We know yoga as a traditional physical and mental discipline that originated from India and it’s been an ancient practice of Indian people. Westerners and other countries have only adapted the practice recently, perhaps one or two decades ago. Today, it’s been popular around the world with different variations in its practice especially among the adult as it centers on wellness, fitness, and meditation.
Many accounts from people of different age and ethnicity attest to the positive effects of yoga. These include alleviated body pains, stress-free lifestyle, and enhanced focus and stamina to name a few. In addition to these, yoga instructors and practitioners also recommend the practice to people with depression, cancer, heart and lung diseases, weight problem, and even to pregnant women. These references are of course based on world-wide studies conducted by medical scientists and by yoga practitioners themselves. But it should be noted that although the above effects are benefitting those are actually an indirect outcome caused by the created balance (i.e mental peace, improved concentration powers, etc.) in an individual’s mind and body, which is the true aim of yoga.
Given the fact that yoga definitely brings good effects, modern practitioners have embarked on the encouragement of children participation. According to them, children of this present generation are exposed to numerous mind and body pollutants. There are news about crimes, poverty, and war, to which the youth have easy access because of TV, radio, and internet. Technology has brought violent video games while many factories destroy the ozone layer and causing a significant amount of UV rays entering the planet. The food and drug industry also has its share by introducing lots of junk foods, preservatives, toxic ingredients, and other free-radical causing ingredients in the foods that children eat.
(Discover how kid yoga is done: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ibi2QIHc1Zw )
Yoga for kids is aimed to promote holistic growth for the youth as well as finding a revolutionary means for fun by expanding their hobbies and interests, and not by limiting them to activities that are only aimed for children. Yoga can be done by the whole family. Once a child realizes the fun in doing it with his or her parents and siblings, that experience is enough to justify another benefit that yoga can bring. As we can see, although parental love, care and education are the best things we can give to our children, sometimes there are still some things beyond the ordinary, which we can actually provide to secure our kids’ good development, health, and of course their future.
