We all know the importance of physical activity for kids, but we often turn to “classics,” like soccer, martial arts, gymnastics, or swimming. Each is a fantastic outlet for your child’s energy and offers excellent ways to improve their coordination, strength, and discipline. But yoga takes things a bit further.
Contrary to popular belief, this ancient practice isn’t just for grown-ups. The great thing about yoga is that it offers so many benefits all at once, helping your child to build themselves physically, mentally, and emotionally. As a bonus, it’s easy for your child to do yoga as an add-on to their favorite sports or activities, thanks to its low injury risk and applicable benefits.
The Benefits of Yoga for Kids
Children’s yoga has many benefits for your child’s mind, body, and emotions. Unfortunately, many kids don’t learn the importance of tending to all three until they’re struggling, so introducing your child to yoga at a young age is a great way to set them up for success! And while they may not fully understand the impact each area has on their lives at the moment, they will undoubtedly feel the results.
Physical Benefits of Children’s Yoga
Flexibility: How often have you tried to bend a certain way and thought, “This was easier when I was a kid?” It happens to all of us, but kids are naturally more bendy, making yoga a fun and relatively easy way for them to enhance that flexibility!
Flexibility lends itself to better mobility, enhanced blood flow, better posture, and a reduced risk of injury during other activities. It can also increase their athletic performance in other sports and help them recover faster afterward. Plus, if your child develops a life-long love for yoga, they may never lose that extra flexibility!
Balance: Yoga involves many poses that enhance balance, such as Tree Pose, Warrior III, and Eagle Pose. This is crucial because sound balance affects many areas of your child’s development! We often think of balance in a physical sense, but while it does help your child walk, run, and play sports without falling, balance plays a much bigger role. It affects your child’s overall coordination, which they need for everything from riding a bike to playing a musical instrument, and their fine motor skills like writing and using utensils.
Strength: Another excellent benefit of yoga for kids is strength-building. While many people associate strength with weights or more active exercise, yoga is a wonderful way to build muscle from your head to your toes!
Yoga involves several strength-building techniques, including holding isometric contractions, bodyweight exercises, and core engagement. All of these contribute to solid muscles, which are essential to your child’s day-to-day activities and overall health. For example, strong muscles reduce the risk of injury and help your child perform better at sports and everyday tasks, which in turn can boost their self-esteem.
Mental Benefits of Children’s Yoga
Focus & Concentration: If your child struggles to focus, yoga may be the answer. A central part of yoga is being in the moment. This is something many children never learn, and it causes them to struggle through school and work. But yoga can teach them the foundations at a young age, helping them excel!
For example, yoga can reduce stress (known to inhibit focus), creating a better concentration environment. It also teaches controlled breathing and practices holding poses for lengths of time, improving focus and attention.
Mindfulness: Mindfulness is the ability to be fully aware of your thoughts, feelings, and sensations. It allows you to be present in the moment without being overwhelmed by what you notice. Mindfulness for kids is often overlooked, so many children struggle with becoming overwhelmed by one or all three of these things. However, yoga can teach your child to process and handle them through mindfulness techniques.
Yoga’s breathing exercises emphasize keeping your attention on the moment and noting how you feel. Another key aspect of yoga is full-body awareness. It teaches your child to “scan” their body and notice sensations like specific muscle tension or how the ground feels beneath them. Finally, non-judgmental observation helps your child learn to identify negative thoughts and emotions, choose to let them go, and find happiness at that moment.
Emotional Benefits of Children’s Yoga
Stress Reduction: The physical and mental aspects of yoga can be a great source of stress relief for children! We already mentioned a few ways yoga can reduce stress, but there are more!
Many people don’t realize that we often hold stress as tension in our bodies. So, when we stretch out those muscles and release the physical tension, the stress usually goes with it! The mindfulness aspect of yoga also plays a massive role in helping your child to identify and process emotions healthily and manage them one moment at a time. Additionally, yoga can reduce your kids’ stress through deep breathing, which naturally calms the nervous system and reduces stress hormones.
Self-Esteem: It’s never too early or too late to boost your child’s self-esteem! Self-esteem for kids can be a constant struggle, but yoga can help them find it in several ways.
As previously mentioned, yoga’s physical benefits can naturally boost your child’s self-esteem as they gain coordination, strength, and fine motor skills. These allow them to excel in many ways and reduce the chances of becoming self-conscious in physical activities.
But don’t overlook the mental aspects of yoga! These may be even more important because self-esteem is directly tied to a mental view. Improved focus and concentration can lead to better grades and learning, which can help your child feel intelligent and capable. Mindfulness teaches your child to choose positivity and a non-judging attitude toward themselves. These all add up to a happy, confident child.
Body-Positivity: One final, fantastic benefit of yoga for kids is body positivity. First, exercise and strength-building will naturally help your child be in better shape, which can reduce body-image issues and self-consciousness. Being flexible and strong can also help your child feel more positive about their body because they can depend on it to do the activities they enjoy without hurting themselves or missing the mark. Finally, the mental aspects of yoga once again play a vital role by teaching your child not to judge their body but rather to cultivate a positive mindset about themselves.
How to Get Started with Yoga for Kids
Now that you know what incredible benefits yoga can have for your kids, let’s talk about how to introduce them to yoga.
Teach Them Yourself
If you’re already a fan of yoga, it may be tempting to bring them along to your class or try to teach them all your favorite poses. But this could do more harm than good.
If you are familiar with yoga (or want to learn together), you can set up a space in your home to do simple poses and breathing exercises. Too much too soon can overwhelm your child, so start with the basics: think child’s pose, cat-cow, downward dog, and so on. Your focus should be on teaching the fundamentals at a pace that keeps things interesting while building the necessary strength and flexibility to advance. You should also incorporate basic deep breathing exercises and encourage your child to be in the moment.
And remember, you need to create a calming environment for your practice, so find a space and time without distractions.
Utilize Online Yoga Resources
If you’re unsure where to start, you can also turn to online resources and videos to guide you through your practice together. YouTube is a fantastic resource for this, but we also have a post on simple stretches you can do with your child that you can read here.
Take Them to a Children’s Yoga Class
If you aren’t up for teaching your child on your own or think they would benefit more from specific instruction, you can always sign them up for an in-person class! You can find yoga for toddlers, preschoolers, and school-age children, so search for the right class for your child’s age group. Classes can come with additional perks, like a more mentally stimulating environment, socialization, and the possibility to learn things you never would have thought of!
Many local studios offer children’s yoga classes that they can attend weekly, and some will even provide customized lessons for children who need special attention due to physical or mental health limitations.
Tips for Parents:
Whether you’re teaching your child on your own or taking them to class, remember to be patient and supportive of their journey. Yoga can be overwhelming initially, so encourage them to sort through their feelings and stick with it for at least a few weeks.
And don’t forget to make it fun so they look forward to their yoga sessions. You can do this with yoga games, teaching new poses, or making it a special activity you do with them. These can help your child develop a love for yoga and reap all its benefits.
As your child (and possibly you!) begin their yoga journey, don’t forget to get the proper clothes for the job! The right tops and leggings can make a big difference in how much they enjoy the experience, so be sure to outfit your child with comfortable, practical, and stylish yoga clothes!
Stelle has a large selection of yoga clothes for girls and women, with sizes and styles for every preference! Take a peek and stock up on quality yoga clothes to start this journey on the right foot!
