Top 5 Benefits of Yoga for Kids
If you’re part of our lovely community, you probably know how much we love kids!
Have you noticed how easily children move? How they effortlessly contort their bodies into curious shapes? It’s as if we are born with an innate knowledge of the power of our bodies – but we sometimes forget it over time.
Yoga can help us reconnect with the magic of our bodies. Introducing yoga to children at a young age can help them to connect to this magic and maintain a sense of gratitude and wonder over the years. It also has a lasting impact on their physical, mental, and emotional wellbeing.
Here are the top 5 benefits of yoga for kids:
#1 - Improved Physical Health
Yoga helps kids develop strength, flexibility, and balance. This can help prevent injuries during sports, rough and tumble play, and other exercises. A regular yoga practice can also help improve posture and relieve tension, which can be especially helpful for children who spend long hours sitting at desks and jutting their heads forward to stare at the various screens that permeate our modern lives.
#2 - Emotional Regulation
Breathing techniques and mindfulness exercises are a great way to teach children how to manage stress and anxiety, build self-awareness, and develop coping skills. If that doesn’t sound like a good idea to carers, we’re not sure how to convince you!
"The idea behind emotional regulation is not to suppress or deny emotions, but to manage them consciously as they shape our words and actions." Generation Mindful
#3 - Enhanced Cognitive Function
Yoga is a wonderful practice to teach focus and concentration. This can help in so many areas of your kids’ lives – from academic performance to calculating the monthly budget.
#4 - Increased Self-Esteem
Unlike many other movement practices, yoga is not competitive. This allows children to build a positive relationship with their bodies and develop self-confidence that doesn’t rely on a particular superficial outcome.
#5 - Sense of Community
A yoga class provides a safe and supportive space for kids to develop fundamental social skills and learn to work together as a team. As adults, we love the feeling of being part of something bigger than ourselves, and it greatly enhances our sense of purpose and belonging. It’s the same for kids.
Take your kids to yoga!
So – if you have children in your life, why not consider introducing them to the many
benefits of this beautiful practice? You may even contemplate becoming a kids’ yoga
teacher (*hint hint – details on our upcoming kids’ yoga teacher training HERE). It can help to plant the seeds for a lifelong love. And who knows? They may even teach you something in the process.
Do you take your kids to yoga regularly? Or is this something you'd like to do? Comment below to share your thoughts.