Importance Of Yoga For Children - 3 Must-Know Yoga Facts

There is a saying that high-maintenance children make low-maintenance adults. The fact is that if you invest in your children from an early stage, your responsibility is most certainly reduced at the later stages in life. And I couldn’t agree more! Everyone wants their child to develop healthy habits from a young age. And it is wise too. Rather than wait to change a toxic old habit, is it not more efficient to start early on a good habit?

This brings me to the topic of habit and routine. Research from Dr. Maxwell Maltz (a plastic surgeon in the 1950s) who wrote the best seller, Psycho Cybernetics, indicates that it takes a minimum of 21 days to form a new habit. Furthermore, cementing this habit and making the new behavior automatic could take anywhere from 66 days upwards, depending on the person, behavior and circumstance. So when do we start helping our children to form new healthy habits? There is no better time than now, yes right now.

Right Age to Introduce Yoga To Your Child

One of the very effective tools that help a child become more mindful and focused and healthy is Yoga. Yoga has many benefits for children and students. In essence, Yoga for Children is all about employing asana (posture), pranayama (breath) and mantra (sound) - the trifecta of holistic wellbeing, to create neural networks that shape and define a path of self-sufficiency and independence for children.

Until the age of 7, children are akin to sponges absorbing all they are exposed to. The good and the bad, everything. The brain is just looking to be fed and find a pattern. This is why children ask so many questions in this stage. After the age of 7, two of the most important glands in the body; the pituitary (which controls most of the other hormone secreting glands in the body) and pineal gland (which produces melatonin), are said to atrophy, which is even more reason to get them introduced to Yoga at these pivotal stages.

For More Read:  How to Introduce Yoga to Child at an early age?

In a more global context, we all strive to send our children to the finest colleges so as parents we believe we have given them every opportunity at professional success, but what kind of future leaders and entrepreneurs are we creating? There is considerable evidence from prominent large companies such General Mills, Google, Apple and Proctor and Gamble who have already adopted Yoga and Mindfulness programs and the results they are getting. I don’t need to say more for one to see the economic impact on society and the link between mentally healthy children and a healthy future, with an arrow of responsibility pointing to parents.

3 Must Know Facts of Yoga For Children & Parents Equally

Yoga is no mystic mountain myth – it is cutting edge neuroscience. Here are 3 reasons why Yoga for children is a must.

#1. Concentration – Coordination - Confidence

When your child grasps the asanas and breath work, naturally she begins to move into a state of higher awareness, which in turns affects attention span positively.

1. Her brain starts to receive more oxygen and with this she is able to apply herself to school work and play with ease and joy
2. The multi-faceted approach of this practice (i.e. combining breath with movement) is terrific for motor skills, and when a child feels in charge of her own body and mind, confidence gets a boost
3. It is also a well-known truth that regular yoga practice can help deepen sleep, which is particularly essential as this is when the body regenerates

#2. Flexibility – Balance – Strength

The practice of asana is designed to awaken, lengthen and strengthen all 3 layers of the muscles and connective tissues (Epimysium, Perimysium and Endomysium). This in turn improves the bone density and reduces the chances of fractures, sprains and bone damages.

#3. Digestion – Mood – Weight

The use and sound of mantra has a resonance effect which significantly affects temperament whether your child sings or not. Due to changes in lifestyle, diet and digestion affects us all and asanas can stimulate the activity of the internal organs so as to assimilate and digest food at an optimum speed. So, in a nutshell - using yoga asana to create better body alignment and strengthen bone density; pranayama to maximize oxygen to the brain, improve circulation of blood and enhance growth; and mantra to balance the mind and heart - is placing your child up at the top of life’s ladder, empowering them to choose.

So the first step you could take to get your children grow up, as responsible adults is to help them build certain positive habits right now.

(If you like this blog and want to know more about yoga and benefits to children, read our blog Celebrity on Parentune-Payal Gidwani Tiwari. Payal, a yoga expert to some of the most famous Bollywood names, also shares her thoughts on the same issue.) *Pooja Madhok-Saroj is a Yoga teacher and Coach who works with children.