Yoga For School-Age Kids

Not every child is good at sports and it's sometimes difficult to know how to get your children to exercise, when you know they don't enjoy competing. Forcing children into competitive situations can be damaging to their self-confidence and reinforce their dislike of exercise of any kind. When your child isn't getting enough exercise, it can be quite a problem thinking of ways to get them away from the computer or T.V. Well, I want to tell you a little about the benefits of yoga for children and how it can help them to stay physically and mentally active.

Yoga differs from sports, the usual school activities or regular children's play principally because it is a non-competitive activity. There are no winners and losers in yoga and this can make it more appealing to a child who doesn't do very well in ball games and other sporting activities.

Children of school age sometimes feel overwhelmed by the amount of school work they have to do and by the variety of computer games they play, some of which cause over-stimulation and behavioral problems. Yoga is an excellent preparation for studying because it acts of the mind, as well as the body, to produce a calming and relaxing effect.

Yoga classes for children permit them to improve their sense of well-being through physical, mental and emotional balance which helps to develop their sense of spontaneity, creativity and communication.

In a yoga class children learn to understand and respect their body and to move with agility through the co-ordination of slow movements. This exercise strengthens the muscles and trains children into developing a good posture, as well as developing their attention span, concentration and memory. Yoga teaches good breathing habits and is useful in helping children with asthma to know how to control their breathing and anxiety during an attack.

Yoga classes for children differ from adult classes, because the child is in the moment of learning to be part of the world and how to deal with its highs and lows. In a children's class they are taught breathing exercises, physical postures known as Asanas, concentration exercises, visualization and relaxation, using games and stories as the way of teaching and learning.

In this way, whilst the children are enjoying the activities, they are also learning about co-operation, paying attention, body movement and ultimately the pleasure that can be gained from doing the right type of exercise for them. 

If you're finding it hard to get your child to exercise, why not try to find a yoga class in your area and help your child to discover the many benefits it can bring?