Schools have reopened and it’s time again for that mad rush from morning till evening. In these highly competitive times, our children are under constant pressure to perform better, and with exams, competitions, extracurricular activities, they are under more stress than we realise.

Many children tend to play video games or binge-watch television shows after school to counter stress, but parents and teachers are not in favour of those stress-busters. Which is why this is the right time to introduce your child to yoga.

The ancient practice has time and again helped mankind in handling various challenges besides providing enormous health benefits. Do not worry if your child’s school doesn’t offer yoga sessions as a part of the curriculum. There are yoga schools that offer classes over the weekends, ensure three hours of yoga practice over a week to reap its positive benefits.

What Is The Right Age To Learn Yoga?

Yoga is an ancient practice of asanas and breathing exercises aimed at providing overall wellness to the body.

Many yoga schools offer summer yoga classes for the kids from the age of 4, but experts do not recommend it till the child turns 8. Yoga teacher and mindful parenting expert, Chitra Ganesh says that a child should be eased into the practice of yoga.

“The bones and muscles of a child are very supple, and they need enough strength to perform certain asanas. We usually don’t recommend few postures for the younger children as they may get easily hurt. For the beginners, try introducing breathing exercises at first and make it a fun session as much as possible. Children love listening to stories and one should explain the concept of each asana, its benefits in an interesting manner,” she says.

How Does It Impact Your Child?

Yoga can leave a greater positive impact on a child right from correcting the behavioural issues, health problems, dealing with pressure, healthy movement, manage stress etc. It also provides a child with an ability to handle tasks in the classroom and outside the school.

5 Top Benefits of Yoga:

Breath Control:

Control over breathing pattern plays a role in building stamina, dealing with stress and can you keep your child relaxed all the time. Encourage your child to practice 10 minutes of deep breathing, anulom-vilom to increase focus and lung capacity. Stronger lungs mean lesser infections and ample amounts of oxygen releases happy hormones.

Strengthens Muscles:

Certain yoga postures involve a lot of muscle stretching and these asanas help in building strength and coordination. For instance, sitting in vajrasana for five minutes post lunch or dinner helps in digestion. Regular practice of asanas aids in maintaining heavy weights, build stronger bones, regulate breathing pattern etc.

Improves Focus:

Many children struggle with attention and focus issues. Balancing the body in a certain posture improves attention, teaches the art of balancing and calms the mind. The regular practice of yoga postures helps in slowing down the surge of emotions, negative thoughts while handling certain challenges.

Instils Discipline:

Yoga is the best way to instill discipline, time management to stay physically, mentally active and lead a healthy lifestyle. Explaining the benefits of various postures, the small factoids on how it positively impacts the body also encourages a child in developing healthy habits like eating nutritious food, sleep on time and most importantly focusing the mind on various tasks at home and school.

Ensures Better Sleep:

We all know the importance of sound sleep in maintaining good physical and mental health. Breathing exercises calm the nervous system, relieve tension and pressure, ward off negative emotions and release sleep hormone serotonin in ample amounts. Few simple breathing practices before bed time help kids sleep well and faster and help in handling their challenges better.