Our world is a very busy place. At times, it may seem like we’re being pulled this way and that with a million things to do resting on our shoulders. Nowadays, it’s not just adults who feel this way, but kids do as well. With all they need to do for school and extracurriculars combined with peer relationships and maybe even an online presence, their days can be long and stressful.
What might be done to help these tense or overextended children relax? One solution growing in popularity is yoga. While the practice of yoga has been around for centuries, it’s seen a steady resurgence in the West over the last few decades. Now, more and more kids are striking a pose and reaping in the many benefits yoga can bring. Below, we’ll briefly go over a few of the main benefits kids could gain from practicing yoga.
First, one of the more well-known benefits of yoga regardless of age is its ability to help someone relax. In yoga, there is an emphasis on purposeful breathing techniques meant to calm the body and the mind. While physically moving and applying the focused breathing, those practicing are able to release negative feelings and thoughts. Kids too can “find their center” to bring about mental clarity, feel better about themselves, and improve their moods.
How does yoga for kids improve their mood?
As with other types of physical exercise, endorphins are released, which create feelings of calm and happiness. Those same endorphins also work to reduce stress and anxiety. As children practice yoga poses and the proper breathing techniques, it helps to release the tension and built-up negativity from their bodies. It also improves breath control and strength.
Another benefit of yoga that ties in with breathing and stress relief is improved sleep. Being overwhelmed tenses our bodies and minds, impacting the ability to sleep well. This is true for both adults and kids. When practiced routinely, however, yoga can help children fall asleep faster and stay asleep longer. As a result of being adequately rested, they may face the day recharged and with increased cognitive function.
Those who have tried yoga know that it takes concentration of both the mind and body. Fluidly shifting from one pose to the next requires attention to body movements and how breathing coordinates with said movements. As this is practiced to a greater extent, it helps kids hone their ability to focus on the task at hand. When this heightened mindfulness is combined with improved mood and sleep, it has been shown to enhance academic performance, memory, and classroom behavior in school-aged children.
Lastly, yoga can help kids to develop better self-regulation skills. Self-regulation refers to the ability to recognize and change emotions, behavior, and thoughts based on the situation at hand. As this skill matures, children are better at understanding and managing their emotions, solving problems, and adjusting as needed to new challenges. Since kids face new challenges all the time, developing this skill could be invaluable in helping them set and achieve goals throughout life. Yoga increases this by teaching children to reflect inward, recognize what is needed at the time, and how to effectively manage themselves to respond appropriately.
With all the benefits kids stand to gain, what’s there to lose? Parents and their young ones should consider giving yoga a try either at a gym, in the community, or at home today! For further information on how yoga can be beneficial for kids as well as a few poses for beginners, please see the accompanying resource.
This infographic was created by Kids Car Donations, a
