Written By: Tavishi Dogra | Updated : June 21, 2022 6:31 PM IST
Yoga and meditation have been practised across all age groups since time immemorial. However, we have seen on account of COVID-19 that children and teens have been confined at home and have restricted access to peer engagement because of a lack of vital support systems such as schools and community programmes. Hence, most of them struggle to cope emotionally, resulting in anger and aggressive behaviour or withdrawing socially. While traditional medicines are hardly appropriate in this scenario, Yoga is a possible solution.
Since Yoga helps people identify and work on areas that require change or attention, it can also help a withdrawing child develop confidence and positivity, while a child dealing with problems related to aggressive outbursts will gain a sense of calm and learn to relax. Some key benefits of Yoga are improving practitioners' physical and mental strength and teaching them to focus and comfort, which should also apply to children and thus help them learn positive feelings of self-worth and esteem and how to socialise better with friends and family. Even the simple practice of anulom-vilom (inhaling deeply and then exhaling slowly) helps adults and children feel less anxious and tense and relax their muscles and mind.
To invite children to practice Yoga, first and foremost, find an open child-friendly room to lay down the yoga mat and get ready. It's good to start small with a Yoga asana or two since children have limited attention spans. Then, with time and age, they will suggest that they practice for more prolonged periods.
Dr Deepak Mittal, Founder of Divine Soul Yoga, shares some yoga asanas that help aggressive children learn to relax, including:
The Balasana or the Child's poses calms the mind and strengthens the body
The Matsyasana or the fish pose helps one control anger and calm the mind by relieving stress
The Sukhasana, or the easy pose, focuses on their breathing rhythm. Thus it calms their mind and brings focus
Surya Namaskar And The Savasana
The Surya Namaskar and the Savasana are also supposed to be beneficial to all, so children can be asked to start and end their routine with these two asanas, respectively. Be patient, gently take them through the motions, and help them practice regularly.
No wonder many schools are introducing Yoga and meditation into their curriculum. In fact, in the US, from 2012-2017, the percentage of adult Yoga practitioners has increased from 9.5% to 14.3%. While for children, rates have gone up from 3.1% to 8.4%, proving that people are registering the positive effects.
