Why Yoga for Children? Is Yoga Good for Kids?

Many schools have already included it as a subject in the curriculum and students are representing our country’s culture all over the world. Due to the ongoing pandemic, kids have been drifting to yoga practice. This makes it more important to make them realise the benefits of Yoga and its daily practice.

Exercising yoga from a young age will help kids not only to have a healthy life but also acquire some lifetime habits. Doing yoga daily enhances the concentration, listening skills and self-esteem of kids.  It also improves their relations with friends and peers.

This article comprises the advantages of yoga as well as a few simple postures that your kids can practice. Continue to read more.

Why Yoga for Children?

Children must do some physical as well as mental exercise to keep their mind fresh. Doing yoga daily helps kids to enhance their flexibility,  balancing,  memory skills. And ultimately they’ll learn how to think and act calmly in a particular situation.

According to various studies, yoga improves the conditions of kids suffering from ADHD. It also abates negativity as well as anxiety in kids. There are a lot more of its benefits. Read the next section to know.

Yoga Benefits for Kids

Some of the benefits of Yoga are:-

• Yoga practices demand deep concentration and focus of both mind and body. Thus doing yoga daily will improve focusing ability and boost up the memory of kids.
• Kids have a lot more stress about their homework,  tests, classes and many more. Practising yoga would help them relieve stress and have a balanced mind.

Especially Yoga before sleep time is the best fit for having sound and relaxed sleep.

• Yoga requires flexibility, stretching, mental as well as physical strength.  All these exercises affect our breathing ability.

Learning correct breathing techniques in yoga would help kids to improve breath control as well as their strength.

• Yoga detoxifies our negative thoughts and keeps our mood cheerful as well as positive.

It also helps in reducing stress and anxiety.

• Learning and trying out different yoga poses will enhance their determination to quickly learn a difficult pose and show it to their friends and family.

Kids love trying out different tasks, once they get involved in yoga it will improve their determination and perseverance to be good at it.

Also Read: 5 Best Yoga Postures for Kids that are Sure to Help them in the Long Run

Simple Yoga for Kids

A list of some easy and simple Yoga postures for your kids:-

H4. Cat Pose

Also known as Marjaryasana

1. Stretch your hands and feet to make a tabletop position.
2. Toes should be bent and knees should be below hip apart while arms being straight to the floor.
3. Keeping the head at the centre and eyes looking at the floor, inhale and raise your chin.
4. Then exhale and see towards the ceiling and feel relaxed.
5. Hold this pose for 6-7 seconds.

Easy Pose 

Also known as Sukhasana

1. Sit on a mat with legs crossed and body straight.
2. Place both hands on the knees. You need to sit in a balanced manner.
3. The Head, neck and spine should be straight.
4. Look forward and do this sitting yoga for 1-2 minutes and then change the crossed legs to continue.

Bridge Pose

Also known as Setu Bandha Sarvangasana

1. Lie on your back with knees bent and width between the hips on the floor.
2. Face your palms downwards and arms should be placed alongside the body.
3. Now exhale, and start lifting your hip and back towards the ceiling.
4. Do this posture in a way that your feet and shoulder support your lifting position.
5. Glutes and buttocks must be tight and not relaxed.
6. While placing fingers on the floor trying to reach a higher lifting of your back.
7. Hold this posture till the time you can endure and then exhale and be relaxed.

Cobra Pose

Also known as Bhujangasana

1. For this activity on a mat or a bare land lie down with your face facing straight and stomach on the floor with flat toes.
2. Close your legs together and your arms should be put a little back before the spine.
3. Then lift your body and your face and take a deep breath while lifting your chest and abdomen.
4. Then breathe out and return to your original position.
5. Do this exercise for 5-6 breaths repeating 6-7 times.

Corpse Pose

Also known as Savasana

1. For this, you need to lie on the floor with a flat back and there should be a slight inch difference between your body and arms.
2. Eyes should be closed and feet in a drop open position with relaxed legs and knees.
3. The palm must be open and should face upward.
4. Start breathing naturally and putting all weight of your body on the ground.
5. Exhale and remove stress from your body. Do this exercise for upto 15 minutes until your body and mind feel relaxed.

Tree Pose

Also known as Vrksasana

1. For this, stand firm and straight and slowly shift the whole weight to your right foot. The left foot should be lifted and the knees shouldn’t be knocked in the right foot.
2. Then you need to press your foot and thigh with the same pressure, with your hands above the head.
3. Concentrate or gaze at some firm object.
4. Hold the position for 20-25 seconds and take 7-10 breaths before shifting to another leg exercise.

Also Read: How to Inculcate the Habit of Yoga and Physical Exercise in Your Kids? Guide to a Healthy Life

Butterfly Pose 

Also known as Baddha Konasana

1. For this, you need to sit straight with a firm spine on a yoga mat.
2. Legs should be folded with feet touching and holding them with your hands.
3. Start exhaling and push both feet downward in an easy and relaxed manner.
4. As like the wings of a butterfly, start pushing both the legs downwards.
5. Do this exercise gently and slowly and hold it for 5-10 minutes.
6. Now take a deep breath and slowly exhale and free up your posture.

Hero Pose 

Also known as Virasana

1. This yoga should also be done on a mat. Sit in a kneeling position on the heel, with heels touching hips.
2. While knees should be together but feet should be some inches away and there should be a difference between them.
3. Hands should be put on legs in a relaxed position and the spine should be straight.
4. Take deep breaths and repeat them 5-6 times, in a relaxed position.

Lion Pose 

Also known as Simhasa

1. For this, you need to sit on your hips with legs folded and palms placed on your knees.
2. While inhaling you must put your tongue out.
3. With tongue out, your eyes should be opened widely.
4. After exhaling you need to make the sound of a lion’s roar, that is ‘Haa.’

Mountain Pose

Also known as Tadasana

1. For this stand straight and lift your toes.
2. Arms should be in the air alongside and arms must be in a relaxed position.
3. After checking all the necessary position tips, hold the posture for 5-6 seconds and repeat it for 6-7 breaths.

Also Read: How to Spend Summer Vacation for Kids? Best Ways to Keep Kids Involved in Learning

Conclusion

In conclusion, we need to prepare our kids for facing the real world. While it’s difficult to watch each step of your kids, the best solution is to teach your kids how to particularly tackle and face a situation.

Yoga is a way that will help your kids to be mentally as well as physically strong. It will lead them to reflect and find out their weaknesses as well as strengths. It’s an activity that will make kids learn how to accept their flaws as well as be emotionally stable.

To enhance your kid’s memory, concentration skills as well as posture building you must make them do physical exercises like yoga daily. With the help of easy yoga exercises, you can easily do this.

Hopefully, this article might have helped you in realising the importance of yoga for children. For more articles like this, you can visit our website. Also, you can share your thoughts by commenting in the box given below.