This blog simply busts the myths that the term yoga is a healthy practice for adults only. People of all age groups including kids can engage in yoga and maintain a healthy lifestyle. Not just physical health, most yoga asanas also support the mental health of individuals. An ideal yoga session usually lasts for 45-60 minutes and consists of 5-7 asanas.
In total, 84 traditional yoga asanas have been carried forward for centuries. Many traditional yoga asanas have been molded according to the present situations and introduced as new variants. Yoga for kids is termed a healthy practice that helps in maintaining well-being. This blog focuses on introducing the importance and advantages of yoga for kids from the age group of 6-14 years.
What are the Health Benefits Associated with Yoga?
The techniques of yoga are not only popular in traditional books but also appreciated by medical science. A lot of medical practitioners, general physicians, and medical institutions recommend yoga as a daily habit for living a healthy lifestyle. Five such health benefits of yoga are mentioned below in this section.
Heart Health
Since it is well-known that yoga reduces the level of stress, it also focuses on maintaining the ideal blood pressure and pulse rate. Most heart diseases and issues in human beings generally arise due to imbalances in pulse rates and blood pressure.
Stronger Spine
Most of the poses of yoga require lengthening and stretching the body. It reduces the tension and the stiffness in the muscles that surround the spinal cord. Therefore, yoga poses are generally advised as a remedy for most back problems.
Increased Strength
Perfection in yoga poses arrives after perfect balancing and flexibility. People that practice the poses of yoga regularly are comparatively more flexible than people that do not. It also increases the overall strength and stamina of the body.
Maintenance of Ideal BMI
BMI refers to the Body Mass Index that is calculated after a comparative analysis of the height and bodyweight of the individual. It is proven that yoga helps in maintaining a healthy BMI that ranges from 18.9kg/m2 to 24.5kg/m2.
Joint Health
Most people face joint issues and problems like arthritis after the age of 40. A human being that practices yoga asanas daily is lesser prone to such joint-related issues as some poses also play a vital role in bone health.
How Does Yoga Support to be Mindful & Awake?
- Yoga involves several breathing exercises and techniques of relaxation that help the students to cope up with stress. School-going children are somehow burdened with their educational responsibilities. Therefore, it is always advised to practice yoga for 45-60 minutes a day to cope up with the stress caused by overthinking.
- The human mind is nothing but a mystery. Most individuals are unaware of their mental and physical capabilities. Consistency in yoga asana helps people to get aware of their mental and physical health. Therefore, a lot of yoga asanas support mindfulness and awakening for the one who is practicing it.
- Additionally, it also boosts the confidence, self-esteem, and self-efficacy of the students that practice a few prominent asanas daily. Every asana of yoga is based on the coordination between balance and flexibility. It has proven results in self-empowerment and increasing the levels of self-esteem.
- Many behavioral factors of humans are positively affected by the asanas of yoga. It reduces mental imbalances and the levels of aggression, therefore, turning the more calm and stable. It is said that yoga increases positivity and teaches discipline as one is constantly struggling to improve its poses.
Five EASY and the Best Yoga Asanas For Kids & Beginners
Not all yoga poses are meant for children or adults that haven’t yet started. For the beginning, we highly recommend children and elder beginners to try the following poses as they require lesser effort.
1. Lotus Pose – Padmasana
- One shall sit on the floor with legs straight.
- Bend the left knee and stretch your right leg far out to the right, then lock the knee tight by pressing the thigh to the calf.
- Now grab the right leg from the shin, and rest it above the crossed left leg, locking them onto each other.
- With legs crossed onto each other, gently place your palms onto the knees or perform Jnana mudra, with the thumbs and first fingers touching as shown in the image.
- Stay in this posture for 5-8 deep breaths and then repeat the asana with the alternate leg.
Breathing in and breathing out deeply is the key to relax. This is the most practiced pose of yoga, performed to strengthen the spine and maintain a good posture.
2. Warrior Pose II – Virabhadrasana II
- One has to stand with her/his feet wide apart, parallel to each other.
- Rotate your head and the right foot by 90 degrees towards the right.
- Bend the right knee to make a 90-degree angle, while stretching the left leg.
- With a deep breath, raise your arms to shoulder level, palms facing downwards.
- Stay in this posture for 5-8 deep breaths and then repeat the asana with the alternate leg.
3. Downward Dog Pose – Adho mukha svanasana
- One will have to come to her/his hands and knees for practicing this pose.
- Position on the ground, while aligning palms with the shoulder, and knees with the hips.
- Inhale a deep breath, rotate the elbows outwards, and start engaging your legs to push upwards, in order to reduce the burden of the body weight from the arms.
- Align the ears along with the arms.
- Stay in this posture for 5-8 deep breaths.
At the end of almost every yoga pose, it is recommended to perform the Final Resting Pose – Savasana, in order to relax the stressed muscles and make the asana effective.
4. Cobra Pose – Bhujangasana
- One will have to lie down in a position so that the stomach touches the yoga mat.
- The palms should be placed right next to the shoulders, arms parallel to each other.
- Press the tops of your feet into the mat while spreading your toes and stretch out the legs.
- While facing forward, breathe in, and lift the upper body (chest, shoulders) to stretch out and attain the final posture as shown in the image.
- Stay in this posture for 5-8 deep breaths.
5. Tree Pose – Vrikshasana
- One has to stand straight with their head and neck in line with the spine, and arms at the sides.
- Shift the body weight to one of the feet.
- With the help of your hands, place the other foot to the stressed leg, while bending the knee.
- Stretch your arms upwards, and join the palms to achieve the final posture.
- Stay in this posture for 5-8 deep breaths and then repeat the asana with the alternate leg.
Remember not to rest the other foot exactly on the knee of the stressed leg!
Place it either above or right below the knee, as shown in the image.
What’s Next?
Some children may encounter initial issues like body stiffness while performing advanced yoga poses. Therefore, the mentioned poses will help the muscles of the body to stretch and open up. After completion of the course of the above mentioned asanas, individuals may proceed forward with more advanced and difficult asanas.
As a responsible online school, K8 School requests the parents, not to burden the children with such a tight and stressful study schedule. And recommends everyone to include yoga into their daily routine.
Yoga should be introduced to kids as early as possible because it is a great way to increase immunity and stay stress-free. In this busy metropolitan lifestyle, where everybody is just running without much focusing on their own health, yoga is a must to maintain internal balance.
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