With the festive period upon us, and with these current times we are facing where children are having to spend more time indoors, it is more valuable than ever to create a mindfulness practise to keep children calm and feeling happy and joyful.
World challenges
There is a lot of pressure in the world right now, that can make an impact on many people’s mental health and wellbeing. If adults and parents can take responsibility for taking care of their own health and wellness, children will observe this and see it as part of their day.
There are so many ways to make yoga fun for children.
Creativity
A highly desirable skill, creativity is a marker of success in the modern workforce. Creativity is a natural part of learning that is directly related to innovation. Bring your yoga poses to life by creating stories that can engage your child’s imagination while challenging students to creatively participate in the story. For example, taking children on a Yoga Jungle Safari by having them warm up with their lion breath before they turn into magical yoga snakes and giant amazon yoga trees.
You can even create a Christmas edition, including reindeer, santa clause, and elves. It’s such a fun way to get children creative, imaginative and excited about moving their body and feeling good.
Emotional Intelligence
Yoga teaches self-awareness, self-regulation, and stress reduction. Students learn how to respond reflectively rather than reactively to life’s challenges. Yoga also nurtures emotional intelligence as students learn to consult their intuition when faced.
Relaxation provides students with tools to let go of stress and anxiety. As a physical activity, yoga also increases oxygen-rich blood in the brain, which improves brain function.
What’s even better about yoga as a tool for parenting is that it can be done on a mat or in a chair depending on your own personal experience with yoga. Check out Balloon Breathing, a simple breathing exercise that can be done right in your chair at home.
Breathing Exercises
BALLOON BREATH
- Begin seated in your chair. Make sure both feet are touching the floor and you are sitting up tall in your body.
- Place one or both hands on your belly and breathe deeply. Inhale, feeling your belly rise.
- Exhale, feeling your belly lower and contract.