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     Benefits of Yoga

 Why Yoga for Children?


            The only way to be certain of all that yoga can do for your kids is to make them try it and see for themselves...

Benefits of Yoga for children include:

  • Improves concentration, focus & attention
  • develops and improves balance & coordination'
  • improves general body awareness
  • boosts self-confidence & self-esteem
  • improves sleeping patterns
  • encourages mind-body connection
  • promotes calm & ability to be less reactive
  • expands creative expression and imagination
  • aids digestion,circulation & elimination
  • promotes respect for self & others
  • improves immune system
  • teaches environmental awareness,earth care & sense of connectedness
  • promotes self-discipline & self-control
  • clears the mind, promotes reading readiness
  • promotes an overall sense of well-being

 

     "Yoga is an ancient system of physical exercise, breathing techniques and  practices that aim to strengthen the body and calm the mind. Yoga can be a useful tool for both  children and adults, and yoga for children may be especially helpful for developing focus, calmness and body awareness."

      Stress:

 Yoga may be able to help children reduce stress and deal more effectively with stressful situations.

     Anger:

Yoga helps calm the mind and bring peace even into situations that would normally provoke anger. In theory, children who learn these skills early will be less prone toward anger as adults.

     Body Awareness:

Yoga helps to develop body awareness, which can increase self esteem in children as their bodies change and grow. Yoga can also help children maintain flexibility as they grow.


"Yoga for children should be presented in a fun and simple manner that children can relate to. Companies such as YogaKids, Yoga Calm, Karma Kids Yoga and Rainbow Kids Yoga train instructors to teach yoga for children and produce DVDs for kids yoga at home."


                                                                                                                                                        Source: Selena Uribarri,Ehow.co

                  




                                                                                                                                       
                                                                                          
 If you thought yoga was just for adults, think again!!!! Nowadays, yoga is very popular among all ages especially with kids.Practicing yoga  enables children to develop a fitness program and a way of healthy living.

 Why would children need yoga? Consider the obesity problem existing with children today. Weight problems will result in health problems. It's a great idea to have a physical activity for kids that will exercise and entertain. Also, it will relieve stress or tension in their lives caused by school, peer pressures, competitive sports and busy lives. Yoga is a healthy way for a child to deal with difficult situations and resolve them.
       
Yogi Kids yoga will revolve around storytelling, repetition, counting, problem solving, dancing and movements. It will keep the child's attention and keep them interested in it.

The physical benefits of yoga for kids are obvious. They will develop greater flexibility, strength, good posture and coordination. The mental benefits would include concentration, relaxation and calmness. But the benefits do not end here. Studies have shown that students taking yoga have fewer disciplinary problems, higher grades and are more physically fit. It is a noncompetitive form of exercise that can and will build confidence.

"If these are not enough benefits to convince you, yoga is also very valuable for children with special needs. Many physicians today even recommend yoga for special needs children. It can help children with Downs Syndrome, Cystic Fibrosis, Attention Deficit Disorder and Autism. These children need an outlet for their energy. This is a perfect outlet. They can refine their motor skills, learn to articulate better, develop improved eye contact and social skills, as well as, strengthen and tone their bodies. If the child has physical limitations, poses can be altered to use only certain portions of their bodies."

 Kids and yoga seem like a natural match. Kids can develop healthy bodies and healthy habits. This is something they can keep with them for the rest of their lives.


           

               


 

Yoga for infants & babies benefits include:

"Improves digestion-A baby’s digestive tract is underdeveloped and sensitive. Yoga helps to strengthen and massage the intestines, increasing baby’s comfort and stimulating absorption and elimination thus making baby more content and parents’ lives easier.

Provides relief from colic-Colic is frustrating for both child and parent. Numerous baby yoga poses can help calm parents and soothe babies. Baby squats are extremely effective for this. Hold baby in front of you, standing with your feet a little more than hips distance apart. On an exhale, squat quickly while securely holding baby. Return back up into the starting stance on the inhale. Repeat until baby settles.

Encourages bonding-Yoga encourages spending time together. Touching, holding, engaging with purpose firmly establishes an emotional foundation for parent/child relationships. Other family members and care givers can also participate in infant yoga adding their Contribution to the child's emotional well-being.

Stimulates neuromuscular development of repetitive motion and touch are the cornerstones for the development of neuromuscular pathways. As the brain develops rapidly during the first year of life than any other time, it is important that the neuromuscular system that stimulates growth and so often repeated to lay the groundwork for new and learning. Yoga helps with this goal.

Increases the body awareness-Babies learn through interacting physically with their world. During the first year they go from newborn to walking. Yoga assists babies in learning where their body parts are and how to move these body parts to improve coordination, develop strength, and instill a positive body image.

Reduces stress-Babies lives are stressful. Everything is new, they cannot tell others what is wrong, and they are struggling to understand and control their body. New parents have a high level of stress aggravated by insomnia. Yoga can help both parents and children grow and learn together to trust their intuition and learn to relax, too.

Promotes deeper sleep children need more stimulus to growth. You need sleep, too. Kids Yoga helps the child to exercise body and inspire the spirit. After the child is ready to relax and drift off for a nice long nap. Yoga helps calm babies. They woke in the night to sleep. New parents appreciate their children to sleep longer and deeper than ever.

The joy of yoga for children is that it can be practiced anywhere, any time your child needs some personal attention. Ideally, a time period of 5-20 minutes of yoga is expected in a normal day. For example, in the morning most exciting interactive baby, is playful. Alternatively, if the child is agitated during the night commonly incorporate relaxing yoga into the bedtime routine. Often bath time is a perfect time to include some yoga poses as baby is alert and has Mom or Dad’s undivided attention.

Above all, infant yoga is all about being present with your baby. The interactions between parent and child come from a basis of love and gentleness. The mutual experience joins families together and helps baby develop, parents to facilitate growth, and everyone to recognize life as a wonderful gift to be shared."
                                                                     source:yogamatproducts.com









                             












Yoga for Special Needs Children Benefits include:

"Yoga has been shown to help children who have varying disabilities and impairments. Gentle and therapeutic, yoga is both safe and helpful for children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Downs Syndrome, Cerebral Palsy, Autism and other developmental or learning disabilities."

..... "The first step in teaching Yoga to a student with autism is to establish a strong bond with the child. To do this the Yoga teacher will need to enter the world that the child lives in -- to meet the child on his or her own level, so to speak. Only then will the teacher be able to gain the child’s complete confidence. Massage, music, dance, rhymes and stories are some of the different techniques that the teacher can use to connect with the child.

As student and teacher gradually develop a foundation of mutual trust and friendship, the Yoga teacher can introduce some of the Yoga poses (asanas) and breathing exercises (pranayama) that will help to bring the child with autism out of his or her shell and into the world of social interaction. After the student becomes familiar with these introductory poses, the Yoga teacher may progressively add more asanas to the routine, as well as deep relaxation. The combination of asanas, pranayama and deep relaxation will strengthen the child’s nervous system, increase overall health and facilitate the development of body awareness and concentration. By establishing optimal physiological and psychological integrity, Yoga therapy helps children with autism gain new motor, communication and social skills. The end result is an overall improvement in their quality of life."

Source: Autismandyoga.com
 



                         
  
  
Yoga for teens benefits include:

"During puberty and the later teen years, immenchanges are taking place in the body's chemistry and physiology. The chakras are also developing and becoming more active at this time. Imbalances of the chakras, body chemistry, and physiology often show up in rebellion and mood swings. The regular practice of yoga can help you maintain balance in the different chakras and keep the spirit and soul strong and healthy, thereby benefiting both the body and mind.

 

According to yoga philosophy, a healthy spine creates balance and is a conduit to a sound mind. Yoga is designed to stimulate the nerves running along the spine. Poses involving twists and upside-down positions are especially effective for this purpose. When you practice all categories of yoga poses-seated, standing, lying down on your stomach or back, and upside down-you cause each vertebra (bony segment of the spine) to be slightly separated from the ones above and below it. Creating space between the vertebrae serves to 'plump' the disks between them, allowing energy to flow freely to the brain and giving the blood a clear passageway to circulate in a healthy manner.

 

Boys and young men in their teens usually develop their legs and arms through sports or weight training. However, they often overlook flexibility of the spine, back, arms, and legs. Yoga stretching poses are highly beneficial in correcting this imbalance and in strengthening muscles that are not used in strength training. The stretching may be difficult at first, but with practice, you will become more flexible and the poses will become easier.

 

When a girl begins developing breasts, the muscles that hold the spine in place are often weakened or strained, because the front of the torso is carrying more weight. Doing chest opening, backward bending, forward bending, and upside-down yoga poses will strengthen arms, shoulders, and back, as well as teach these parts of your body to balance out the weight in front.

 

Internal organs are growing and changing during this period and can become upset with diet changes or over stimulation of nerves. Yoga helps to keep organs healthy despite everyday stresses. It also assists in balancing out the mood swings and eliminating the body aches resulting from the hormonal imbalances experienced during sexual maturing. During this growth period, yoga is useful in easing the tension of tight muscles, tendons, and ligaments, and it can also help to strengthen bones. Certain poses alleviate menstrual cramps, and others work internally on clearing energy blocks that may cause headaches, sinus problems, irritability or digestive problems.

 

Yoga promotes unification of body and mind, and as you practice, it will increase your awareness and your ability to look within, think for yourself, and trust yourself. The result is that you will feel more peaceful and self-confident during a period of rapid change and be able to engage the world with a more positive outlook.

 

Yoga and Higiene

In yoga philosophy, the body is considered a temple to be treated with respect, understanding, and acceptance; but dealing with the rapid physical changes of adolescence can be difficult at times. For instance, as girls undergo hormonal changes and begin to experience the internal cleansing process of the menstrual cycle, keeping the body clean and free of odor is very important. As boys undergo the hormonal changes leading to manhood, they often experience glandular secretions resulting in sweaty feet and underarms, which also require regular cleansing.

 

Frequent cleansing is necessary to keep the pores open so that the skin is able to release toxins freely. Bathing before practicing yoga enhances the capacity of the pores to open and expel toxins and excess oil through sweat glands. Yoga deep breathing exercises promote the process of internal cleansing by improving circulation. An added benefit of yoga practice is the release of negative energy, which can block nadis (energy channels), glands, and pores.

 

Yoga and Sexuality

Yoga poses tone and balance the sex glands, while improving energy. During the teen years, most boys and girls become self-conscious about the changes in their bodies that go with sexual maturing. Boys may suddenly become concerned about whether hair is beginning to grow in the right places, such as on their faces or in the pubic area. They may also be concerned with muscle tone. Boys who mature more slowly or are not as physically strong as their peers often feel less manly, when they compare themselves with others. With regular practice, yoga will build muscle tone and strength and will improve energy and balance to enhance your physical performance and make your body the best it can be.

 

Girls experience shifting hormonal levels surrounding menstruation that can create sudden mood swings, ranging from anger to sadness. Girls also typically compare their physical changes, judging whose breasts are more developed, and worry about various other aspects of their developing bodies. Yoga practice improves fitness and health. It allows you to develop greater poise, grace, and confidence, as well as a more accepting relationship to your body and a positive image of who you are in the world.

 

Yoga and Sports

Throughout adolescence, when the body is still growing, and bones, muscles, tendons, and ligaments are changing, stress injuries are common. A quick or energetic body movement can sometimes cause a stress injury to any of these areas. Athletes who do not stretch enough in warming up experience injuries that often could be avoided-such as pulled hamstrings, knee injuries from tight tendons and ligaments, and shoulder, wrist, and ankle injuries from weakness in these areas. By offering a complete body workout, yoga balances out the stresses of any sport and helps correct tightness or weakness.

 

Stretching before and after a rigorous workout from any sport is recommended"

                                                 source: Thia Luby,ClearlightBooks

 

 

About the Author

Thia Luby is a nationally known yoga teacher and best-selling author. She has developed yoga programs for children, teenagers and adults. Her Children's book of Yoga was selected by School Library Journal as one of the best children's books of 1998.

 

Excerpt from "Yoga for Teens" reprinted with permission of Clear Light Publishers http://www.clearlight-books.com. To order a copy of this book and other Clear Light titles call 1-800-253-2747.