children and yoga

As an aside to my diary I would like to post information relating to my interests.  One being yoga for children.  I have been teaching yoga to children in early childhood settings at home for several years with my own children. 

I began motor skills training with my son to assist him with his diagnosis of ADHD 15 years ago and then moved into 'Brain gym' and Yoga with my two daughters.

These are some of the benefits I have witnessed come to fruition:

"Teachers open the door, but you must enter by yourself".
Chinese proverb on learning.

Benefits for children with additional needs: ADD, ADHD, autism and others.  Helps children to 'centre themselves' calm their thoughts and engage socially with others, assisting auditory processing.

Anxiety and obesity is on the increase in children within Australian society.  Through stretching and breathing anxiety can be curbed. Visualisation and positive inner speech can also help, along with relation and meditation techniques.

Yoga gives children greater awareness of  their body, physical strength - strengthen core muscles and tones, inner strength, flexibility, better blood flow and oxygen flow.

The creative side of children can come to life as they pretend to be animals and natural objects as they practice yoga postures.

Children can learn positive virtues that can take them through life and assist them in building resilience.  For example: 'non-violence' , 'truthfulness', 'non-stealing', less envy, greed and materialism.

The joy of movement, music, games and socialisation can all be experienced during a yoga session with children.

Yoga can be tailored to individual learning styles (see Gardner's Learning Styles).

Yoga encourages listening:  listening to others, listening to your own heart and mind and focusing attention in the present; giving clarity to thoughts.

Yoga can increase concentration and restore energy.

Children can become confident and benefit from a non-competitive form of fitness and well-being.

(References: Lark.L (2003) Yoga for kids, Firefly Books Ltd.  Reidy, D (2011) Angel yoga for kids - teacher training for kids, Level 1).

"It is little short of a miracle that modern methods of instruction have not already completely strangled the holy curiosity of enquiry, because what the delicate little plant needs most, apart from initial stimulation, is freedom; without that it is truly destroyed".  Albert Einstein.