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[[{"type":"media","view_mode":"media_large","fid":"39582","attributes":{"class":"media-image","typeof":"foaf:Image","style":"","alt":"Family Health Tip"}}]]This blog post first appeared on Kids HealthLine, courtesy of Peyton Manning Children's Hospital at St. Vincent.
Yoga has benefits beyond the physical alone. If you’re a yoga enthusiast, you’re likely to be in the fittest of both physical and mental health. But, what about the benefits that this ancient eastern art holds for kids?
When it comes to health and fitness for children, we tend to focus on sports and outdoor play rather than think of exercising at the gym or following a workout routine. But another form of exercise that offers various advantages is yoga, a fact that is not as well known as it should be.
Yoga helps children by...
- Enhancing concentration: When your child gets used to the postures of yoga, they automatically improve their concentration skills. Your child learns how to sit still in one place and focus on what’s important as opposed to letting their mind wander and be distracted easily. This helps them in their lessons and at school, boosts their attention span and improves their grades.
- Increasing flexibility and balance: Yoga helps improve flexibility and balance and tones their muscles too. It makes them stronger and less likely to suffer sprains and fractures through accidental falls.
- Improving general well-being: Kids who practice yoga regularly feel good about themselves and are healthier and happier than those who don’t. They feel both mentally and physically rejuvenated after a yoga session and this improves their mental and physical health.
- Boosting confidence: When your child is able to display great agility and flexibility, it does wonders for their confidence. Their improved performance at school also helps boost their self assurance. They become more poised and start to believe in their abilities. This feeling provides them with the adrenaline they need to achieve success in all their endeavors.
- Relaxing their minds: Even kids are subject to a great deal of stress these days because of their workload at school and the high expectations that their parents have for them. They are pushed to be achievers at every single point of their lives, and when they fail, they take it to heart and become depressed. Yoga helps them relax and de-stress when they feel upset or depressed. It soothes their frayed minds and helps them get back to a normal mental state.
Children are more flexible and agile than adults, so the earlier you get kids started on to yoga, the more benefits they gain.
