yoga for children
H
aving practiced yoga myself
for 21 years, taught yoga for 12
years, and now training others
to teach children’s and young
people’s yoga, I have seen and
experienced the amazing rewards it has to offer
for all ages, but especially in children.
The world is changing at a quickening
pace, which leaves many behind. There is a
move towards a change in consciousness,
and society has to be prepared to be more
open to it. For us to cope with all these
changes we need to have our optimum health
and fitness, in our bodies, our emotions, our
mental states and in our spirit. Now, more
than ever, is an important time for all of us to
slow down a little and take conscious action
(mindfulness), rather than rushing around,
and to become the change we would like to
see in this new world.
The idea of teaching yoga to young people
is to begin health and fitness education
at grass roots – to show children not only
how they can use the natural tools they
were born with (their body and breath), in
order to maintain their health and aid their
development into young adults, but also to
provide them with the tools to deal with issues
they may face growing up.
With the change in consciousness
developing, it is vital that children have
the option of being as healthy and as fit
(holistically) as possible. Yoga can help a
child understand their individual development
needs, physically, mentally, emotionally and
spiritually, and so they will help and support
others in their development).Yoga practices and disciplines may help a
child to develop better body awareness, self-
control, flexibility and coordination. These
children can then carry their new found skills
beyond class and into their daily routines
(and get their parents to do it too). Yoga
can also help a child to feel secure when the
world around them seems scary and difficult
to understand.
Seeing hyperactive children become so
much calmer and more in control of their
actions is so rewarding. All children just
love challenging themselves physically and
mentally. It is so beneficial for children as
it helps to keep them supple (even sporty
children can struggle to touch their toes)
while the breathing techniques can improve
concentration and energy levels. It also helps
a child to cope with the pressures of family
and school life, and especially at higher stress
times such as exams or performances.
For those children that are less inclined
towards the more competitive sports, yoga is
also a perfect choice to make. Children today
are under a lot of stress; homework, pressure
to compete with other children (in sport and
academically), endless after-school activities,
over-scheduling, it all adds up.
And, just like their parents, children today
are starting to turn to other modalities
like yoga to help them relax. It is less
demanding on the physical body than many
other sports and is very calming for the mind
and emotions.Sarah Mulliner is director and trainer at
Yogakidz Worldwide (yogakidzworldwide.com)