kids need yoga!

In our house you will hear (ad-nauseam) how much screen time have you had today?

It has not taken us all, including the children, long to discover that electronic devices are just another maladaptive behavior to distance ourselves from ourselves. My kids know that TV makes them irritable, and lackluster.  They both know the value of true and serious play; yet TV is like a drug.

Phones, tablets, social media and the like, distance us all. Discombobulate us. Send us into and isolated orbit.

These days kids sometimes need a little help remembering how to play. Yoga and mindfulness feel comfortable for them, like coming home. It frees them to play and trust, to stay joyous and curious. 

Yoga is like a base line for life. As long as it is there in the background ... like breathing, kids will self-facilitate a naturally positive and equanimous path.

There are so many reasons why kids need a little more yoga in our lives:

1. Learning to stay put in a situation without aversion.

Simply dealing with the ups and downs of life in a calm and logical manner. Stepping away from reactivity and learning to give time and space to confrontations.

2. Concentration.

Like skiing or surfing, yoga and meditation require full attention and awareness so there is little to distract them. Soon they become accustomed to practicing yoga postures with awareness of the breath which hones their ability to concentrate.

3. Thumbs up for mental health.

We learn to accept what life throws at us. Generally yogis and mediators take the good, the bad and ugly with the same lack of aversion and curiosity. This gives us confidence. Children who practice yoga regularly, feel good about life. For example if a child is great at football but rubbish at math, they might accept this peacefully and rather than becoming entangled in the emotional roller coaster of failure, or defeat, they simply continue to try their best and accept results. A regular yoga practice will help create a holistic awareness of mental health.

4. Stress Buster.

Because they learn to cope.