Kids' Yoga: More Than Just Fun & Games!

Yoga is evolving from an adults-only to a child-friendly zone! According to a 2016 study conducted by Yoga Alliance and Yoga Journal, 37% of children under the age of 18 whose parents participate in yoga become practitioners themselves. So what is it about yoga that keeps it fresh and fun for kids?

Kids love yoga because it’s actually very different from yoga for adults. Movements are incorporated through games typically; in some cases, as in YouTube’s Cosmic Kids Yoga Adventure, stories are told as instructors lead children through various yoga poses.

A National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) reported in 2016 that 1.7 million children are practicing yoga – a whopping increase of 400,000 participants over the past decade. This form of age-specific yoga has grown from to be so popular that studios are cropping up catering only to children. There’s even been instances, such as at the Catalician Center of Depews, NY, where children with special needs experienced increased sensory and motor skills as a result of practicing yoga.

One of the most important aspects of kids’ yoga is its focus on improving stress levels and flexibility, allowing children to perform better if they are (or will become) involved in sports. It also helps to relax and generate greater awareness/control over their bodies. As even adults know, sometimes the most difficult thing to do is quiet our minds. If we practice taming our minds at a younger age, not only are we learning to be still and unwind – we’re taking better care of ourselves.

This form of yoga is one of the most unique and special because it teaches our children to clear their minds in ways that are relevant to them – ways that will keep their interest up as they move through this complex world.

Pearl Yoga & Fitness is hosting a series of Kids’ Yoga classes on Sunday, April 30. The first class will be from 12:00 p.m. to 1:30 p.m., for children in grades K through 2. Between 2:00 p.m. and 3:30 p.m., there will be a class for children between grades 3 and 5. Every Tuesday in May, there will be a class for children between third and fifth grades between 4:30 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. On Wednesdays in May, Pearl Yoga & Fitness will be holding yoga classes for children between grades K and 2. Don’t miss out on these immensely beneficial classes!