Is Children’s Yoga available in your School?
Competitive sports are not beneficial to all children, with early experiences often influencing their choices into adulthood. There are elements of competitiveness that can be very rewarding to some, but for many it can be damaging to their social and emotional development. Learning to lose as well as win is an important part of development, to celebrate the achievements of others as well as ourselves, but does this opportunity only occur in competitive sports? I think not. It happens throughout life and there are many opportunities for this to be learned, on and off the sports field. For those who do not enjoy or flourish in competitive sports, their self-confidence when they are forced into competitive sports situations can reinforce their dislike of exercise of any type, which in turn can lead to impact on their health and well-being.
Exercise comes in many forms but when children don’t get enough exercise it can have a detrimental effect on their development. With this in mind I would like to tell you a little about the benefits of yoga for children and how it can help them to stay physically and mentally active.
Yoga is different from sports and the typical school activities primarily because it is a non-competitive activity. No-one wins or loses in yoga and this can make it more appealing to children. Sporting activities that are on offer may not always suit their interests, or children may be less socially popular, – these children may in fact flourish in the activity but their social anxiety amongst their peers can affect their ability to perform.
Many children of school age sometimes feel overwhelmed by the amount of school work they have to do, particularly if they have a busy schedule in their home life too. Out of school activities, computer games, television and the stresses of a busy lifestyle can all impact on their minds, which can be then reflected in their behaviour. Yoga is an excellent preparation for studying because it exercises the mind, body and breath to produce a calming and relaxing effect, this can empower children as it provides them with a tool to use in any situation in their life.
Yoga classes for children can empower them to improve their sense of well-being, to make their own choices through physical, mental and emotional balance. This supports them to develop their sense of creativity, spontaneity and communication.
Part of a yoga class involves children learning to understand and respect their bodies. They learn to move with agility through the co-ordination of slow movements supporting their proprioception and vestibular development. This strengthens the muscles and trains children into developing good posture, as well as developing their level of attention, concentration and memory skills. Yoga teaches good breathing habits and supports children with asthma to know how to control their breathing and anxiety during an asthma attack.
Children’s yoga classes differ from adult yoga classes, because the children are learning to be part of the world around them, they are learning how to deal with its highs and lows. In a children’s yoga class they are taught breathing exercises, physical postures (Asanas), concentration exercises, visualization and relaxation. Games, stories, props and the imagination are used as the way of teaching and learning. In this way, the children are also learning about co-operation, attentive listening, body movement and ultimately the pleasure that can be gained from doing the right type of exercise for them.
Taking all this into consideration, would you like children’s yoga to be part of your school’s physical activities?