Celebrating International Yoga Day with Children

Why we need to learn about children’s yoga. Because nowadays, children are stressed due to the continuous rise in technology in education, i.e., mobile phones, computers, and online workshops, since the COVID-19 emergence. It has also been seen that physical activities are continuously declining or being limited to only those children who are participating in sports. Furthermore, for the sake of completing assignments and science projects, their learning goes beyond school hours, and web surfing increases. The National Sleep Foundation advises 8.50–9.25 hours of sleep for children and teens, but they couldn’t get it because of anxiety (unwanted nervousness) and mental stress. Studies also show that children have a higher level of cortisol than the normal range of this age group, and the elevated level of this stress hormone causes headaches, stomachaches, and dizziness in children. How do you deal with it?

The answer is yoga, an ancient practice with mind-body coordination. It was founded in India in the 6th century. There are several studies about the therapeutic roles of yoga in adults and less for children. The classical yoga has eight paths as described by Patanjali, the founder of yoga, which are as follows:

1. Yama (universal ethics)
2. Niyama (individual ethics)
3. Asana (postures)
4. Pranayama (expansion of life force)
5. Prathyhara (withdrawal of senses)
6. Dhyana (meditation)
7. Dharana (concentration)
8. Samathi ( A Blissful state)

However, we can’t force children to perform yoga; they might become more stressed or take it as a burden.

Yoga for children

For children, yoga needs to be an interesting way to learn how to relax their minds and exercise their bodies. We can start with-

• Warm-ups

Simple jumping, a small run and stretching.

• Breathing exercises

Inhale and exhale coordinating with the drum sound or whistle.

• Easy postures

Allow them to copy the pose from the pictures/models or charts.

• Relaxation

After one cycle of simple stretches and poses, let them relax on the mat.

• Start yoga classes in schools under certified yoga supervisors. However, the Govt. of Rajasthan has already declared “Suryanamaskaar” compulsion for 10 minutes daily during prayer for both government and private schools in Rajasthan from February 2024.

The yoga practice is flexible according to body state or type. It will help in balancing the physiological and psychological states of children. It is so flexible that it allows individuals to concentrate on their paths; will further aid in their lifelong health and well-being.