Benefits of Yoga for Children
Yoga is a wonderful form of low-impact exercise for people of all ages, but did you know that it can be especially beneficial for children, including those with special needs? The positive aspects of yoga-based exercises go well beyond the physical benefits and help children develop their focus and concentration while also boosting confidence and self-esteem.
What is yoga?
Yoga is defined as “a mind-body activity that involves movements and poses (asanas) done in coordination and rhythm with the breath. It is considered a moving form of meditation because the mind and body are concentrated on a specific task (yoga position and breathing pattern.”[1]
Yoga for children doesn’t mean some complicated pose or lengthy meditation. It is more about stretching and teaching children a method to control their mind when life gets difficult or overwhelming. Meditation has been proven and recommended for years to redirect the mind. Yoga is a great way to teach a child to help redirect their mind and thoughts, while helping their muscles stretch and relax. An example of a yoga practice for children would be something along the lines of imaginative, play-based yoga such as that shown here.
Yoga at a Young Age
So, what are the benefits of teaching yoga to younger children? The early years of your child’s life are crucial for development. An activity like yoga helps your child’s body both physically and mentally by helping teach self-regulation while aiding in the development of coordination and balance.
A younger age, such as the preschool or kindergarten period, is a great time to start with the practice of yoga because this age is a critical time for development, especially when it comes to motor abilities such as fine motor skills, coordination, and balance, but also for the habits that they create.[2]
Yoga also helps with self-regulation, an important skill to obtain at a younger age. Self-regulation is the monitoring and controlling of one’s emotions and the actions that go along with those emotions or feelings based on a situation, or regulating one’s behavior and avoiding acting on impulse. [3]
Backed by research:
Yoga is a contemplative practice that aids with mindfulness, or learning how to bring the back when it’s wandered. Learning this control leads to improvement in attention and emotional- and self-regulation. A 2021 study looking at pre-kindergarten and kindergarten children saw improvements in self-regulation through a regular yoga intervention that consisted of breathing, yoga poses, and mindfulness, all of which attributed to create a sense of self-awareness in the children in regards to their emotions and behaviors. [4]
Another study done in 2015 involved a yoga intervention at school for middle schoolers and demonstrated how yoga improved self-esteem and overall mental health, lowered stress, improved academic performance, and even benefited those students with learning challenges such as ADHD.[5] The study involved breathing practice, yoga postures like sun salutations, and finished with a guided meditation/visualization session and concluded that yoga lowers stress, increases self-esteem, and thus improves academic performance.[6]
Benefits
Overall, yoga teaches self-regulation, lowers tress, improves self-esteem, improves balance and coordination, and enhances flexibility.
According to Parent Magazine, the focus and concentration that a child practices while balancing and holding poses helps to build their overall focus and concentration skills, which can help them in so many different situations including at school and in other therapy activities. Yoga is a great way for young children to participate in exercise in group but in a noncompetitive way. Studies have even shown this form of exercise to be especially helpful for children with autism and ADHD.
Backed by Research:
Yoga is a great way to help a child be both physically and mentally active. In a 2021 study looking at the effects of yoga on motor and cognitive abilities done with a group of preschool children, it was found that yoga led to improved fine motor skills, bilateral coordination, balance, body coordination, balance, and manual dexterity. [7] This is because the yoga postures work many of the stabilizer muscles, especially in the torso, which helps improve balance and coordination with the strengthening of this part of the body. [8] This type of exercise is beneficial for both typically developing children and those with developmental delays.
Yoga has even been shown to help with respiratory function in those with Duchene Muscular Dystrophy, or a disorder where the respiratory muscles degenerate. The study concluded that yoga coupled with the regular physical therapy treatments made a significant improvement in respiratory muscle strength and function. [9] With the low-exertion exercises coupled with breathing, mindfulness, and meditation, yoga improved the quality of life of those children living with Duchene Muscular Dystrophy because of helping with overall outlook of life while also improving function in the lungs.
The 2015 study done with middle-schoolers also showed that the breathing techniques done in yoga helped those students with anxiety, ADD/ADHD, high stress, and low self-esteem, as the breathing helped the students feel in control and empowered. [10]
Yoga at EJ Therapy
Our supported yoga program uses yoga techniques to assist young children, ages 4-7, gain symmetry, balance, and core strength. EJ’s yoga practice uses stretching, bending, and holding positions to specifically impact motor control as well as overall muscle strength and flexibility. Children will be cued, encouraged, and guided through postures and activities with fun, easy going tools and strategies. We’re ready to help you get your child registered and reap the benefits of this wonderful exercise. Ask the clinic how yoga can be involved in your child’s therapy.
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1. Eggleston, Brandon. “The Benefits of Yoga for Children in Schools.” International Journal of Health, Wellness & Society. 5, no. 3, (2015): 1, doi:10.18848/2156-8960/CGP/v05i03/41125.
2. Veljkovic, Aleksandra Aleksic, et al. “Effects of a 12-Weeks Yoga Intervention on Motor and Cognitive Abilities of Preschool Children,” Frontiers in Pediatrics. 9, no. 799226 (2021): 4-5, doi:10.3389/fped.2021.799226.
3. Rashedi, Roxanne N., et al. 2021. “A Yoga Intervention for Young Children: Self-Regulation and Emotion Regulation,” Journal of Child and Family Studies. 30, no. 8 (2021): 2028–29, doi:10.1007/s10826-021-01992-6.
4. Rashedi, “A Yoga Intervention for Young Children,” 2038.
5. Eggleston, “The Benefits of Yoga,” 1-7.
6. Eggleston, “The Benefits of Yoga,” 4-5.
7. Veljkovic, “Effects of a 12-Weeks Yoga,” 3.
8. Veljkovic, “Effects of a 12-Weeks Yoga,” 3-4.
9. Dhargave Pradnya, et al. “Effect of Yoga and Physiotherapy on Pulmonary Functions in Children with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy – A Comparative Study,” International Journal of Yoga. 14, no. 2 (2021): 133–40. doi:10.4103/ijoy.IJOY_49_20.
10. Eggleston, “The Benefits of Yoga,” 3.
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Dhargave Pradnya, Atchayaram Nalini, Raghuram Nagarathna, Raghupathy Sendhilkumar, Tittu Thomas James, Trichur R Raju, and Talakad N Sathyaprabha. 2021. “Effect of Yoga and Physiotherapy on Pulmonary Functions in Children with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy – A Comparative Study.” International Journal of Yoga 14 (2): 133–40. doi:10.4103/ijoy.IJOY_49_20.
Eggleston, Brandon. “The Benefits of Yoga for Children in Schools.” International Journal of Health, Wellness & Society. 5, no. 3, (2015): 1-7, doi:10.18848/2156-8960/CGP/v05i03/41125.
“Exploring Imagination: Play Based Yoga,” Action for Healthy Kids, 2019, https://www.actionforhealthykids.org/activity/exploring-imagination-play-based-yoga/ .
Rashedi, Roxanne N., Susan E. Rowe, Ross A. Thompson, Emily J. Solari, and Kimberly A. Schonert-Reichl. 2021. “A Yoga Intervention for Young Children: Self-Regulation and Emotion Regulation.” Journal of Child and Family Studies 30 (8): 2028–41. doi:10.1007/s10826-021-01992-6.
Tilak, Visi, “The Benefits of Yoga for Kids,” Parents, August 5, 2014, https://www.parents.com/fun/sports/exercise/the-benefits-of-yoga-for-kids/.
Veljkovic, Aleksandra Aleksic, Borko Katanic, and Bojan Masanovic. 2021. “Effects of a 12-Weeks Yoga Intervention on Motor and Cognitive Abilities of Preschool Children.” FRONTIERS IN PEDIATRICS 9 (November): 799226. doi:10.3389/fped.2021.799226.