Yoga, Your Child(ren), and You!
Although yoga might be more than 5,000 years old (wow!), its benefits are now being studied and brought to light. Yoga is a mind-body intervention that focuses on breath control when moving through and holding various body positions. Yoga has been shown to positively impact mood, pain, anxiety, stress, and psychological and physical health-related quality of life in adults (Koenig et al., 2012). Additionally, yoga has been found to enhance academic functioning, behavioral functioning, attention, impulse control, strength, motor coordination, social skills, and overall mental health and self-regulation in kids (Koenig et al., 2012; Weaver et al., 2015). These are all necessary functions not only for academics but for all daily activities! Teachers who engaged in daily yoga with their students for 16 weeks reported decreased irritability, lethargy, social withdrawal, hyperactivity, and noncompliance (Koenig et al., 2012). Therefore, yoga is good for both you and your child! Kid’s yoga is taught in community centers, yoga studios, after-school programs, and private and public schools across the United States; why not bring it to your home (McGonigal, 2006)? It's worth noting that there are various types of yoga available such as vinyasa, yin, and restorative; therefore, it's important to try them out to see what best fits you and your family!
Not sure where to start? Try out these poses with your kiddo!
Overhead arms stretch (top left) - Reach your arms as high as you can, reach for the stars! This can be done either standing or sitting.
Upward dog (top right) - Lay down on your stomach. Put your hands flat on the ground just outside of your shoulders, then push up. Try to straighten your arms as far as you can but be sure to stop as soon as it is no longer comfortable! For added fun, pretend to be a seal with your little one!
Cat/cow stretch (bottom left) - Get onto all fours, with your hands flat on the floor and shoulder-width apart. As you breathe in, round your back up into the “cat” position. Make it extra fun by making cat sounds with your kiddo while in this pose! Lower your belly towards the ground while arching your back into the “cow” position as you breathe out; add some “moo’s” for good measure!
Tree pose (bottom right) - Stand with your feet together underneath you. Slowly lift one foot off of the ground, placing it on your other leg with your knee facing to the side. Try to grow your tree big and strong. Branches can be tall (arms above your head) or wide (stretched to the side). Make sure to wiggle your fingers so lots of leaves can grow! NOTE: You do not have to bring your foot all the way up to your thigh! Start off by placing your lifted foot on your ankle, slowly moving up as you are able. Switch and repeat on the other foot!
Want to learn more? Check out these resources!
Cosmic Kids Yoga is a YouTube channel for guided yoga with fun themes (including Moana, Encanto, and ocean-themed to name a few!).
The YMCA offers Little Lotus Yoga classes for kids and their families that are free for members!
Learning Tree Yoga is a Minneapolis-based business that provides free online yoga videos. Even better, they can come to you to lead yoga sessions!
Move Mindfully provides tools for energy and emotion regulation through natural, therapeutic movements for all ages! We are excited to meet LIVE with Move Mindfully on Instagram at 10:00 am on July 14th. Stay up to date and don’t miss out by following our Instagram here!
References
Birdee, G. S., Yeh, G. Y., Wayne, P. M., Phillips, R. S., Davis, R. B., & Gardiner, P. (2009). Clinical applications of yoga for the pediatric population: A systematic review. Academic Pediatrics, 9(4). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.acap.2009.04.002
Koenig, K. P., Buckley-Reen, A., & Garg, S. (2012). Efficacy of the get ready to learn yoga program among children with autism spectrum disorders: A pretest–Posttest Control Group Design. The American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 66(5), 538–546. https://doi.org/10.5014/ajot.2012.004390
McGonigal, K. (2006). Yoga for kids. IDEA Fitness Journal.
Weaver, L. L., & Darragh, A. R. (2015). Systematic review of yoga interventions for anxiety reduction among children and adolescents. The American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 69. http://dx.doi.org/10.5014/ajot.2015.020115