength: mastering new yoga poses takes some amount of concentration, putting their attention on the task of learning and being challenged by the new activity, the new pose, the amount of time the yoga activity is, etc. This type of training, when practicing yoga, may not feel like the “relaxing” part of the practice but more like a challenging part of the practice, one that causes a reaction. But when your child can persevere through the challenging parts and master something new it causes the increase of mental strength. Additionally, while practicing yoga your child is practicing his/her ability to listen and follow directions, which is a very important skill for children in school.

 

5. As your child gains mastery over new poses, they will experience increased confidence which will be sure to spill into other areas of their life such as behavior in school, friendships, homework, organization and more.

 

 

Love the idea of having your child doing yoga but not sure where to start? There are a bunch of free videos on you tube or check out my yoga song called “The Stretching Song” on iTunes, Spotify etc.

 

 

Chrissy Roberts OTR/L RYT 200 is an Occupational Therapist for children with 14 years experience and a yoga instructor and yogi. She created the kids music and movement album Kid Notes (iTunes, Spotify etc.) and uses music and movement with kids and adults in OT and yoga sessions. She also writes folk songs and is learning Espanol!