Yoga Helps Kids Find Balance in Their Lives

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Yoga Helps Kids Find Balance in Their Lives

By Lisa Orkin

 

Lisa Orkin, a Yoga teacher and therapist, discusses her experience

working with children.

 

Children today are under a lot of stress. Homework, pressure to

compete with other children, endless after-school activities, over-

scheduling -- it all adds up. And just like their parents, kids

today are turning to Yoga to help them relax.

 

Teaching Yoga to children, I've seen how Yoga helps them develop

better body awareness, self-control, flexibility and coordination.

I've also seen how they can carry these skills beyond class and into

their daily routines. For example, one of my students, Liza, a 10

year old, asked me what to do when she gets frustrated, like when

her computer doesn't work properly. First, I asked her what

she thought would help.

 

" Sometimes I do the child's pose when I've had a bad day " she said.

I told her that was an excellent idea. We then talked about

breathing exercises, such as the three-part breath, that could help

her stay centered and calm in difficult situations throughout the

day.

 

Yoga has also been shown to help the hyperactive and attention-

deficit child. These children crave movement and sensory/motor

stimulus. Yoga helps channel these impulses in a positive way. Yoga

poses that seem to work especially well are the warrior pose and

tree pose. They help instill calm, confidence and balance. The trick

is to get beyond just " doing " the posture. I try to get them to

think about what the postures mean, to become like the postures --

strong and confident like a warrior.

 

I use partner poses to develop trust. Working with each other on

poses, the children develop team skills. It also fosters bonding.

 

When it comes to relaxation, some children have a difficult time

closing their eyes while others can't get enough. I once had a 10-

year-old boy ask me if we could have an extra long relaxation

session as he wanted more time to relax. One technique that

encourages relaxation is visualization. At first I may have them

focus on belly breathing and listening to relaxing music. Then I may

ask them to imagine that they are at the beach, playing their

favorite sport, or doing some other activity that they like. At the

end of the relaxation exercise, I encourage the children to share

their own experiences.

 

Another approach is to create a guided visualization or story with a

calming theme of some kind. For example, I may ask them to imagine

themselves walking in a green fidyl pasture. " Notice the beautiful

trees and the butterflies flying over head, " I may say. " Smell the

fresh air. Listen to the bluejays calling for their mates. " The

idea is to instill a sense of peace and feeling of oneness with

nature.

 

In class, I also try to encourage input from the children. Most

importantly, their ideas and questions are easily addressed to allow

learning to take place

 

It is my wish that more and more Yoga teachers will choose to offer

Yoga classes to young children. It is our dharma to teach children

the meaning of union of mind, body and spirit. There is such a

wealth of knowledge we can offer our children with the practice of

Yoga. The simple chanting of OM makes their faces light up and smile.

 

Lisa Orkin , is a certified Kripalu Yoga instructor, Yoga Therapist

and occupational therapist who has studied Yoga Therapy at the

Vivekananda Kendra Yoga Research Foundation in Bangalore, India. She

has been teaching Yoga to children ages 4 - 10 years old for over two

years at various community centers, after-school programs and

private schools in the Boston area. You may visit her website at

www.lotusblossomyoga.com for more information about the Yoga for

Youngster Programs.

 

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