Yoga For Youth

Yoga Teacher Osnat Israeli With A Student

The History Of Yoga

Touted by masters as a way to improve balance, flexibility and strength, the ancient practice of yoga has been growing in popularity with Westerners since the 1960s. 

The word itself, derived from the Sanskrit root yuj  has over fifty distinct meanings, but is commonly translated as a ‘union' of the physical body with the divine.  And although the exact origins of yoga are a source of great debate, most scholars agree that some form of it was probably practiced in India as early as 3000 B.C.

The numerous branches and styles of contemporary yoga often greatly differ from their ancient predecessors. Yoga practice in the West today tends to focus less on the spiritual and religious aspects of yoga and more on its physical elements, such as breathing and stretching. 

For many, yoga is an excellent way to build strength and provides a regime to balance emotional and physical well-being.  And because yoga is considered a good pathway for learning how to better control both the body and mind, many specialized innovations have cropped up in recent years, including yoga on horseback, therapeutic yoga, fitness yoga, yoga for women and yoga for pregnancy - to name only a few.  With so many new directions, it is not surprising that yoga for children is getting more and more attention from educators, instructors and parents. 

Yoga For Children  

Children in today's fast-paced world often suffer from stress and anxiety.  With so much homework and never-ending after-school activities, they are under a great deal of pressure to compete with their peers and maintain balance in their lives despite hectic schedules.  According to many instructors, yoga can help them achieve greater harmony. 

"The correct poses and breathing in yoga have great benefits for adults, so why shouldn't children benefit too," says Osnat Israeli.  A certified yoga instructor and writer, Israeli first started practicing yoga seven years ago and was so passionate about her new discovery that she enrolled in a three-year yoga teacher certification course at the Wingate Institute in Israel.

As she was finishing her degree, Israeli decided to combine her love for children with yoga.  "I was looking for better tools in my yoga classes for children, and I already had an idea to make cards for my final project at Wingate," says Israeli, who completed her first set of yoga4kids cards in the spring of 2004.

The cards, which are packaged in soft, brightly-colored bags, come in pairs and display 19 different yoga positions. 

"Most of the cards show traditional yoga poses, but a few of them have adaptations like the stork and the mouse," Israeli says.  On half of the 38 cards, children are photographed doing yoga poses.  On the other half are illustrations of the same poses using animals and objects, such as dogs, cats, snakes and trees. 

"When children see other children in yoga poses, they realize that they too can do the poses," Israeli explains.  She adds that by making the cards big and colorful, they appeal more to children and are easy to use in a variety of games.  One of the best ways to teach is through educational games, and Israeli says that children love to hear the origins of yoga poses through simple stories and illustrations as they position their own bodies. 

Dealing With Obesity, Sleeplessness and Hyperactivity.

Aside from being fun for children and inspiring imagination, yoga can also improve strength, balance, coordination, concentration, flexibility and inner peace.  Shakta Kaur Khalsa, a yoga instructor and the author of numerous books about yoga, says that practicing yoga can also help reduce obesity in children - a growing problem throughout Western countries. 

She recommends starting yoga with children as early as possible and making it an enjoyable learning experience.  Khalsa also discusses the usefulness of yoga for helping children relax at bedtime. 

Evening yoga can reduce problems with insomnia, nightmares, and nighttime fears as well as loosening spine and muscle tension, making sleep easier and sounder for many children. 

In addition, Khalsa recommends turning early morning or evening yoga into a family ritual that parents and children can practice together every day.

Lisa Orkin, a yoga instructor, author and therapist, claims that practicing yoga can also help children with attention deficit disorders and hyperactivity.  "These children crave movement and sensory/motor stimulus," she writes in an article on yoga for youngsters.  "Yoga helps channel these impulses in a positive way such as warrior pose, which instills strength and confidence." 

Like her colleagues, Israeli emphasizes the importance of yoga for children being entertaining and fostering imagination.  "I encourage the children to go beyond just 'doing' the poses and think about being flexible like snakes, stable like mountains, and colorful like butterflies," she says. 

With the first yoga4kids cards in their fifth printing and two new sets now available (one designed for children to work with other children and the other made for parent-children pairs), Israeli is hoping that more children and parents will discover the beneficial properties of practicing proper yoga. 

For more information, visit http://www.yoga4kids.co.il/