Yoga Helps Kids Find and Appreciate Stillness!

Susan Green, RYT, CHHC

1-2016

We adults can all relate—in recent decades our worlds have morphed into ones filled with technology, constant communications, and mountains of virtual commitments. Our brains are overwhelmed with almost endless input and stimulation. We need—so desperately—to find ways to stop the traffic, slow down this hectic pace, and embrace a moment of “nothingness”—some calm for our bodies and minds. This high speed environment is no stranger to our children. Even the very youngest of them experience this energetic chaos vicariously through our actions and moods—absorbing the commotion and tension of agendas that simply weren’t part of our parents’ world. And, for certain, our school-age children face not only greatly increased pressures at school, but also the pressure to keep up with the social demands of social networks while their brains are being seduced, distracted and hypnotized by the fast-paced action of video games and texting. In short, we, as a humanity, are migrating farther and farther away from “self” and farther and farther away from a much needed connection with the “present moment.”

As the hectic nature of our lives has been increasing, yoga has become more popular in this county than ever before. According to a 2012 Yoga Journal study, “20.4 million Americans practice yoga, compared to 15.8 million from the previous 2008 study*, an increase of 29 percent. In addition, practitioners spend $10.3 billion a year on yoga classes and products, including equipment, clothing, vacations, and media. The previous estimate from the 2008 study was $5.7 billion*.” (*Study conducted by Harris Interactive Service Bureau.). According to a Sports & Fitness Industry Association study, more than 24 million adults practiced yoga in the U.S. in 2013.

Yoga isn’t a fad, it’s a lifestyle, a personal journey, and also, an antidote—an antidote to all this chaos, and our children can benefit as well—here’s why. Yoga is not just breathing, stretching and twisting. Yes, we stretch and twist in yoga, and in children’s yoga classes, we breathe, stretch and twist too. We also make animal noises, jump like frogs, and roar like lions. We pretend to be still tall mountains, strong trees, and colorful rainbows. We go on adventures, play games, laugh and share. But there’s something else. Woven into every yoga classes of every type, and for all ages, is an invitation and opportunity to find the present moment—a slice of existence that “just is”. A moment, or maybe two or three if lucky, in which the chaos—the agendas, obligations, and distraction—drift away leaving us with just the deepest sense of “self’ that we can find, and a connection to the most peaceful sense of stillness. This invitation comes when we close our eyes and focus on nothing but breathing in to fill the balloons in our belly. This invitation comes when we try to balance in tree pose—placing as much focus as we can on our breath and a Drishti (something to focus on to enhance concentration and ease distraction—like a spot on the floor or an object a few feet away). It comes when we relax at the end of class in Savasana (or our final relaxation) and practice appreciation for quiet stillness.

When we send our kids off to school and into life we want to make sure they have all the tools needed to navigate the potentially competitive, challenging and fast-paced life ahead of them. How I wish my childhood toolbox of math, science, spelling, and history had included a “stop sign” for all the traffic and noise.

Namaste!

Susan Green, Owner Enchanted Mats & Clarity Wellness

Susan is a Registered Yoga Teacher (RYT-200,) and certified Kids Yoga Teacher. She is certified by The American Council on Exercise as a Group Fitness Instructor and Health Coach and a Certified Integrative Nutrition Coach with The Instituted for Integrative Nutrition.

Susan teaches Kids Yoga Classes for children ages 3-12 (and parent caregivers of 3-5 year olds) through Hayward Area Recreation and Park District. Winter 2016 Classes are open for registration at www.haywardrec.org. Or, find more information at www.enchantedmats.com. Or contact Susan at info@enchantedmats.com

Check out Enchanted Mats & Clarity Wellness on Facebook for more ways to learn about Yoga and Wellness!