Yoga is an ancient mind-body practice that originated in India more than 2,000 years ago with the ultimate goal of achieving a unified state of consciousness and self-realization.
But yoga is also used to improve overall health and well-being and would be an excellent addition to elementary education. Children carry the stress of their home life on top of the stress of performing well academically at school. Children can struggle with expressing their emotions and dealing with their anxieties; yoga could give them the space to do so.
Children spend 10 or more years of their lives in academic settings, and schools are one of the best places teach kids how to build healthy minds and bodies. Yoga is an inexpensive tool schools should use that has a lot of benefits for the students’ minds as well as their bodies.
Helps reduce stress
Children are having to deal with complicated situations at home and then come to school and are expected to perform well academically. Yoga relaxes the body and mind through movement and breath, which can help students deal with anxieties and stressors.
Kids also feel strong emotions that they often do not know how to deal with. This can result in violence or other anger management issues. Yoga teaches children the skills to recognize when anger is arising and how to de-escalate it by developing a pause between stimulus and reaction.
Promotes mindfulness and improves self control
Mindfulness is a simple technique that emphasizes paying attention to the present moment in an accepting, nonjudgmental manner. At each developmental stage, mindfulness can be a useful tool for decreasing anxiety and promoting happiness. Learning mindfulness will help students relax and allow them to refocus on the school work ahead.
Develops a strong, flexible body
Growing bodies benefit from training their proprioceptive systems for better balance and movement. A healthy body equal a healthy mind. It is never too early to teach children about keeping their bodies healthy.
Increases concentration, focus and attention span
Children have short attention spans, and yoga allows them to focus their hyperactivity into healthier channels. Yoga is exercise, the movement from pose to pose requires concentration and balance. If children learned yoga at school they would be able to apply what they learned in their practice in the classroom.
by Anna Burgess
CougarBuzz 