Growing kids need help in their development. If they aren’t eating properly, they don’t think properly. It’s hard for them to concentrate while learning important life skills in early education. All kids want hot dogs, candy, cake, and fatty foods that aren’t great for them. Feed them sugar and they become hyperactive which may actually cause stress. They certainly won’t be able to concentrate.
You want your kids to be happy and healthy. Sadly, childhood physical and mental problems are on the rise in the West. This includes obesity, ADD, hyperactivity and anxiety disorders. Nutritious foods can help children because it can prevent the possibility of getting these kinds of problems. So how do you get your child to make the right choices for themselves? Seems as though yoga and mindfulness are helping kids find their center. This helps them to stop fixating on foods that don’t actually make them feel good.
Introducing Yoga to your kids
Getting your kids into yoga and mindfulness early in life can give them a deep sense of grounding. This is important because a lot of kids feel out of sorts as they develop. Studies are showing that fitness that incorporates the mind and body help kids develop better. They are stronger, healthier, and become more centered adults. They don’t experience bad posture or muscle tightness way too early in their life.
When your kids are glued to the TV or playing video games, they slouch in the same way you do when you’re at a desk for too long. This kind of lifestyle doesn’t promote the desire to eat healthy food because the brain isn’t being put in a healthy situation.
Kids also face pressure that might make them emotionally eat. Comfort foods start at a young age which is why it’s so hard to not eat them when you feel emotional as an adult. You can prevent your kids from going to food throughout their life. Through mindfulness practices that occur in yoga, kids will have the skills to think about what is triggering them to want to eat certain foods. Yoga clears the mind as well so when they do it, they are less prone to eating food that will take that clarity away.
How yoga helps
Yoga creates confidence also because a child will be in touch with who they are. They won’t be so prone to follow the crowd or worry about measuring up. Yoga teaches us to not compete against each other. The sooner a human is aware they have this ego inside that is causing fear, the more centered they’ll be for life. Can you imagine if you were given this gift as a young child?
Yoga puts an emphasis on breathing, strength, stretching, balance control, and grounding. These are all excellent tools for kids who are already on the path to obesity or mood disorders. Yoga teachers have seen how kids become more inspired to be creative after a class. A kids yoga class will include hopping bunnies, leaping frogs, and elephants marching. These kid yoga poses help a child develop their body awareness. It also harbors listening skills, observation, and cooperation.
Kids should have a lot of different activities and classes where they can feel playful and free to just be a kid. Yoga teachers look to eliminate the competitive mind during classes. This eliminates a lot of stress from kids and allows them to see the world as a friendly place as opposed to a scary place. Kids also feel good about themselves after they do yoga. When a child feels good, they will make good choices and generally feel happier in their own skin.
Kids will have an increase of energy which will make them less prone to want sugar. Kids believe that sweets give them energy. This is at a deep level of their psyche because breast milk is sweet and a sweet taste in nature gives one energy. So what kids really want when they seek sugar is to get energy. Yoga poses can promote energy.
When your child is living a healthy lifestyle, they will notice it when they do eat something unhealthy. They won’t feel good and that will become obvious to them. Heavy foods and too much candy will stop them from wanting to do activities that make them feel good. Yoga is even more powerful because of the mindfulness aspects. Yes, kids need carbs and sugar to function and grow but there are healthy alternatives for this. When your kid is highly active, they’re more likely to turn to the healthy stuff that feels good to them.
Lastly, you know how kids will often say they’re bored which usually follows with asking if they can have a freezie? Well, yoga helps kids to manage the moments where there isn’t anything to do. They focus on their body while they do yoga. When they are trained to do this, they don’t feel bored. They feel calm and don’t ruminate about the food they might like or tease their sibling.
Of course, nutritionists say you should let your kids have a moderate amount of carbs and sugar for development. There is no reason those choices should be bad ones. When your child does yoga and learns about mindfulness, they will be a more relaxed and confident child. They want to take care of themselves so the battle for what foods they can eat is reduced.
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5 Comments
I try making my kids do yoga too. They do it for fun now but I’m sure slowly they’ll know of its benefits too. It helps in flexibility and agility to a great extent.
Good post. We had Yoga in school, it was a compulsory subject and we had to appear for a 100 mark exam at the end of teh year – 50 written and 50 practical. And it is because of this discipline that even when I am almost 40, I can do poses like Chakrasana. I eat mindfully and have a good strong body. I am teaching my daughter to be the same. Thankfully, she has yoga in her school and she practises with me every Sunday.
I try to practice yoga with my toddler whenever possible. Good post.
I am a big fan of yoga. I agree with you about the benefits of yoga for kids. I have a similar post on my blog too.
excellent article