I have always thought that parents should start their kids off on yoga early in life; that parents can do yoga with their kids. This is great for kids for so many reasons: it is great family time and it helps create a healthy habit for life! So I feel it would be a great idea for yoga to be made a part of the school curriculum. It would be great for kids and it would be something that kids would really enjoy as well for so many reasons:
- Health and fitness – Doing yoga regularly is good for health. It helps kids remain fit and healthy even with demanding schedules and cramped city spaces with shrinking playgrounds and parks. It also helps improve the posture, body balance and flexibility; all of which contribute to overall health and wellness. Learning the right breathing techniques also helps to improve health, and pranayama may even help to reduce allergies and vulnerability to common infections. This can become a health habit that kids pick up; which they carry forward into adulthood as well.
- Helping in weight management – Today’s sedentary lifestyles leave kids with little time for sport, active play and sustained outdoor activities. As a result of this, child obesity rates have risen alarmingly in recent times. Doing yoga regularly in school and encouraging kids to do this at home as well, could go a long way in helping kids maintain a healthy weight.
- Reducing stress – Yes kids these days are stressed! Exam times, the overall competitive atmosphere, pressure from parents, the pressure to perform well to get into good colleges… all this adds up! Making sure that kids do yoga can help to reduce stress levels and lower instances of troubled teens.
- Improving memory and concentration –Yoga and meditation are known to help improve the memory and increase attention span. This is vital for school kids who are expected to study for long hours, memorize their course material and perform well in exams. With improved concentration, kids can study more efficiently and effectively; leaving time over for other non-academic activities.
- Can help with sports – Children who participate in athletics and competitive sports find that yoga really enhances their overall fitness and endurance levels. Yoga can be a useful adjunct to their sports training protocols. Yoga is something that trainers and coaches often incorporate into athletic training schedules.
- Enhances mental health – Since yoga and meditation help to reduce stress and improve mindfulness, this helps to have a positive impact in various different ways. Kids learn to eat mindfully, develop better self-control in their interactions with others, and are better able to cope with difficult or stressful situations.
- Improves quality of sleep – We all need a good night’s rest; but kids need it even more! The production of growth hormones, memory consolidation and the body’s repair work all goes on during the night while the body sleeps. So when kids sleep well, they have a stronger immunity and experience less stress. They perform better at academics as well.
- Improved self-esteem – Peer pressure and other aspects of school life can put a great deal of pressure on kids to look a certain way, be popular among their school mates and so on. By regularly doing yoga, children become fitter. Blood circulation, the growth of hair and nails also improves. All this helps to enhance their appearance, which in turn improves self-esteem and overall well-being.
While there are all these benefits of introducing yoga in schools, there is one more benefit that I, as a mother can share with you: yoga is a reason for kids to get out of class. As any kid will tell you, getting out of class and getting a break from boring classes is always great!