Is Yoga For Children Too?
I know plenty of Yoga enthusiasts who live Yoga as a lifestyle and not just an exercise. This means that many of them practice Yoga with their children, which makes me wonder. Is Yoga for children too? Do they get anything out of it? Or does it just appease a parent to involve their children in Yoga?
I guess in order to answer that question we have to find out what some experts have to say and furthermore maybe we should ask a few kids how they feel about their Yoga experience.
Exercise in any form is good for a child. When we get kids off the couch and away from video games and the internet we are doing them a huge favor. Yoga for children is just one way to teach kids that physical movement is one way to take good care of the one body you get throughout life. When we teach children the value of daily exercise they are less likely to develop problems with obesity and are even somewhat less likely to develop problems with their body image.
Yoga for children instills more than just the value of exercise. It helps them develop a certain amount of emotional awareness, control, and management. Yoga teaches children to be in touch with their bodies and their emotions, how to release energy and pain and how to foster healing within themselves. While kids might not be able to explain these benefits for what they are, children in Yoga tend to be much more self aware and much more able to express their emotions without massively disruptive behavior.
Kids have learned, through whatever means might be responsible, to express their feelings through violence, through fits and tantrums, and through inappropriate behavior. Kids who are taught any type of meditative practice are generally less likely to experience the need to express themselves in this way. On these two very valid points, Yoga for children can be an excellent idea.
The last time I went to the local wellness center I did manage to ask 6 kids who were enrolled in Yoga how they felt about their Yoga based lifestyle. At first I simple asked them is Yoga for kids too? They unanimously agreed that Yoga was definitely for kids too. The agreeable children ranged in age from 6 to 14, and each one was calm, well spoken, smiled easily, and at least appeared relatively self assured. One child compared the experience to learning the same type of discipline applied in the marital arts but without the violent associations. She brought up a very good point. The other kids agreed that they felt like they were listening to their bodies and their hearts and (if I may paraphrase here) learning to effectively care for themselves.
So, is Yoga for children too? I would say that it can be very beneficial to introduce children to Yoga and allow them to experience the lifestyle. Many kids seem to gravitate toward it once they experience it. Giving kids a healthy experience can only benefit them in the long run.
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I would love to take my kids to a yoga class. They even get some yoga at school.
I have difficulty finding a family yoga class. I think it’s a great idea. For kids who are not interested in team sports and who feel self conscious I think yoga is a great idea, no one will make fun of them and it helps ease their anxiety.