Children today grow up in a world full of stimulation: screens, packed schedules, school pressure. And they feel stress just as we adults do, only they often cannot name it yet. Many parents therefore ask themselves how they can give their children something early on that lasts: inner calm, a good sense of their body, and the ability to come home to themselves. Yoga and meditation can do exactly that, for your children and for you.
Children learn by watching
The most important thing first: children learn by watching what their parents do. They sense whether their parents are at peace and happy. Your own practice is therefore the greatest gift to your children, even before they stand on a mat themselves.
What yoga gives to children
Yoga teaches that we are body, energy, emotions, mind and spirit, and it aligns and balances all these levels: physical exercise and healthy food for a strong body, breath work for balanced energy, awareness for calm emotions, meditation and concentration for a clear mind, and prayer and trust for the connection to one’s own essence. Whoever learns such practices from a young age benefits now and for a lifetime.
The benefits are the same for children as for grown-ups: they feel healthy, flexible and strong, experience more positive emotions, can express what they feel and think, are in touch with themselves, feel the connection between all living beings and a sense of belonging, and engage in the world whole-heartedly.
Children who feel good in their bodies and are shown loving attitudes will most likely develop good self-esteem, help other kids in school and be less prone to bullying, on both sides. And they will have useful tools at hand early on that other people only have to start learning later in life, when they are overworked or exhausted.
Healthy habits for your children
Practise together and regularly. Build a small routine of yoga postures and meditation, or find a good children’s yoga class when they are older. You can read how to build a practice that lasts in my article on the daily yoga practice.
Do breathing exercises together. Adjust the yoga breathing exercises for children, or get a good book about breathing exercises for kids. You will find the foundations in my article on diaphragmatic breathing.
Give them their daily alone-time. For instance half an hour, without a screen and on their own. And take your own alone-time too, for when your children see that you are calm, happy and relaxed afterwards, perhaps having been stressed before, they know: this is a good thing.
Be the example. As best you can, live a regular practice, a healthy diet, a loving perspective on situations and people, self-reflection, and qualities like non-judgment, non-violence, forgiveness and serenity. Not perfectly, but genuinely.
Yoga for the whole family
I am a certified Groovy Kids Yoga teacher and have been teaching yoga since 2007. If you would like a private yoga session for your family, or have questions about how to begin at home, I would love to hear from you.
Book a free Clarity Call: https://tidycal.com/sandragross/claritycall-en
