Why Yoga for Children?
As children grow, they begin to discover new interests, gravitating toward specific areas such as sports, arts, or science. Each extracurricular activity develops the child's skills, whether physical, creative, or analytical. Yoga, on its part, has an exceptionally strong effect and offers diverse benefits from its practice. Yoga works on:
- Improving the body's physical condition
- Enhancing overall health
- Developing the mind (both hemispheres of the brain)
- Improving emotional state
- Developing good character traits
- And more.
Before discussing how yoga benefits the development of a child's body and mind, let's explain how yoga for children differs from yoga for adults.
Difference Between Yoga for Children and Yoga for Adults
Children learn new skills best while having fun and doing what they love. For this reason, yoga for children is presented in the form of a story that we tell together with the children. The stories include characters like Grandma Bear, the dog, the hedgehog, the bunny, etc. We embody each character of the story as we smoothly and imperceptibly transition from one pose to another.
The narrated story captivates the children, and they focus on it and the practice. Sanskrit names of the poses are avoided. Each asana represents a specific character from the story.
Incorporating a story into the yoga practice is suitable and exciting for children from ages 2 to 7-8 years. Older children, from age 9 upwards, are able to maintain their attention longer and do not need the "assistive tool" of the story.
Yoga for children is adapted to the child's age. It takes into account which poses are or are not suitable. For children who have just started walking, balance poses are not appropriate. Even the names of the poses are considered; younger children might be frightened by the cobra, in which case it can be replaced with a little worm.
Improving the Body's Physique
Yoga enhances the body's flexibility. When the body is flexible and the joints are mobile, the risk of cramps, injuries, and traumas that could occur in everyday life due to drafts, changes in hot-cold during winter, stepping awkwardly, falling, or other unfavorable conditions and situations is reduced. Yoga significantly improves the endurance and strength of the body to adapt and be healthy at every moment, not just under perfect conditions.
Yoga works on the spine with a multitude of asanas (poses). The goal is to create a muscular corset around the spine that keeps the back straight. Flexing the spinal column in children prevents future curvatures and abnormalities, reduces the chance of pain or a hunched posture, resulting from incorrect posture or heavy backpacks in school (especially if the backpack is carried on one shoulder). A straight and healthy spine is a prerequisite for good posture and allows the internal organs to occupy their correct place without being compressed or displaced.
Improving Overall Health
Yoga strengthens the musculoskeletal system, flexes the muscles and tendons. The body develops in a balanced and harmonious way. Proper posture and body position are learned, which prevents the occurrence of spinal curvatures.
Yoga relieves conditions of asthma, enhances the body's resistance against colds and flu, and reduces the risk of bronchopneumonia. This is a result of the breathing practices that children perform, embodying roles like a bee, bunny, etc.
The benefits of yoga are exceptionally numerous, but here are a few more: By controlling the body to remain in a specific position for a certain period, children improve their concentration, body balance, coordination, and spatial orientation. The body's flexibility improves while the mind develops.
Yoga has a strong calming effect on the mind and reduces stress levels. Although still young, children also experience stress during the first prolonged separation from parents, starting kindergarten, school, the appearance of first responsibilities, etc. Successfully managing stress and preventing its strong influence impacts the state of the entire organism. Stress is a significant factor in the occurrence of serious and less serious diseases. Keeping it at levels that do not exceed healthy limits from a young age is a prerequisite for a better overall state of the organism.
Developing the Mind and Improving the Emotional State
Yoga develops the mind through meditation, concentration during asana, and breathing. Meditation - the more it is practiced, the more it allows us to control our minds and not succumb to primal reactions and emotions. A well-controlled mind will not allow us to fall into a rage or inexplicable and misunderstood crying. A mastered mind knows how to manage emotions by understanding their nature. In other words, we do not fall into a rage not because we suppress it, but because we understand the situation and accept it without subjecting our body to stress.
Maintaining concentration for 30-60 seconds in a specific as
ana and gradually for 30-60 seconds in each subsequent asana, we extend the time we are able to maintain focus without interruption. The more we practice, the longer the concentration time we achieve. During these minutes, the mind is free and not engaged with the desire to stare at a screen (phone, laptop, TV), to check notifications or games, to have a desire to taste harmful foods, etc. It affects unhelpful "addictions" to harmful foods, phones, games, etc.
With practice and consistency, children become calmer, more accepting, loving, and understanding. They manage to maintain their concentration for longer periods, unlocking their creative side. By freeing themselves from negative emotions, their creativity and kindness emerge.
Developing Good Character Traits
Yoga teaches us patience and showing understanding towards others. With yoga practices, traits of kindness, patience, calmness, and support for others begin to stand out more prominently in children. When a child is relaxed and calm, it better absorbs new information, finds common ground with its peers, and communicates more skillfully with them. It reacts in a friendly and kind manner in moments when another child makes a mistake or cannot cope with a task (instead of mocking and teasing). In the child, love can also manifest - giving hugs and kind words to their loved ones more often.
In conclusion, yoga has an exceptional effect on children. The more it is practiced, the more diverse and beneficial the newly acquired qualities and skills of the children.