When you think about stress and family wellness, you probably focus on how the stress of life affects parental wellbeing. Let’s face it, you have to hold down a job, spend time with your kids, make sure you look out for their wellness and also find time to spend on yourself and as a couple – what do the kids have to be stressed about? The truth is, your children live in a hurry-up world of busy parents, school pressures, incessant lessons, video games, and competitive sports, but you can help combat these stressors with the healing power of yoga. Don’t believe me? Here are five ways in which yoga can help your children:
1) Yoga helps to maintain flexibility and strengthens growing bodies. Poses like Warrior One and Two aid in developing strength in your children’s growing muscles and bodies, which allows for fewer and less-severe injuries.
2) Yoga enhances your children’s concentration. The different paces of different yoga poses enhance your children’s focus and awareness. For example, great attention is needed to move from the Flying Bird Pose (Warrior Three) to balancing in Tree Pose, and your child needs this to thrive in a learning environment.
3) Yoga increases your children’s self-esteem. If your child can master the Crow Pose, this will give them poise and power which, in turn, will help them to believe in themselves and become more confident.
4) Yoga teaches your child to be aware of the present moment. A lot of stress comes from thinking about the past or future, when your children could be enjoying the now. Yoga philosophy teaches present moment awareness, so your kids won’t miss out on being kids.
5) Yoga helps your child to cultivate a relaxed body and mind. Deep Relaxation, also known as the “Do Nothing Pose” is at the end of every yoga class, as it allows your children to lie on their backs in quiet, peaceful stillness. Sometimes this is done with music, a guided visualisation, foot massage or a herbal eye pillow, but either way your children will be able to carry this peace with them into their daily lives.