At Baltimore's Robert W. Coleman Public Primary School, students who are disordered are not led to the principal's office for punishment, but to the meditation and yoga class.
After the children calm down and relax, they go back to school activities having learned that they can control their anger.
If, for example, they get badly hurt or attacked by a classmate, they are taken to the restroom and their expert teacher shows them how to contain and calmly solve problems.
The implementation of the "Mindful Moment" program of the Holistic Life Foundation seems to be working, as school dropouts have been reduced. Most striking is that in this area juvenile delinquency and violence is the norm.
Of course we do not write all this to show you that the exceptions confirm the rule, but to break the notion that yoga is something for some women who want to keep their silhouette!
We will reiterate that yoga is not just a way of practicing, it is a way of life. It is a holistic system of thinking, nourishment, exercise, meditation and spirituality. As such, it could only be about children who need to learn ways of self-improvement like no other.
What Children gain from yoga
If there is something more missing than children, because of their spontaneity and emotional immaturity, is the concept of balance that yoga can offer them.
Of course, a child can engage in some yoga techniques to improve their body or coordination without necessarily adopting all of their views.
From the first grades of school, children are forced to live in a highly competitive environment, both in terms of lessons and sports activities, which creates stress and stress for them. At the same time, the changes that take place in their bodies are filled with questions and uncertainty.
With yoga, children learn to control their body and emotions, they are no longer uncomfortable, but instead acquire the reins of their lives. They gain concentration, tranquility, confidence and self-respect.
The same feelings of respect for other children are also felt. The concept of 'ahimsa', which means 'non-violence' plays a central role in the practice of yoga, is one of the 'yamas' that children come into contact with. Of course, the concept of 'non-violence' applies not only to others, but also to ourselves who should protect us from all that puts us at risk (drugs, alcohol, etc.).
Nicole Cardoza, who founded the US Yoga Foster NGO, which enables African-American students to come into contact with yoga training programs, believes that helping children take ownership of their body and change it their way of thinking and ultimately helping them to talk about what they need.
Children's and yoga book author Susan Verde puts another side, arguing that yoga practices can help parents and children cope with separation anxiety. Yoga can be a very practical method of dealing with stress of any kind, says Susan Verde, and explains that yoga and mindfulness practices help you learn to recognize what you are feeling and create a distance from these emotions, not get trapped in them.
Eight Reasons to Worth Trying Your Child
- When yoga becomes a game, then tranquility, confidence, bodybuilding and concentration are just some of the benefits of having children come into contact with it from an early age.
- Yoga enhances fitness. Children learn to use and strengthen all of their muscles, exercise the spine which at an early age is vulnerable to scoliosis, lordosis and kyphosis.
- The holistic approach to body and mind, connecting them, improves children's motor problems. Their movement is in balance.
- Balance is not only about the body but also about the inner world of children learning yoga. A balanced child knows what he wants out of life, not a "feather in the wind" that drifts from here and there.
- Concentration is enhanced. Children learn to "cleanse" and focus their minds. Reading is now easier.
- Kids doing yoga are confident. They believe in their abilities and learn to fight for what they want.
- Concepts such as friendship, collaboration and teamwork are cultivated in any yoga learning group. Children learn to live with their peers without thinking that they alone are the center of the world.
- Through yoga, children know that problem solving involves discussion, dialogue, reasoning, not anger, fear, or other negative emotions.
- The connection of mind and body and the consequent harmony shields - as we have already mentioned - children from stress.
When is the right age
Generally, there is no age limit that is prohibitive for a child to start yoga. For example, a two- or three-year-old kid could start seeing his mother or father. The imitation process can be an incentive for the child.
After five, a little kid is more mature to watch the instructor. At first the children are represented by the dog, the cat, the lion and other animals. They learn to bark, dive and fly like birds. The game is interwoven with the stories, the song, the movement and gradually progresses to more complex concepts and rules.
Sources:
-«yogajournal»
-«Yoga for kids», Pajalunga Lorena (publications 'Pedio')
By Dr Angel,
Aggeliki Koskeridou
Holistic Doctor – Counseling Psychotherapist
Doctor of Naturopathic Medicine
MSc Health Psychology
insta: dr_aggelikikoskeridou_official
