Yoga Benefits

How Yoga benefits the kids Mental Health?

It’s becoming very hard to be a kid these days. I hope everyone agrees with this fact. We all had a safe and carefree childhood, where studies and competition were not taken the front seat. There is not much peer pressure to be dealt with. All our neighbors used to act like they were our extended family members. But think about the kid today; right from the toddler age itself, the kids have to deal with a lot. Overstimulation through gadgets, gadgets replacing human company, competition, stress, peer pressure, bullying, and safety issues. These days, kids are caught in the web of social and emotional problems, which are doing them more harm than good. That is why this age kids need yoga to have balanced mental health compared to our generation. This blog post discusses yoga’s benefits on kids’ mental health.

Yoga Benefits

Benefits of Yoga on the Kids:

Practicing yoga daily not only helps the kids with their mental health but also aids in their physical and social health as well.

Yoga Benefits on Physical Health:

Yoga improves physical health in the following areas:

  • It increases mind-body awareness in kids: While practicing different poses in yoga, the child would become aware of his body, how various parts work, and how to work on different muscle workgroups in the body.
  • It improves the body’s flexibility: As different yoga poses teach to stretch different parts/muscle groups, the body’s flexibility increases.
  • It improves the balance and coordination of the body: This will improve the gross motor skills along with the balance of various limbs in the kids. There are a certain finer set of yoga practices that improve even the fine motor skills in kids.
  • It improves breathing skills: During yoga sessions, the kids get to learn different breathing techniques and controls, which help them in building a clear body, mind, and soul. So that way, the kids become physically stronger, mentally stable, and better.
  • It improves Sleep: Practicing yoga before bed will calm the active brain of the kids. So, even the ever-active kids would fall asleep faster when they practice yoga regularly.

Yoga Benefits on Social Health:

Practicing yoga daily improves the confidence and maturity of the kids. While going to the yoga classes, kids’ social circle would increase as they would get to meet new kids and make new friends.

Most of the kids’ yoga classes are more fun, like songs and dance. While they practice more poses with their partners, the kids will develop a positive relationship, and they will enjoy their time with other friends.

Yoga Benefits on Mental Health

There are innumerable benefits of Yoga on mental health, which everyone is aware of. So, I am planning to capture a few of them here for the benefit of all.

  • It improves concentration: Studies have shown that the kids who practice yoga regularly have more focus and concentration when compared to the kids who don’t practice yoga. In fact, the grasping skills of the kids who practice yoga are way higher than other kids.
  • It teaches self-acceptance: Yoga teaches the kids to accept and cherish themselves as individuals, and it teaches them the difference between various individuals. The kids would grow into a more inclusive and diverse environment. Self-acceptance is the first step to success in anyone’s life.
  • It teaches self-esteem and confidence: Perfecting difficult poses and breathing techniques improves the child’s confidence levels and empowerment. Practicing yoga regularly improves the self-esteem of kids.
  • It improves memory skills: As Yoga increases focus and concentration, the mind-body connection improves greatly. This improves, in turn, the kids’ memory skills. The kids would start remembering various poses and the breathing techniques that go with different asanas as the first step, and slowly, it will improve in the other areas as well.
  • It improves emotional regulation in kids: Yoga inculcates Mindfulness in Kids. When they start enjoying the moment, they will start developing a peaceful state of mind, which in the long run, enhances the emotional regulation in kids.
  • It teaches discipline and reduces impulsivity in kids: Any sporting activity would teach them discipline. But with Yoga, their impulsiveness could also be controlled, as it clears their heart and minds from negative and anger-provoking thoughts.

Yoga is a religion and needs to be practiced regularly to get the benefits, not just the ones mentioned above, but a lot more. So, my sincere advice is to look at Yoga as a long-term learning and not just as a holiday activity or hobby class. Yoga benefits on one’s mental health are just innumerable and can’t be captured in a single blog post.

Suhasini, IP, is the Author of the book “Practical Tips for Kids Mental Health.” As a certified kids and parents life coach, she helps/guides you toward a happy family life for your kids. She firmly believes that “Emotionally Happy Kids of today are the Mentally Strong and Happy Citizens of tomorrow.” Let’s make the world a happy and beautiful place for our kids to thrive.

22 Comments

  1. I started a regular yoga and mediation routine with my kids since last lockdown. Anxiety had gripped and I needed to keep my calm. Doing yoga with kids really helped me a lot as kids were also busy learning a new skill and I got my yoga practice time teaching them too. Yoga is full of benefits like you have listed form mind body awareness, relaxation, flexibility and breathing. Every parent should teach their kids yoga and read these benefits and share with kids too.

  2. Yoga definitely has many benefits. The kids are generally not very enthusiastic to do it. We do it only once a week because the rest of the week they dedicate to tennis. Will try and increase the time
    Deepika Sharma

  3. Yoga should be made compulsory in schools. In India we dont value our own legacies. My grandson is taught yoga in school and he lives in Mexico! They have mom and baby yoga classes as well.

  4. Yes yoga is a way of life and it offers great benefits for kids too. specially during recent condition, it can help a lot in keeping our kids mentally healthy and stable. lovely series dear. loved all the posts in the series.

  5. Yoga, inherited from our own culture, certainly is a boon. We need to embrace this age-old wisdom with open arms. It certainly helps kids stay physically, mentally, and emotionally strong.

  6. Kids mental and Physical health is a top most priority for any parents yoga helps a lot in maintaining both and I love the benefits which you have shared.

  7. Absolutely agree on all the pointers. A practice of Yoga brings so many good changes to kid’s physical and mental health. Along with flexibility, concentration it helps in strengthen the immune system of kids. Which is actually the need of the hour.

  8. I trust Yoga because the age-old exercise has been evolved from years of wisdom and experience.
    Nice pointers here!

  9. Yoga has numerous benefits. My kids are taught yoga in school and that is something i really grateful for. I think we should make this as a routine as it also helps in building immunity which is key in today’s time.

  10. Thats so good to hear Pragun. Yes, when we do the kids, it will build a stronger connection with them

  11. Thank you Swati. Only we make Yoga our way of life, we can’t experience its full benefit

  12. Well said Aditi. Thank you

  13. Thank you Archana. Yes Yoga is the need of the hour.

  14. Well said Harjeet. But schools these days are concentrating only on marks and not the overall development of the kids

  15. Totally agree buddy but it is difficult to get kids in this generation to do them willingly buddy

  16. Absolutely agree on all points that yoga helps a lot in maintaining both physical and mental health . I love the benefits which you have shared.

  17. Yoga has amazing benefits for everyone and if we encourage kids to practice since childhood, it’s even more beneficial. My kids join me in Yoga and we enjoy doing aasans and stretching. Meditation, not yet.

  18. Yoga definitely make s difference in the way we approach life and sure does wonders if kids practice it . I’m trying to make my daughter develope interest

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