Yoga For Kids    

The present generation is going through a lot of stress, be it kids or adults. There is cut-throat competition in schools and colleges, and that puts additional pressure on the kids. Moreover, the invention of gadgets is pushing away the kids from any physical activity. They love to play more on gadgets than with each other. Thus, the emphasis on yoga is getting more and more popular. The present lifestyle is also not too proper, so one starts witnessing diseases at a very early age, majorly due to high-stress levels.

Yoga done by children has been designed keeping their energy levels and level to cope up. Yoga is getting bigger and better from educational institutions to yoga center offices etc. The yoga designed for children has poses that boost flexibility, strength, and coordination. The yoga classes are done in a fun way so that the kids take interest and enjoy it as well. Classes for smaller kids are even done with the help of games that are related to their ages, by making a story on animal sounds or by naming the poses in a creative and catchy style which the kids can link to.

Significance Of Yoga For Kids

The children of today are living in a hustle-bustle life, where everybody is busy, there is pressure from the parents and the school, the importance of gadgets is increasing, malls are the most important thing to visit, and sports is becoming too competitive. All these things together have a great effect on the lives of the children, so doing yoga helps to overcome stress and discover the inner joy in oneself as the body and the senses relax. Now let us see how yoga helps the kids:

1. Yoga helps in alleviating these pressures as children are taught practices that are good for their health and discovering the inner joy that helps to guide them smoothly in life. The yoga started early helps to boost one’s esteem and foster physical activity for relaxation and pleasure and not for any competition, so the child performs well and without any stress.
2. The children can gain ample benefits by practicing yoga as it boosts their strength, concentration, flexibility as well as coordination.
3. Yoga allows the kid to play around with nature, which they are away from.
4. Yoga also allows the kids to build a foundation by exchanging wisdom.
5. Yoga tries to assimilate music, games, storytelling, and varied forms of art in an inclusive course that helps to engage the child.
6. Overall it helps to engage the mind, body, and soul of the child.

It is said that earlier when yogis used to develop asanas, they were very close to nature and got inspired by animals, plants, and elements of nature. They got inspired by the statue of the tree, scorpion sting, swan’s grace, so when they teach the kids, and they imitate, they not only copy the gestures and movements but also get into their being. For, E.g., If they take the pose of a lion known as Simhasana, they portray not only the voice and posture, but they also feel the power of aggression.

Advantages Of Yoga For Kids

In case planning to teach yoga to kids or contemplating if one should then the given pointers will help as they are the advantages of teaching yoga to the kids and they are:

• Kids find it tough to be attentive for long, but doing yoga teaches them to balance, be flexible, focus better, and is good for their health as well.
• Most of the kids have a penchant for talking and keeping moving, both are encompassed in yoga, so they feel interested.
• Children and jumping are indispensable, and yoga offers them to do so and enact like a tree, animal, bird, warrior, etc. which the child will love to do.
• Apart from that, they can even recite rhymes, numbers or alphabets which means that sound will help them to release the stress through yoga

Apart from the above ones, some significant benefits are listed as under:

1. Yoga Is Not Done For Competition: In today’s world where the kids keep hearing to be the best and achieve the most of everything, yoga, on the other hand, allows them to understand that everybody has a different body and different capability, so it is okay to do things differently. No one in yoga is the best or worst; all are trying to see what their body can do and learn from it as well. So, it is meant for all.
2. Yoga Teaches To Accept Oneself: It is okay to not learn in one go, and yoga teaches the kids to accept as they are and be happy with themselves, overall it teaches them to love oneself irrespective of whether one could perform or not.
3. Yoga Teaches Tolerance And Respect: Kids learning yoga in the early days are taught that all human beings should be respected and accepted as they are, thus spreading the message of peace across the world. It teaches no one is big or small or discriminated against on caste, creed, or religion, as all should be respected.
4. Yoga Inculcates Healthy Encourages Healthy Practices: Any fitness program that starts early in the life of a child helps them to stay healthy and active. Moreover, yoga also teaches you the correct way of eating and to stay focussed and calm.
5. Focus Is The Main Key: The world of today is full of distractions, so the focus is the main issue, and that is the reason kids cannot perform well despite knowing the subject. Teaching yoga helps the kids to concentrate better and focus; they learn about the correct body posture and even teach them how the breath is helpful for them within the day.
6. Yoga Teaches Techniques Of Calmness: Kids are very frustrated these days due to stress and pressure and generally show by weepiness or tantrums. One they learn, the Young kids deal with frustration most typically by crying and throwing tantrums. When they learn the correct techniques of breathing, they can focus their mind and even apply the same in their daily lives and react to it likewise.
7. Yoga Teaches Self-Awareness: With the help of different poses, the kid starts understanding the bodies and their capabilities. They get to know their minds and how it affects their approach to life and the attitudes, which in turn affects others around us. They even know how to react to situations and that the body, spirit, and mind together work cohesively for a solution making them a kind, responsible, and confident human being.
8. Yoga Results In Positive Mental Health In Children: The kids will be more optimistic in life and will have fewer chances to surrender to depression, anxiety or any other mental ailments which are common in the life of kids today.
9. Relaxation Is A Must: In the fast times of today, where relaxation is not given much importance, yoga teaches that relaxation is mandatory and it is not easy to relax, yoga emphasizes that after running from one activity to other the mind needs to slow down and relax and so does the body as it can handle the coming challenges and pressures with much ease as they grow.

The above-listed advantages are all connected as when they learn the art of self-acceptance, see the good qualities of others, start loving oneself and others for who they are, learn to be attentive and can control aggression, and be aware of their competences. They are bound to be strong to stand for themselves and others.

Best Yoga For Kids

Yoga is undoubtedly the most successful mantra and stretches from gyms, educational institutions, offices, etc. It is growing by leaps and bounds and is one of the most amazing and pleasing activities for the children. Teaching yoga to kids helps them to develop good habits, healthy minds, a balanced body, etc.
To keep them engaged and mount their interests, it is imperative to make the activity an exciting and fun-filled one. Once they start enjoying, it will become much easy to teach the breathing exercises and meditation for them to enjoy its benefits as well.
Undermentioned are the seven best yoga poses for kids:

1.Cat And Cow

A pose that has an animal connotation is bound to attract kids as it signifies, playfulness, and relevant images that they have in mind. Right from the hand, arms, knees, etc., it is fun to see them walking like a cat or cow by sinking their belly and then behaving

2. Puppy Pose

This pose is a great stretching exercise for the shoulders and back as the tailbone must be raised higher than the heels. Thus, while they look at the mat, they are learning to concentrate else they can fall.

3. Tree Pose

This pose teaches them their focus as well as innate strength. In this, the kid needs to stand tall and erect, portraying strength. Later they are taught balancing as they need to stand to keep the sole of the At first balance on one leg, kicking the one at the back and spread wing-alike arms imagining flying.

4. Lizard on a Rock (Partner Pose)

This is done with a partner. It encompasses a great stretch, a partner to work with, and an animal name as well. Working with a partner allows in building trust and confidence and become creative as well. In this pose, both partners need to kneel, and their backs were facing each other. One child needs to try the child’s pose by keeping the tailbone higher than heels, forehead on the mat while hands spread next to their heads. Now the partner sits on their heels and then rises to sit on the other’s tailbone.

5. Boat Pose

This pose is a great one for kids of all ages. They need to sit on the mats with feet at a foot apart or in front, now placing the hands behind and need to point at their toes without touching the mat. Now life the feet and stretch the arms for reaching in front. Next, bang one foot over the mat and then repeat with the next one, keep both legs straight or twist the upper portion of the body sideways, the difficult part is to keep breathing throughout just as we would under any tough situations.

6. Corpse Pose (Savasana)

It is seen that kids find it difficult to lie down still, particularly when they have friends or relatives somewhere nearby, so this pose tries to teach them the art of relaxation and breathing. Lying on the back is a great way to teach breathing techniques to kids.
Parents or yoga teachers or gurus can make effective usage of the energy spurts, inquisitiveness, and restlessness of the kids to teach them priceless yoga lessons and even inculcate them in their lives.

Yoga For Kids YouTube

Children are glued to YouTube as it offers great information, and yoga can also be seen as deriving amole benefits from yoga since it helps them to boost the strength, flexibility, coordination as well as the awareness of body, self- acceptance, relaxation, peace, calmness, etc.
Yoga for kids is available on YouTube, and many different sites teach yoga online through videos, and some of them are:

• Cosmic Kids Yoga
• Unicorn Yoga for kids
• Yoga for kids

Thus, yoga is an actuality of our life, and we use what we practice in the session. It is a way of life and imperative for the students to understand the power of resilience.