Yoga for children

Add links
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Children perform cobra pose at the Naval Children School, Mumbai in 2015.

Yoga for children is a form of

children. It includes poses to increase strength, flexibility, and coordination. Classes are intended to be fun and may include age-appropriate
games, animal sounds and creative names for poses.

Approach

Downward Dog pose by getting the class to make the shape of a mountain, and Virabhadrasana by asking them to be "fearless warriors".[1] She led children into pranayama with breath-awareness exercises like blowing on a feather and noticing the different feelings that came when you blew hard or gently. She discovered that the teacher had to avoid even basic terms like "inhale" and "exhale" if the children didn't know those words.[1] In 1998 she published an early guide to children's yoga, Fly Like a Butterfly.[2]

Marsha Wenig, founder of YogaKids International, has developed

dog pose, hiss in the cobra, and meow in cat stretch."[4] Her experiences led to a 2003 book describing the methods that she developed.[5]

Health benefits

See also: Yoga as therapy
Michelle Obama joins children for a yoga class during a "Let's Move!" after school activities event, 2014.

The benefits for children are similar to those for adults. Emotional benefits include greater optimism and a less reactive nature. Mental benefits including increased focus, concentration and improvements in the quality of sleep have been reported.[6]

Academic performance improves, along with confidence in physical abilities. Yoga is used for the treatment of children with special needs, and to aid conventional medical treatment.[7][8] Yoga practice helps to protect boys from increases in negative behavior.[9]

Physical benefits include increased flexibility, improved coordination and balance, and increased core and body strength. Mental benefits include stronger mind–body connection, increased self-esteem, better focus and concentration, and increased ability to relax and cope with stressful situations. Social and emotional benefits include more awareness of self and others, and increased skill in problem solving and conflict resolution.[10][11]

Issues

A school class in India celebrating the International Day of Yoga, 2018

Some parents are worried by yoga's religious associations, believing that yoga is an offshoot of

Setubandhasana.[11] The yoga teacher and education researcher Andrea Hyde however states that yoga is not a religion and can fit into ordinary school curriculums, whatever the prevailing culture.[12][13]

References

  1. ^
    Kripalu. Archived
    from the original on 6 May 2019. Retrieved 6 May 2019.
  2. ^ Khalsa 1998.
  3. ^ "Marsha Wenig". Gaia. Retrieved 6 May 2019.
  4. ^ a b Wenig, Marsha (5 April 2017). "Discover Why Kids Need Yoga as Much as We Do". Yoga Journal.
  5. ^ Wenig 2003.
  6. Huffington Post
    . Retrieved 4 January 2014.
  7. ^ D'Arezzo, Darlene. "Special yoga for special kids". Archived from the original on 7 April 2014.
  8. ^ "Yoga for special kids". Archived from the original on 7 April 2014.
  9. ^ Kokinakis, Leah. "Yoga and Adolescents: What do we know?". University of Michigan. Retrieved 1 April 2016.
  10. ^ Fabian, K. (2014, October 29). 7 Ways Kids Benefit From Yoga. Retrieved May 29, 2017, from https://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-15075/7-ways-kids-benefit-from-yoga.html
  11. ^ a b c Tilak, V. (29 September 2015). "The Benefits of Yoga for Kids". Retrieved 29 May 2017.
  12. JSTOR 42981793
    .
  13. Kripalu
    . Retrieved 6 May 2019.

Sources
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Yoga_for_children&oldid=1211657432"