Yoga offers children the same physical health benefits as it does to adults, but it offers them something far more important. It offers them mindfulness. Mindfulness is the Zen practice of removing everything stressful from your mind and just catching yourself being in the moment. By practicing mindfulness while doing yoga, we become acutely attuned to our surroundings and the moment. Stop for a moment and smell the flowers. Take time to feel the breeze on your face. Remove your thoughts of homework, peer pressure, cleaning your room, for a while and concentrate on how green the leaves are around you. Once you realize this, you will see just how important yoga and mindfulness are as tools for children.
When most of us older than 25 went to school, it was a different world than what it is for today’s kids. We didn’t bring home 4 hours of homework, we didn’t worry about being harassed over what brand of shoes we wore and labels like ADD/ADHD were uncommon. Our kids have stresses on them that we can’t imagine. As a parent of three children, I think it very important to try and promote mindfulness in their daily lives. This doesn’t mean sitting in lotus position for hours chanting, but it does mean finding a peaceful place to sit, clear away the daily worry and just appreciate the moment. After all, what’s past is gone and the future isn’t here yet. Try helping your child to embrace a peaceful moment, feeling the grass under their feet and the sound of the wind.
The skills that they are learning in their children’s yoga class are life tools. They are there for whenever your children need them!
davannayoga® has conducted children’s yoga classes for many years. Some of the little yogi’s have been with us a long time and now can sit in a quiet or guided meditation at the end of their practice (It’s only 3 minutes- but hey that’s a lot for an active young person). Many of the young children are adept at Headstands and Hand stands while some relate better to Childs pose and Tree Pose.
Each class has a lesson whether it be a hand mudra, a new Sanskrit word, the Eight Limbs of Yoga (although we focus only on the first three with the children- Yamas, Niyamas and Asana), or learning about the healthy pillars of yoga (adapted for children to be: good nutrition, resting, breathing, thinking happy thoughts, happy speech). The rest of the class is filled with games, activities, songs and helping eachother into new asana’s.
Davannayoga offers private classes for groups of children visiting Puerto Vallarta and for schools and for private sessions. We also offer pranayama sessions for children to help with breathing issues. We offer gentle, calming movement and pranayama for those with speech issues or attention issues.
Let us have some fun together. If you want to schedule a session for your child, visiting group of children or school, contact Anna.