Harvard Health Agrees
Written by A. Simon - September 2019
Copyright - Minnesota Kid’s Yoga Co. LLC
Harvard is known for being the leader of education and research worldwide…
Harvard Health professionals and educators report that yoga for kids is not only helpful, but extremely beneficial! In an article called “Yoga for School-Aged Children” written by Marlynn Wei, MD, it is stated:
“Yoga and mindfulness have been shown to improve both physical and mental health in school-age children (ages 6 to 12). Yoga improves balance, strength, endurance, and aerobic capacity in children. Yoga and mindfulness offer psychological benefits for children as well. A growing body of research has already shown that yoga can improve focus, memory, self-esteem, academic performance, and classroom behavior, and can even reduce anxiety and stress in children.”
Further, a Harvard Health Author, Sat Bir Singh Khalsa, PhD, wrote a book called “Your Brain on Yoga.” In his research based book, Khalsa presents the latest, cutting-edge studies that show the physical and psychological benefits of yoga. Khalsa, an assistant professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School and certified Kundalini Yoga instructor, has conducted research on yoga for more than a decade. He offers scientific evidence about how yoga and meditation can change our brains, our stress levels, and our lives!
With all this knowledge and proof behind yoga’s benefits, why NOT sign your child up for a class today?! It is never too early to expose your children to something that is healthy and fun. When you think of children’s dance classes, karate classes, or swimming lessons — it is a no brainer! Yoga is quickly catching on as the new fun thing to do with kids. Plus, it’s an activity mom and dad can do with their child too! Lastly, yoga isn’t just a hobby they will do as a child, but more a lifestyle they can do well into adulthood!
Another research driven article called “The Importance of Yoga in Kids’ Development” written by Kelly Moore, states that children are overstimulated, and constantly struggling by stress or pressure to achieve in a world flooded with media. Yoga is an amazing tool for life that teaches healthy ways to release stress. It is a tremendous way to prevent later breakdowns and anxiety disorders or depression as well. Yoga builds strength, confidence and resilience, and a strong body is able to digest food well, breathe better and withstand stress (Jodi Komitor). The practice of yoga can help children to self regulate and is a wonderful aid to mental health conditions and attention disorders such as ADHD and ADD.
Explicit health benefits yoga brings for kids include:
-Flexibility and body strength
-Increases self-esteem
-Presents awareness and mindfulness
-Creates peaceful, relaxed states of mind
-Gives tools for stress management
-Sparks creativity and imagination which aids brain development
-Enhances body awareness
-Teaches responsibility
If the following arguments and researchers holding doctorates in their fields haven’t convinced you of the health benefits yoga for kids brings, below are a few more articles to read! The research findings are remarkable, and truly make me as a kids yoga teacher simply giddy with excitement!
Related Articles on Health Benefits of Kid’s Yoga:
Why Kids Need Yoga as Much as We Do - YogaJournal.com
8 Ways Kids Benefit From Yoga - CosmicKidsYoga.com
The Health Benefits of Yoga for Kids - healthychildren.com
7 Ways Kids Benefit From Yoga - mindbodygreen.com
The Benefits of Yoga for Kids - parents.com
Why Yoga & Kids Go Together - pbs.org
8 Benefits of Yoga for Kids - doyouyoga.com