What are benefits of yoga and meditation for Children

What are the benefits of yoga and meditation for Children?

In recent years, there has been a sharp increase in the number of schools and children’s clubs that offer some form of yoga or meditation as an after-school activity. Now while this is a far cry from traditional after-school sports clubs and activities, many parents, teachers, and medical professionals are finding that it is providing a significant boost to both the physical and mental wellbeing of children.

In this fast-paced, digital world that we live in, children are facing constant pressure to succeed and thrive. From school and sports to socializing and social media, it is no wonder that there is a growing rise in the number of children and teenagers facing problems with stress and anxiety.

Top Benefits Yoga Offers Children

There are a number of physical and mental benefits to children of all ages when they take part in yoga and meditation sessions. Although some of the practices might be different from those taught in adult classes, it still has many of the same attributes and boosts to the body. Some of the most significant benefits of teaching yoga and meditation to children include:

Boosting their confidence

Growing up, many children and young adults face a lack of confidence. In this modern digital world, where they are bombarded daily on TV, social media, and magazines with photoshopped celebrity images, it can leave many children with a very low confidence about how they look, which in turn can lead to them hiding away and becoming less outgoing.

Practicing yoga can help to significantly boost their confidence within themselves. As they practice and master the various moves, it helps to establish a clear connection between their mind and body. Alongside that, every time they successfully learn a new move or yoga pose, it will give them a sense of accomplishment.

Yoga and meditating are conducted at the child’s own pace, and they can practice the process alone, ensuring they will not feel like they have to compare the progress against another child.

Encourages a healthy body

When a child regularly practice yoga and meditation, they will discover the benefits of a healthy body and lifestyle. The various poses and maneuvers will help them to stretch their body, improve muscles, strengthen their core, and also help to increase their balance and coordination.

By encouraging children to participate in yoga and meditation, it will boost their flexibility and improve blood flow, which can help to reduce the risk of suffering an injury when taking part in other physical activity and sports.

Boosts concentration

Participating in yoga and meditation requires focus and dedication. This has been shown to help increase concentration levels in children across their studies, and many teachers are encouraging students to participate in short yoga breaks in between classes to boost their focus and learning.

Reduce stress and anxiety

One of the most significant benefits of encouraging children to participate in yoga and meditation classes is that it can significantly reduce the levels of stress and anxiety that they feel. Partaking in yoga encourages a moment of calm and clarity, giving them the reassurance and ability to reflect.

Alongside helping to clear their mind of thoughts, yoga and meditation also teach students unique breathing techniques, which can also help to reduce levels of stress. These breathing techniques can be used away from yoga in moments of anxiety, allowing them to relax and calm their nerves.

Many professional psychiatrists recommend yoga as a useful tool in helping to reduce anxiety and stress, and there are a number of ongoing studies that are examining the mental health benefits that it can provide children.

Truly Inclusive

Sporting activities are a crucial aspect of development and fitness for children, serving as a great way to keep them active and healthy. However, although the benefit of sport cannot be denied, it is not an activity that every child enjoys as the competitive nature can put many kids off/

As there is no competitive nature of yoga, it makes the activity incredibly inclusive and is suitable for children of all ages and skill levels. There is no skill levels or aspect of winning, which means children can just focus on improving their own talent and not have to worry about how they compare against someone else.

This level of inclusivity makes yoga and meditation a popular activity to include in schools, allowing those children who might otherwise struggle in competitive sports to flourish.

Establish a higher level of mindfulness
Yoga and meditation are a great way for children to gather their thoughts, aligning their body and mind, and helping to increase their overall mindfulness. It can help to build confidence and ensure they feel calm, relaxed, and happy. By becoming more aware of their emotions, children are able to better manage their behavior, and a recent study that saw detention replaced with a meditation led to more self-regulation and a reduction in exclusions.

While discipline is still crucial in helping children to understand the differences between right and wrong, yoga is a valuable addition to help promote a more mindful and socially aware student.

Encourages creativity

For younger children, yoga is a great way to help boost their creativity and help them to learn new processes. Typically, methods to teach yoga and meditation to children utilize music, sounds, and story-telling, which opens up new worlds and boosts their vocabulary too.

When combining sounds with the various yoga movements and positions, it helps to boost the cognitive process and encourages the creative side of the brain to engage. This, in turn, helps to increase their learning by establishing a kinaesthetic process in the brain.

Improve coordination

This is a significant benefit for children and adults alike. Yoga helps to improve core strength, which boosts coordination and balance, and as children learn new moves, they will be using a range of muscles that they do not usually use.

This helps to create a level of symmetry across the body, encouraging your motor skills to develop further. This is vital in improving balance within children, and a study conducted on how yoga affects children found that 97% were able to significantly improve their overall balance and coordination.

Final thoughts

The use of yoga and meditation within schools is on the rise, and many teachers, parents, and children are discovering the benefits that it provides. Alongside the clear physical benefits it provides, there are also a number of mental benefits. It helps to encourage wellbeing and leaves students feeling more aligned and positive about themselves.

Yoga is also a great way to ensure your child is able to enjoy aerobic exercise and encourage muscle growth, without having to worry about taking part in competitive sports. Of course, teaching children yoga requires a different method than teaching it to adults, but taking part today can help your child to better express themselves and grow mentally and physically.