Yoga Beneficial for Kids : Nurturing the Whole Child
Today’s child lives in a fast-paced society that offers little down time and opportunity to relax. Just like their parents, children need to make time to slow the hectic pace of daily life of school, activities, sports and homework - and Yoga for Kids is one innovative way to do just that.
Children benefit immensely from yoga classes designed specifically for them, such as classes taught by Cheryl Lindberg; an adult yoga instructor who has also been teaching yoga to kids for the past several years. Cheryl believes that yoga is ideal for children of all ages from infants to young adults.
“Yoga is great for a young child’s self esteem and it helps them to slow down and learn to listen to their bodies,” says Lindberg. “Yoga for Kids is fun and helps children find another avenue of healthy expression. What can be better than mooing like a cow and hissing like a cat while you are articulating the spine and helping those little bodies grow stronger and healthier?
As children are working on computers, hunching their shoulders while playing video games and carrying overloaded heavy backpacks they can cause damage to their young skeletal frames. According to Lindberg, another benefit of Yoga for Kids centers on correcting young children’s posture and teaching them the correct way to protect their developing bodies. “As I am teaching the children yoga, I am constantly talking about proper posture and nutrition while showing them how to do shoulder rolls and draw in the bellybutton back towards the spine. This activates the tummy muscles and helps to support the lower back and strengthen and lengthen the spine, resulting in correct posture which makes them feel better, too.”
Lindberg goes on to explain, “Kids sometimes have as much stress as their parents, and at yoga class the children slow down and focus on breathing and warming the major muscle groups. We follow that with some fun and silly games that keep the kids entertained and then we finish up with the Child’s Pose which quiets their active little minds and relaxes their bodies. Kids really seem to enjoy the yoga, especially postures like frog, fish, butterfly, table, happy baby and the child's pose.”
Another major concern today is childhood obesity and Yoga for Kids is a great way to help combat this by teaching children lifelong healthy habits. Yoga for Kid’s classes focus on body awareness and how children’s bodies work and how they are supposed to feel when they move. “Just moving can get today’s children started on a path to wellness and good habits while finding the healthy life tools they need,” said Ms. Lindberg. “Teaching them the benefits of yoga at a young age helps them put the healthy tools in their toolbox for life.”
Newly renovated Stepping Stones Child Development Center in Murrieta has recently opened its doors to families in the local area and takes a different approach to child development by developing the whole child mentally, socially and physically. A big part of that approach is through their Yoga for Kids class which is included in their curriculum.
