Kids’ Yoga Helps With Body Awareness

I love witnessing my one-year-old twins discovering something brand new.  The other day I watched one of them pick up a small ball with one hand, hold it in the air, open his hand and joyfully watch the ball roll off the edge of his hand and fall to the floor – only to pick it up and do it a dozen more times.

Like my son, when something is new to us we pay attention to the most minute details.  We take in the information and time can sometimes seem to slow.  On the other hand, when we are doing something we have done an endless number of times, like robots we complete the task and often think to ourselves, “Wow I don’t even remember driving home,”  for instance.

As adults do, children often speed through their experiences, moving from one task to the next, paying no attention to what their bodies are doing – where their bodies end and another’s begins.

Kids’ yoga can replicate the mindfulness or attention necessary to complete a brand new task, which stimulates the brain in a positive way for learning.  Due to the focus needed to get into each pose, it can help children slow down to notice what they would not typically notice.  For instance, in “Dead Bug Pose,” a child might think, “now if I hold my foot on the side I can get the bottom of my foot more flat like I’m walking on the ceiling like a real bug.  If I pull my knees toward my armpits I feel more of a stretch in my back.”  This mindfulness can help them become more aware of their bodies on and off the mat.  Children can then better relate with the world around them and more thoroughly be present and more aware of their experiences.  And in turn, they may be more aware of the results of each of their decisions.  Just another one of the kids’ yoga benefits that we love!

For more information about kids’ yoga benefits check out this kids’ yoga DVD. Sing Song Yoga® includes the added benefits of music for your child’s brain!

This entry was posted on Friday, February 1st, 2013.
Posted in Benefits of Yoga.
Tagged: children, childrens yoga, kids yoga, kids yoga benefits, music, sing song yoga, yoga, yoga benefits