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Yoga Basics |
Yoga for Beginners (Home) > Yoga Basics > Yoga for Children Yoga for Children: Helpful Information and TipsFitness and exercise have enjoyed various trends and fads (remember Jane Fonda or Stop the Insanity) that it's very easy to be cynical about new developments in this field. Yoga has endured and become a favorite because of the believed benefits of both mental and physical health. An increasingly popular trend is to have children practice yoga. Studies by experts recognize that children, like adults do not get enough exercise and can also exhibit tension or stress - and therefore a perfect antidote for your overworked child can be yoga for youngsters! Finding the Right PlaceAs with any class or group, it's important to research the yoga class you're thinking of having your kid join. It's good to talk to the instructors and quiz them on how spiritual their classes will be (very religious parents might be put off by the Eastern/Buddhist influence). You also should find out just how physically demanding the class will be. If your child is a natural athlete he or she can often deal with the more strenuous positions, but if your child is a beginner, you might want to sign him or her up for a more basic course. There are organizations out there, working to make the idea of yoga for kids not so foreign as for some parents, just the thought of sending a child to a yoga class can be seen as too trendy. However, reading up on the information available will often make converts out of skeptics. The fact is children need to find balance and peace of mind, just as much as adults, and because yoga is so successful with adults, developing and adapting it for children seems to be a natural progression. A group called YogaKids International promotes the benefits of yoga in young children's health. It is a large organization and its website; www.yogakids.com offers information on its mission, as well as, information about locations, teachers, equipment and accreditation. Is it Right for Your Kid?Besides the physical part of yoga, there is the pensive, spiritual side as well - which is the most important aspect of the exercise. So if your child's attention span doesn't allow for him to sit still longer than the average commercial break, then yoga might be a problem. This isn't to say that a hyperactive child could not benefit from yoga, but you have to make sure that you have a patient instructor who has experience dealing with children - especially children who can get antsy at the thought of sitting on a mat and concentrating on breathing, when they'd rather be in front of a television screen annihilating galaxies. Ironically, these children need yoga the most!
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