Kids’ yoga is more than playing and having fun. There are loads of physical and mental health benefits that impact children’s learning and development.
It excites me that more studies are looking into the science behind what we already know to be accurate, but Wei (2016) confirms in the Harvard Health Publishing Harvard Medical School (2023) that kids yoga benefits children physically, mentally, and socially and your child’s self-understanding increases, helping them to self-regulate and tune into their mind-body connection.
We have narrowed down ten benefits of yoga for school-aged children to help motivate you to roll out the mat for your mindful mini.
- Firstly, the practice of yoga poses (asana) helps improves balance and coordination
- It enhances endurance and aerobic capacity in children.
- Kids’ yoga increases strength and stability through gross motor movements and poses.
- Kids’ yoga and mindfulness have shown to improve focus and memory.
- It helps increase self-esteem and body image by teaching compassion, acceptance and self-connection.
- Studies have shown that regular yoga and mindfulness practices increase student academic performance and classroom behaviour.
- Kid’s yoga and mindfulness can even reduce anxiety and stress in children.
- It helps children build confidence and self-awareness.
- Kids’ yoga and mindfulness enhance their mind-body connection.
- Through yoga and mindfulness, children learn they are capable and unique beings worthy of good things.
To support the holistic development of children, Shine Om teaches your child strategies to relax and reduce stress through play, games, crafts and movement.
Our child-led classes give them the space to express themselves and their desires while developing their leadership skills and capacity to establish boundaries to meet their needs respectfully.
We foster the idea of ‘togetherness’, allowing children to form connections and learn to work collaboratively with their new yoga friends. Games such as obstacle courses, partner yoga, and wobble cushion yoga encourage teamwork, communication and cooperation.
It’s no secret that kids’ yoga classes have a certain kind of magic to them, and we can now confirm that there are ample evidence-based benefits to developing children’s brains, bodies and spirits.
Now that you know the ten benefits of kids’ yoga and how Shine Om supports the holistic growth of your child, there’s just one thing left for you to do: join us on the mat.
So get to it, and soon your child will enjoy the benefits of kids’ yoga too.
