a re-blog from Rainbow Yoga who will be hosting a 3-day Kids Yoga Training at Yoga One this September 28th-29th, sign up here!
Yoga and mindfulness are wonderful and well-tested tools to help young people, from toddlers to teens, improve their physical and mental abilities and increase their feeling of well-being. These can assist them in improving performance in all walks of life.
Incorporating yoga into a child’s life can bring numerous benefits that extend beyond physical health. It can enhance their overall well-being, and performance in various activities, increase their abilities to succeed at school and exams, enhance emotional resilience, and social connections, and contribute to creating a more peaceful and harmonious society.
1. Yoga increases strength, flexibility, balance and coordination → This will help your child excel in any sports activity they choose to attend.
2. Yoga improves posture and body alignment → Regular practice of yoga helps children develop good posture and alignment, which can benefit them in various physical activities. Proper alignment reduces strain on the muscles and joints, leading to improved performance and reduced risk of injury.
3. Yoga promotes body awareness → This will help reduce the risk of injury in any physical activity your child may attend.
4. Yoga strengthens the immune system and promotes well-being → This will help your child to be sick less often, feel more vitality and be able to face life with more energy.
5. Yoga builds focus and enhances clarity of mind → This will help your child study better at school and be more successful in their exams.
6. Yoga helps to reduce stress and anxiety → Stress is proven to inhibit learning so the coping skills yoga offers will help your child in achieving any learning outcome at any topic they choose.
7. Yoga takes care of the child’s emotional well-being → This allows them to enjoy more their study and their work, their relationship with their friends and family and all of their daily activities. This is called THRIVING as opposed to just surviving; it is the feeling of happiness we all wish for our children.
8. Yoga cultivates discipline and self-control → Yoga practice requires discipline and self-control, as students are encouraged to stay focused and engaged in their practice. These qualities can carry over into other areas of life, such as sports training, academic pursuits, and personal goals.
9. Yoga fosters self-confidence and self-esteem → As children practice yoga and witness their progress, they gain a sense of accomplishment and develop self-confidence. This newfound confidence can extend beyond the yoga mat and positively impact their participation in sports and other activities.
10. Yoga supports creativity and self-expression → Yoga encourages children to explore movement, express themselves, release emotional trauma and tap into their creativity. This can benefit them in sports, arts, and other activities that require imagination and self-expression and help them interact in the world with a less reactive and lighter heart.
11. Yoga teaches positive coping skills → This is a fast-paced, demanding and competitive world we live in and research shows that young people who don’t learn positive ways to process and deal with the stresses of life end up using unhealthy coping mechanisms such as alcohol and drug addiction, screen or gaming addictions, self-harming and eating disorders. The physical techniques, breathing and mindfulness tools that young people learn in the relaxing atmosphere of a yoga session can be used by them under more stressful conditions to self-regulate.
12. Rainbow Yoga enhances social connections and teaches children and teens social skills → Therefore it reduces social issues, disrespect, violence and bullying and promotes secure connections with our family, friends, peers and community enhancing the well-being of our whole society.
13. Yoga teaches values and ethical principles → The teachings of yoga encompass values such as truthfulness, non-violence, gratitude, and respect for oneself and others. By incorporating these principles into their lives, children develop a strong moral compass and contribute to a more ethical, compassionate, inclusive and supportive community.
14. From inner peace to world peace → Society is made out of the individuals in it; cultivating peace, kindness and resilience in the younger people will create a brighter future for generations to come.
Want to learn how to share this with your children at home or with your students at school?
Join one of our Rainbow Kids Yoga Teacher Trainings today!
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