Think for a moment back to your childhood. If you were like most kids, you probably spent more than your fair share of time outside. Your parents would send you out to play in the afternoons, either alone in the yard or with the neighbor kids, and you didn’t come back inside until the streetlights came on.
The world is very different now than it was in your formative years. Technology has awarded us with a colossal number of entertaining distractions, and many of them are always at a child’s disposal. Why would a kid want to go outside?
Despite the fun technology can bring, it is now more important than ever that children put down the games and get active. According to the President’s Council on Fitness, Sport, and Nutrition, children spend an average of seven and a half hours a day in front of a screen--and only one in three children get daily physical exercise. As a result, an overwhelming number of children are overweight or obese, which can contribute to health problems throughout their lives.
How can you keep your child healthy and get some exercise, too? Consider doing yoga together!
Why Should You Exercise with Your Kids?
Fitness experts suggests that parents exercise with their children for many reasons. Firstly, it gives the entire household an opportunity to get their heart rate up. Very few people get the recommended amount of exercise these days, regardless of their age. To avoid chronic health conditions that obesity can cause, it’s important for everyone in your household to get off the couch and start exercising - even if it has been a long day at school or the office.
Secondly, family exercise models healthy, active behaviors for a child. This helps them understand that a life of activity is normal, rather than the sedentary life of constant screen time they see among their peers. A parent that models healthy habits can encourage his or her children to pick up some healthy habits of their own, some of which will even persist to keep them healthy into adulthood.
How Yoga Benefits Children
So, now that you understand why you and the little ones should exercise, why do yoga? Well, it turns out that yoga holds many benefits for young, growing kids. The stretches and poses help children develop body awareness, which can be useful throughout their lives (particularly when they hit a growth spurt). Yoga also encourages meditation and mindfulness, which can help a child manage stress, build their concentration skills, and wean off a dependence on screens.
Additionally, the yoga community can be hugely beneficial for a child as he or she grows up. Most yogis treat their practice as a healthy, yet non-competitive, form of fitness. Taking part in a yoga class--or even just trying out a practice with mom and dad--can help build a child’s self esteem as he or she masters new poses. With a little time at the mat, you can watch your child blossom into a centered, smart, and healthy individual who has the tools to make it through this crazy world.
Check out this infographic for a few beginner’s yoga poses your whole family can try today: