Helps Kids and Teens Yoga is quickly becoming one of the most popular complementary health practices. Over 1.7 million kids and teens practice yoga, a 400,000-percent increase in a decade. To aid in stress reduction, mood enhancement, and physical fitness, numerous schools are now offering movement and mindfulness programs. During this time of development, yoga can help you build strength, flexibility, lifestyle + write for us and balance as well as general healthy exercise habits.
Because the brain continues to grow from early to late adolescence, the timing of yoga for teens is especially important for mental health. The prefrontal cortex, which is located behind the forehead, is referred to as the “CEO of the brain” due to its capacity for mood regulation, planning, and organization. The development of the prefrontal cortex is essential for success at all life stages, including academics, careers, and relationships, because it allows you to concentrate and think instead of acting on impulse.
The first growth spurt of synapse formation in the prefrontal cortex occurs as a baby, according to MRI studies. The second growth spurt of synapse formation occurs just before puberty, around the age of 11 for girls and 12 for boys. After that, during adolescence, learning is consolidated through synaptic pruning, a process of weeding out weak connections and strengthening others. Teens can develop important skills like creativity, flexibility, self-control,
and discipline through yoga during this time.
Yoga instructor, television host, and athletic trainer Jai Sugrim (@jaisugrim) teaches a health and wellness program in Harlem that introduces mindfulness practices to high school athletes and students. The secular curriculum was created by Eddie Stern, a New York-based Ashtanga yoga instructor, and was supported by the Sonima Foundation. It focuses on how to use mindfulness and movement to improve focus and body awareness. Students, athletes included, have shown a lot of interest in and support for the program. “More concentrated than the energy in the yoga room, super attentive — they are learning attention to detail and themselves,” says Sugrim, who has worked with the New York Yankees.
Sugrim says that he wants to teach students how to use mindfulness in and out of the classroom: We want kids to have a tool in their back pockets that they can use to adjust their physiology, posture, and breathing to get into a relaxed and focused state for taking tests, reducing anxiety, or dealing with problems at home. Teens have also been able to think things through before reacting to difficult situations outside of school thanks to the practice. “Students are able to respond not out of anger, but to develop space, through having this technique [of mindfulness] for processing trapped energy,” Sugrim makes the observation.
Teenage boys may be discouraged from practicing yoga by their peers, but this trend is changing. LeBron James, a sports celebrity who has credited yoga with his ability to beat cramps before an NBA Finals game, and the Knicks, a sports team that practices meditation, are two examples of sports teams that practice yoga, which is gaining widespread recognition and respect. Other well-known NBA players who have spoken out about the advantages of yoga include: Dwayne Wade, Kevin Durant, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Kevin Love, and Kevin Garnett The well-known NBA coach Phil Jackson has talked about including mindfulness and meditation in his coaching methods.
Sugrim has observed that this sporting trend has encouraged teenage boys who would normally avoid yoga to do so: They now consider it to be masculine—wow, LeBron James does it, Michael Jordan does it, the Lakers do meditation, and the Knicks do it—I’ll give it a try.
Some people have taken this popularity of yoga as an alternative to traditional gym classes to court, claiming that yoga promotes religion. However, a 2015 decision by a California appellate court found that the San Diego public school system’s yoga program was “devoid of any religious, mystical, or spiritual trappings” and did not infringe on students’ religious freedom. Strength and fitness were promoted by the secular program without the use of Sanskrit terminology or any spiritual teachings.
Yoga practice is beneficial for kids and teens in a number of ways:
- Enhance physical fitness and health.
Yoga helps students develop a strong connection to movement and body awareness. The poses improve flexibility, strength, coordination, and balance.
- Reduce anxiety and stress.
High school can be a stressful time filled with personal and academic difficulties. Through breath and awareness, yoga gives you space to take a step back and control your stress response in a calm and thoughtful way.
- Enhance optimism.
Yoga has been shown in studies to increase optimism. Yoga can cultivate a sense of optimism for the future in children and adolescents who are contemplating their future.
- Enhance concentration and academic performance.
One in ten children has attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), which is one of the most common developmental disorders in children and adolescents. Yoga has been shown to improve children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder’s behavior and academic performance, according to studies.
- Enhance self-confidence and body image.
Teens often struggle with body image issues, peer pressure, and bullying during the formative years of high school. Based on the principle of non-judgment, yoga creates a safe and accepting environment. You gain a stronger sense of body acceptance and connection as a result of the practice.
- Encourage imagination.
Yoga cultivates not only physical but also mental flexibility and fosters creativity and playfulness.
- Develop self-control and discipline.
Yoga that is taught with mindfulness has a Diets for Weight Loss in Winter lot of advantages over regular exercise. Yoga has been shown to improve attention regulation, increase patience, and reduce impulsivity.
Yoga and mindfulness teach teens how to overcome obstacles and establish a solid foundation that will serve them well into adulthood.
