Top Benefits of Yoga for Kids TOP BENEFITS OF YOGA FOR KIDS

1. Helps with Self-Control

Self-control is an important part of a child’s development. Kids who can practice self-control are better at maintaining friendships, making decisions, and responding to stressful situations.

Studies show that kids who routinely practice yoga are also less impulsive and have more patience while waiting for positive rewards.

2. Reduces Stress and Anxiety

Kids need stress relief tools, too! In fact, reports show that children’s anxiety levels may have doubled since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic. Yoga is a great tool for kids to use to work through their complex feelings.

Yoga helps children practice breathing techniques to calm those anxious nerves. These techniques help kids soothe their minds, which in turn soothes their bodies.

3. Improves Focus and Attention Span

Concentration is a tough skill for many young kids to master! While kids need lots of room to let their curiosities run wild, it’s also important for them to practice maintaining their focus and attention span so that they can learn new things and interact with others.

Yoga encourages children to focus on one manageable task (or pose) at a time. After a while of practicing yoga, children develop the ability to concentrate for longer periods of time. This is a skill that will greatly benefit children when they enter school.

4. Trains Fine and Gross Motor Skills

We all know that childhood can be a bit wobbly! Similar to dance, gymnastics, and other sports, yoga helps children train their balance, hand-eye coordination, and other key movements with small muscles.

5. Builds Strength and Flexibility

That’s right! Routinely practicing yoga strengthens children’s growing muscles. Along with the benefits of being healthy, strength and flexibility keep kids safe during physical activity and exercise.

6. Teaches How To Regulate Emotions

Yoga was created to find a balance between the mind and the body. Kids go through a lot of different emotions in the span of a single day, they may feel: excited, angry, worried, jealous, happy, sad, and more! There is a yoga class for all types of emotions, whether your child needs to learn to calm down or generate more energy.

It’s a great resource to have as a tool for when your child identifies a particular emotion and needs a strategy for managing it.

7. Benefits Health

In addition to building strength and supporting mental health, there are many internal benefits that kids gain from doing weekly yoga. Yoga helps regulate bowel movements, reduces asthma symptoms, and boosts immunity. 

8. Impacts Relationship with Parents

It’s no secret that your children want to spend time with you! They will look forward to doing their weekly yoga practice with you because it is a creative and meaningful way to spend time together.

9. Boosts Self Esteem and Confidence

Another incredible benefit of yoga is that regular practice helps children learn to believe in themselves and their own capabilities. They will feel proud of themselves when they master a new move and can demonstrate all the different poses that they know.

Plus, yoga also helps children develop a healthy relationship with their body, which will be key for when they eventually go through the changes of puberty. 

10. Better Sleep 

Nighttime transitions are tough on both children and parents. Doing yoga as part of your regular nightly routine can help children relax and have a deeper sleep. You don’t have to do a full yoga class before bed, sometimes just a few breathing exercises or stretches can help set the mood for sleepy time.

From lingokids.com