Yoga helps children become healthier and happy in so many ways. The physical benefits are obvious, however the social and emotional benefits become more apparent over time.

Through yoga children;

• Learn body awareness
• Build self-esteem
• Improve focus & concentration
• Improve posture
• Learn self-health techniques
• Calming techniques
• Build strength & flexibility

Planting the seed

The experience of yoga for children is quite different to that of an adult. Children’s bodies need movement, their minds need creativity and their hearts open with the sound of laughter.

Planting the seed of yoga will vary with the child, the environment and the teacher. It is important not to be fixated on the outcome, but to persist with the process patiently.

Here are a few anecdotes from our experiences. If you would like to share your anecdotes please email it to yogamites and we would love to publish them.

Ella

Ella started playing with yoga at the age of 4. Her mum was practicing yoga and Ella thought that it looked like fun, so she joined in. She especially liked imitating all the different things in nature. She pretended to be a dog, a treem a snake, (she particularly like to poke out her tongue in this pose) along with many other things.

Whilst Ella was enjoying imitating all of these things she still felt the need to move and chop and change from pose to pose quickly and make noises. Yoga was not a quiet experience for her, although she did enjoy lying down and breathing quietly at the end holding onto her mummies hand.

When Ella started school, she began to lose interest in yoga and the more her mum tried to encourage her the more she resisted. Her mum decided to let her find her own way to yoga and if it was to be then it would be.

Now at the ripe old age of 7 and ¾ Ella attends a weekly yoga class, enjoying the continual amazement at what her developing body is capable of. She has also learned to utilise the many benefits of yoga within her every day life. When she is feeling frustrated, angry or maybe not quite sure what she is feeling she takes time out and completes a mini vinyasa to calm or energise her. In the middle of the night she may simply use her breathe to blow away fear from bad dreams. When breathing rapidly she may use belly breathing to regulate her breath or her intuition to make the right choices. She even uses the power of her special crystals to help her through certain times or give them to her friends in a time of need.

Ella will use certain aspects of yoga throughout her life, taking what she needs when she needs it and maybe one day she will be a committed yogi. Either way the benefits gained along the way are extremely valuable and will help her towards a happier life.

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Jack

Jack first experienced yoga at kinder where he had classes once a week. He had fun playing around, pretending to be animals and making animal noises. He enjoyed lying down and having his feet massaged during relaxation and saying Namaste, which had been explained as a respect for yourself and others, simply “I am special and so are you”.

One day at home Jack had upset his brother and needed to apologise. Jack never liked to admit that he was wrong, but he realised that he had made his brother sad and he did not like that. So Jack went up to his brother, put his hands together in prayer position, bowed and said “Namaste”. When his brother asked him what that meant, Jack quietly replied, “It means that you are special and so am I.” His brother was happy and so was Jack.

Now at the age of 7 Jack no longer attends yoga classes, his time is spent on cricket and football, but he still remembers some of the exercises and values that he learnt – he also still loves to have his feet massaged.

Now there is a special seed inside Jack waiting to be nurtured, maybe it will maybe it won’t, but at least it’s there.

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