How Yoga Affects Child Development
Yoga Child Developmentby ShareLove.Fund’s Rainbow Women Social Enterprise endeavor and sponsored by your generous donations.
The world today is a very fast-paced place. Everything and everyone are constantly on the go. The pressures that result from this pace are well-documented and studied in adults. But sometimes we overlook the fact that our children face the same kind of pressure nowadays and undergo a lot of stress. They deal with plenty – from busy parents to schoolwork to homework to sports and much more. The innate joy of childhood is slowly and completely crushed under the stresses of growing up in today’s world.
This is why many researchers have looked into yoga for children and the effects it has on their development. After all, its benefits for adults have been lauded time and again. Let’s take a look at the different ways in which yoga enhances the development of your child.
Improves Physical Flexibility– Yoga teaches us to use our muscles in new ways. This greatly helps children who by targeting and working out different muscle groups. At the same time, your child learns how to be aware of their body.
Improves Coordination and Balance –A vital part of yoga is balance. The poses that emphasize this particular quality were created so that both the body and the mind could be properly stabilized and poised. Standing on one foot isn’t easy even for children but the poses in yoga teach them to improve their balance physically. Falling and picking themselves up helps improve their mental balance.
Increases Concentration and Focus – In order to practice the different poses, children have to focus on their movements and what the different parts of their body are doing. In order to maintain the poses, they have to concentrate. As a result, not only do they become more aware of their bodies, but also more mindful, which is a great way to improve both their focus and their concentration.
Boosts Confidence - Through learning yoga children develop patience and confidence. They learn how to slowly and carefully work towards their goals. Yoga poses aren’t always easy and require repeated practice. At the end of that practice, achieving the goal of holding or maintaining a pose can give a huge boost to the confidence of the child.
Strengthens the connection between the Body and the Mind - Yoga helps to teach the principle of sound body and sound mind to children. It does this by working out the body whilst engaging the mind by requiring it to be aware of what the body is doing. Yoga exercises that cross the midline have been found to literally strengthen the connection between the two hemispheres of the brain.
Helps Manage Anxiety - The relaxation techniques and breathing exercises that yoga teaches are extremely helpful when it comes to managing stress. Since children do face a lot of anxiety-inducing stress, yoga can help calm them down and relax while learning how to manage anxiety in the long run.
There are many side benefits to yoga that become apparent only when it is practiced. As parents, we would be doing our children a huge favor by introducing them to the practice of yoga.