Posts Tagged ‘yoga for children’

Yoga for Children with ADHD

Monday, September 5th, 2011

yoga teacher trainingBy Faye Martins

Yoga for children with ADHD is a sensible solution. Yoga can be an incredibly effective tool in supporting children with ADHD to improve their ability to focus and concentrate well. There is a lot of debate about the widespread use of the label ADHD among the medical community. However, the entire quagmire of diagnosing so many children with ADHD is outside the purview of this article. Suffice it so say that maybe some of the children labeled with ADHD are behaving sanely in a somewhat “off-balance” and disconnected world.

A true clinical diagnosis of ADHD is often fueled by a genetic predisposition, unbalanced neurochemistry and environmental factors. Children who are struggling with a lot of anxiety, depression and ungrounded excess energy may also be diagnosed with ADHD. Other children may be truly suffering with an imbalance of neurotransmitters and may need to be under the care of a physician and/or psychiatrist. Either way, a regular practice of Yoga can help to alleviate the symptoms of ADHD and help a child to feel less overwhelmed and more able to concentrate on the task at hand.

In some cases, ADHD may be exacerbated by a sense of loneliness, disconnection and lack of attention that the child is experiencing. The child may feel at a loss for a strong sense of mooring from both his or her family and school. Practicing Yoga several times a week with the same group of students will help a child to bond socially, promote a sense of community-connectedness and engage the child in a well-rounded practice that nurtures both physical and mental health.

Practicing a vigorous and fun series of Yoga asanas several times a week will also help a child to burn off excess anxious energy that may be adding to the lack of ability to focus on one task at a time. A regular practice of Yoga also helps to balance the nervous system and even balance the endocrine system, which may help a child to reduce the amount of medication he or she is currently taking. Do remember to please check with your child’s doctor or psychiatrist prior to changing the dosage of any prescription medication.

The centering and grounding practices of Yoga will also help a child to learn to focus and concentrate on one task at a time. Just practicing Eagle Pose without falling over will be both fun and challenging for a child with or without ADHD. As the child learns to trust him or herself in accomplishing the successful completion of a series of Yoga postures, the child will also learn to trust that he or she is able to complete thirty minutes of math or social studies homework. In all of the above-mentioned ways, a regular practice of Yoga will support a child in being more grounded, less anxious, increase his or her level of self-esteem, enhance friendships and improve the child’s ability to concentrate and focus on the task at hand.

© Copyright 2011 – Aura Wellness Center – Publications Division

To see our selection of Online Yoga teacher training courses, please visit the following link.

http://www.aurawellnesscenter.com/store/

FREE Yoga Report. FREE Yoga Newsletter. FREE Yoga Videos. Free Podcasts. Bonus: Free Yoga e-Book, “Yoga in Practice.”

FREE CONTENT: If you are a Yoga Teacher, Yoga studio, blogger, e-zine, or website publisher, and are in need of quality content, please feel free to use my blog entries (articles). Please be sure to reprint each article, as is, including the resource box above. Namaste!

 

Tags: , , , , ,
Posted in yoga for children, Yoga for Kids | No Comments »

Yoga for Children with Asthma

Wednesday, August 3rd, 2011

yoga teacher certificationBy Dr. Paul Jerard, E-RYT 500

Nearly 9 million children in the United States suffer from asthma, and studies have shown that Yoga can make it easier for them to cope with the illness. Asthma is a chronic condition that triggers inflammation in the airways, causing symptoms such as coughing, wheezing, difficulty with breathing, and tightness in the chest. Due to the fact that children have smaller airways than adults, their asthma attacks are often more serious.

Why Yoga Helps Children with Asthma

• Yoga fights stress and increases awareness by relaxing the mind and the body. As children learn to recognize the physical and emotional feelings that trigger asthma attacks, they gain a feeling of control and confidence.

• Yogic breathing, or pranayama, teaches children how to use their rib cage, chest, diaphragm, throat, and nasal cavity to bring oxygen into the body and to release harmful carbon dioxide. Proper breathing techniques make the lungs stronger and more efficient.

• Due to the fact that exercise can trigger asthma attacks, physical exertion puts children at risk. Hatha Yoga is a safe way for them to get exercise and stay in shape.

• Yoga allows kids to engage in physical movement with their peers – a pursuit that is often unsafe with traditional group activities.

Best Yoga Exercises for Kids with Asthma

• Backbending postures, such as Cow Pose and Camel Pose, help to open the chest and stabilize breathing. They also help to clear mucous from the airways and are easy for children to do.

• Twists encourage good posture by “unlocking” the spine and increasing flexibility. They also help to massage the organs and tone muscles.

• Poses that synchronize breath and movement, such as Mountain Pose and a Swan Dive, teach awareness and balance.

• Yogic breathing, often practiced while in Savasana (Corpse Pose), quiets the mind and body while teaching breath control.

Conclusion

According to statistics from the US Department of Health and Human Services, children miss 10 million school days every year, because of asthma, and the cost of medical care is staggering. As researchers work to find the reason for the astounding increase in kids diagnosed with the disease, Yoga appears to be one of the most effective complements to standard medical treatments.

Gentle breathing exercises and postures that are held give children with asthma a strong sense of empowerment, as they gain muscular strength, coordination, flexibility, and self-confidence. Children need to socialize with other children in a nurturing environment. For these reasons, Yoga for children with asthma makes perfect sense.

© Copyright 2011 – Aura Wellness Center – Publications Division

To see our selection of Online Yoga teacher training courses, please visit the following link.

http://www.aurawellnesscenter.com/store/

FREE Yoga Report. FREE Yoga Newsletter. FREE Yoga Videos. Free Podcasts. Bonus: Free Yoga e-Book, “Yoga in Practice.”

FREE CONTENT: If you are a Yoga Teacher, Yoga studio, blogger, e-zine, or website publisher, and are in need of quality content, please feel free to use my blog entries (articles). Please be sure to reprint each article, as is, including the resource box above. Namaste!

Tags: , , , , ,
Posted in yoga for children, Yoga for Kids | No Comments »

Yoga and Dance Expression For Children

Tuesday, May 25th, 2010

By Mata Jaya

Yoga and dance expression classes for children are a fun and creative way to develop psychomotor, cognitive and social affective skills in children.

Through yoga, children learn to be aware of their own body and natural breathing. By way of the yoga postures, called asanas, presented trough imitating animals, objects and forms, they practice concentration and physical discipline in a fun way. They also learn mudras, mantras and pranayama, which are great tools for mental concentration and relaxation.

Using dance expression as an extension of the yoga class increases the possibilities for play, imagination, (self) expression and creativity. The practice of dance expression provides us some additional topics such as body awareness in relation to dimensional and spatial awareness, choreography, rhythm and music.

Part of the classes are dedicated to game assignments in group dynamics, stimulating the ability to participate and collaborate for a joint project. Encouraging respect, understanding and interaction with others.

As children are practicing for some time, they can increase their capacity to concentrate, anxiety and nervous disorders are being removed and aggression is being reduced. It can also increase strength and elasticity of the muscles. The practice of yoga and dance expression helps to relax physically and mentally, and helps to get rid of excessive energy. Creativity is encouraged, as well as self-confidence and self esteem, which adds to a balanced growth process.

Through the practice, children can learn how to cope with stress, conflict situations and everyday problems, which are frequent in today’s society. Yoga and dance expression can be a wonderful support for children in their long road to physical and mental mastery, helping them to develop themselves as a positive and balanced, self-conscious person.

http://www.yogashanti.net/

Tags: , , , ,
Posted in Yoga for Kids | No Comments »

Yoga For School-Age Kids

Thursday, February 25th, 2010

By Rick A. Lee

Not every child is good at sports and it’s sometimes difficult to know how to get your children to exercise, when you know they don’t enjoy competing. Forcing children into competitive situations can be damaging to their self-confidence and reinforce their dislike of exercise of any kind. When your child isn’t getting enough exercise, it can be quite a problem thinking of ways to get them away from the computer or T.V. Well, I want to tell you a little about the benefits of yoga for children and how it can help them to stay physically and mentally active.

Yoga differs from sports, the usual school activities or regular children’s play principally because it is a non-competitive activity. There are no winners and losers in yoga and this can make it more appealing to a child who doesn’t do very well in ball games and other sporting activities.

Children of school age sometimes feel overwhelmed by the amount of school work they have to do and by the variety of computer games they play, some of which cause over-stimulation and behavioral problems. Yoga is an excellent preparation for studying because it acts of the mind, as well as the body, to produce a calming and relaxing effect.

Yoga classes for children permit them to improve their sense of well-being through physical, mental and emotional balance which helps to develop their sense of spontaneity, creativity and communication.

In a yoga class children learn to understand and respect their body and to move with agility through the co-ordination of slow movements. This exercise strengthens the muscles and trains children into developing a good posture, as well as developing their attention span, concentration and memory. Yoga teaches good breathing habits and is useful in helping children with asthma to know how to control their breathing and anxiety during an attack.

Yoga classes for children differ from adult classes, because the child is in the moment of learning to be part of the world and how to deal with its highs and lows. In a children’s class they are taught breathing exercises, physical postures known as Asanas, concentration exercises, visualization and relaxation, using games and stories as the way of teaching and learning.

In this way, whilst the children are enjoying the activities, they are also learning about co-operation, paying attention, body movement and ultimately the pleasure that can be gained from doing the right type of exercise for them.

If you’re finding it hard to get your child to exercise, why not try to find a yoga class in your area and help your child to discover the many benefits it can bring?

Rick A. Lee has been a dedicated writer for many years. He mainly focuses on health and fitness articles, but also regularly writes over a variety of niches. You can check out his latest site on cool air mist humidifier which also reviews the best evaporative cool mist humidifier.

Tags: , , , , ,
Posted in Guest Authors, Yoga for Kids | No Comments »