The week of August 10 is Healthy Back to School Week at DietsInReview.com.
Guest Blogger Aruna Kathy Humphrys writes the blog Teaching Kids Yoga. She trains teachers and parents in kids’ yoga with her groundbreaking course based on Yoga and the Ancient Secrets of Success.
Try these 5 Yoga tools to connect with kids and enhance their health and happiness.
Foster a Good Night’s Sleep: Table Pose
Without rest, kids won’t be at their best. Certain Yoga poses, like table pose, can relieve restlessness. Do table together or use a timer to encourage kids to hold the pose. It’s a great way to fall into a blissful state. One eight-year-old boy I know did table pose beside his bed. He held it for over 10 minutes, sweating and shaking, and then got into bed and slept peacefully for eight hours.
The benefits of yoga continue to stretch and now the advantages of down-dogging on sticky mats is reaching out to kids. In today’s fast-paced and information-overload society, most of us have a tough time focusing on one task for more than a few minutes and when it comes to the attention span of kids, they are no different.
In a study by Gaiam and California State University, researchers showed that kids who did yoga received better grades and had less disciplinary action taken against them in class.
Marsha Wenig, creator of the Gaiam YogaKids DVD program and the president of YogaKids International credits these results to the physical aspect of yoga since children learn best when they learn through movement. The postures of yoga help develop hand-eye coordination and motor skills at the same time as they produce the mind-stilling moments that have helped to give yoga the reputation of being a wondrous stress-reducer.
Gwyneth Paltrow at the Bent on Learning charity event.
It is not just adults who are down-dogging these days, it is also kids. And kid’s yoga is proving to be a huge hit for these young yogis.
Bent on Learning is a non-profit organization whose mission is to enhance physical, emotional and cognitive abilities in New York City-based school children through yoga. With support from yoga devotee Gwyneth Paltrow and Donna Karan’s Urban Zen Foundation, Bent on Learning is bringing yoga into select New York City public schools and also offering workshops to teachers to incorporate simple yoga techniques and mindfulness training into their teaching.
With the support of some of New York City’s most accomplished and passionate yoga instructors, Bent on Learning is holding weekly classes at select NYC schools. Each class teaches yoga postures, or asanas, breath work and meditation. The program is also aligned with New York state and national physical education standards.
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