Can’t your child concentrate? You should try yoga for your kids. Here are 12 poses to help you improve your focus and how you can get started.
Whether it’s the board exam or the sixth grade finals, children can feel stressed. You must have noticed that when you are feeling stressed, it becomes difficult to concentrate on the task at hand. It’s the same for your child. Test pressure and stress can affect your ability to concentrate. Yoga is one of the most effective ways to abolish it due to stress. In fact, not only stress, yoga has many other benefits for children. Take your time to do yoga poses, not just fill it in your book. These help you relax and improve your focus.
Yoga for kids: Is it good for kids?
Yoga is an ancient practice of combining the mind and body. “It helps calm the mind, empower the body, improve emotional regulation and generate bodily awareness,” says yoga expert Himalaya Siddha Akshar. Yoga is beneficial for most people, including children. According to Harvard Health Publishing, it can improve the physical and mental health of school-age children.
Other benefits of yoga for children include improving focus. It also helps reduce stress and increase confidence, according to a study published in Psychiatry Frontier in 2014.
Yoga for Kids: How can it help improve your focus?
Yoga has many benefits for children, such as improving concentration.
- The connection between the mind and body: Yoga can improve communication between the mind and body. “In this way, it promotes self-awareness, mental strength and calmness,” experts say.
- Adjusts breathing: Mindful breathing between Pranayama and Yoga Asana helps to connect with any breath. “The art of connecting the mind with all breathing instills stillness and promotes strong awareness of the mind,” experts say.
- Reduce stress:It helps keep your child at bay the stress they need if they want to focus better. A study published in Neuroscience Bulletin in 2020 showed participants in highly stressed groups suffering from attention and concentration issues.
Yoga for Kids: Poses to Improve Concentration
Here are some important yoga poses that can help children concentrate.
1. Sukhasana (Easy pose)
- Keeping your spine straight, sit on the floor with your legs crossed, relax your shoulders and breathe normally.
- Place your hands on your lap with your palms down.
- Close your eyes and focus on your breath.
- Slowly open your eyes and stretch your legs forward to relax.
2. Tadasana (Mountain Pose)
- To do tadasana, straighten both legs together and arms to the side.
- Slowly inhale, raising your heads as your arms face each other.
- While touching your feet, stretch your body upwards.
- Hold your breath and look ahead and stay in this position.
- Sigh slowly and lower your arms.
3. Vrikshasana (Tree Pose)
- Stand in a neutral position and shift your weight to your left leg.
- Raise your right leg and place it in balance with your inner left thigh.
- Focus on your breath, and continue to inhale and exhale.
- Lift your palms and bring them in front of your chest or extend your arms above your head.
- Lower your right foot and return to neutral position.
4. Vajrasana (Thunderbolt pose)
- Sitting, Suhasana puts her legs back and sits on her heels, putting pressure on her calf muscles.
- Place your hands on your thighs.
- Keep your back straight and focus on all your breathing.
- Lift your hips and return to Suhasana.
5. Balasana (children’s pose)
- Yoga for children is incomplete without balasana. Sit in Vajrasana with your heels on the ground and apply pressure to your calf muscles.
- Kneel on the ground, stretch your arms out in front of you, and place your forehead on the ground.
- Keep breathing deeply and relax your body.
- Gently lift the top of your body and return to Vajrasana.
6. Bansesa (Cobra Pose)
- To do bhujangasana, lie down on your stomach with your palms under your shoulders.
- Keep your elbows bent, gently suck in and lift your chest.
- Look up a little and hold it in position.
- Exhale and return your chest to the floor.
7. Dandasana (Staff Pose)
- Sit straight with your shoulders relaxed and your legs gently extend forward.
- Place your hands on either side.
- Relax and sit in Suhasana.
8. Padmasana (Lotus Pose)
- Sit in Suhasana, bring your right foot to your left thigh, and vice versa.
- Extend your arms and place your palms on your knees.
- Sit straight, relax your shoulders and breathe normally.
- Release your feet, extend forward and return to Suhasana.
9. ArdhaMatsyendrasana (half spine twist)
- Stretch your legs and sit in the Dandasana.
- Bend your right knee and bring it over your left thigh.
- Place your right hand behind you and your left elbow on your right knee.
- Gently twist your body and hold it in position.
- Release and return to Dandasana.
10. Simhasana (Lion Pose)
- Yoga for kids allows you to enjoy animal-inspired poses. From Vajrasana, kneel down and place your hands on your lap.
- Inhale deeply, open your mouth wide, and exhale with the lion’s roar.
- Relax and breathe normally.
11. USTRASANA (Camel Pose)
- This is another way to make yoga fun for kids. Remove your knees and kneel on the floor.
- Take your hands to your feet, grab your heels, and arch your back, look upwards.
- Hold your breath and concentrate.
- Inhale and return to your knees.
12. Shavasana (corpse pose)
- Otherwise, hold your arms and lie flat on the ground on your back and relax.
- Keep your eyes closed and focused on your breath while shavasana.
- Gently shake your fingers and roll them to one side.
Yoga has many benefits for children. Some poses help them relax and improve their concentration. Most of these poses are easy to perform. However, if your child has respiratory health issues, check with your doctor.
Related FAQs
At what age do children need to start yoga?
There is no particular age when it comes to yoga practice. However, children can start at age 4 as early as possible. They can do simple yoga practices like Pranayama. This is about respiratory control.
Can yoga help children with ADHD?
Yes, yoga is inherently beneficial for children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. It helps improve concentration and attention and reduces anxiety.
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