Yoga offers children a non-competitive approach to exercise that emphasizes personal ability and effort. Yoga poses combine physical stretches, directed breathing and mental focusing, creating a reflective environment for fitness. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) notes that yoga can enhance stress-coping mechanisms and mind-body awareness and may also provide stress reduction, reduced blood pressure, increased lung capacity and improved muscle strength and flexibility.
History of Yoga
The word "yoga" comes from the Sanskrit language and loosely translated, means "union." Yoga began in India approximately 5,000 years ago, but is now practiced worldwide and has many variations. Yoga poses involve a combination of stretching, breathing and meditation and are named for observations of the natural world: animals (i.e., downward dog), landmarks (i.e., mountain) or people (i.e., child's pose"). Imitating life is a relaxing, fun and non-threatening way of approaching exercise.
Posture, Stretching and Relaxation
As children spend more time at computers, they develop the same upper body tension and side effects of their parents. Many yoga poses emphasize good posture and vertical alignment, which can decrease pressure on the spine and diminish muscle fatigue, allowing more energy for mental concentration. Yoga poses also focus on methodical stretching, which can improve muscle relaxation, prevent muscle strain and impart a sense of relaxation or calm.
Breathing and Stress Reduction
All yoga poses have a breathing component that involves breathing at a specific speed and length of time. Drawing awareness to the breath offers an opportunity for children to begin to understand one of their most fundamental bodily processes. Focused breathing is also a stress-reduction technique, which can be practiced at any time or in any location, making it an effective tool for families.
Strength and Balance
Many yoga poses are practiced on both sides of the body, developing strength and coordination evenly. Holding yoga poses is reflective and relatively quiet, two useful traits that can be challenging to impart to children. Moreover, crouching (i.e., warrior pose) and one-legged poses (i.e., tree pose) emphasize focus and physical balance, which are welcome skills for any other fitness activities.
Individual Efforts
Yoga avoids issues of comparison and competition by focusing on the best possible effort from each individual. Repetition is encouraged to improve posture and retain a pose for longer periods of time, offering every individual a chance to develop and grow on his own terms. This supportive fitness environment, with a broad definition of success, can be particularly rewarding for children.
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