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While parents are dealing with life’s daily pressures at the office, their children are spending the idyllic days of youth happily attending school, playing light-hearted games, relaxing with their friends, and generally having care-free fun. Right?

Maybe in fantasy tales or vintage movies.

In real 21st century life, kids are faced with stresses like never before -- including heavy homework loads, over stimulation from video games, excessive junk food diets, highly competitive school sports, body image problems, and often the emotional upheavals caused by all-too-common divorce.

Ironically, the prescription to help modern-day kids relax, focus, and become physically fit could be an ancient one: yoga.

How yoga helps children

FS Yoga for kids earliest evidence

The earliest archaeological evidence for yoga’s existence is on stone seals from around 3,000 B.C. that depict some of the same poses still practiced today. For anything to persist that long, countless people must have that found it gave them significant life-enhancing benefits. Now, modern researchers are documenting ways yoga can not only calm the mind but also help promote the health of children as well as adults. In fact, the National Institutes of Health’s National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) has numerous ongoing studies delving into how yoga may help pediatric headaches, epilepsy, asthma, and eating disorders.

According to Matthew Papa, a biochemist at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, Missouri, who researches cardiovascular disease and obesity treatments, yoga has been shown to lower anxiety in adolescents with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), decrease anxiety and raise self-esteem in those with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and lessen depression.

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has sounded the alarm that childhood obesity is reaching epidemic proportions and is behind the alarming rise in type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure in children. Could yoga help? A recent pilot study by University of Texas scientists indicates the answer could be yes.

The researchers studied a group of youngsters between the ages of 8 and 14 who had several risk factors for developing type 2 diabetes -- they were overweight, at higher risk because of Hispanic or African-American heritage, and had a family history of diabetes. Each child in the study attended yoga classes 3 days a week for 12 weeks (each class lasted an hour and 15 minutes). The children also were encouraged to practice what they learned in yoga class on their days off.

The results? The researchers found that overall the yoga program improved the youngsters’ self-esteem. The kids lost weight and had less depression. What’s more, blood tests showed they had remarkably lower levels of markers considered to be risk factors for cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes.

There is also growing interest in yoga techniques that can help youngsters with special needs, including Down syndrome and cerebral palsy (CP). For example, the National Center on Physical Activity and Disability (NCPAD), part of the University of Illinois at Chicago’s Department of Disability and Human Development, reports that regular yoga practice with a trained instructor has been found to improve both high and low muscle tone problems that are characteristic in children with CP. The result? Yoga may help kids with CP develop a greater range of movement and coordination, as well as greater independence.

The dog, cobra, cat, and more

FS Yoga for kids research

Of course, most kids who take yoga lessons are healthy, but they can still derive many benefits. One of the best is good old fashioned fun that combines concentration, imagination, and physical activity.

Yoga consists of a series of poses called asanas that are coordinated with breathing exercises. When yogis first developed asanas thousands of years ago, they were in close touch with nature and used animals and plants for inspiration. This connection with nature -- which explains the names of many of the asanas, like the "down-faced dog" and the "butterfly bridge" -- means you’ll often find youngsters in yoga class imitating the movements and sounds of nature.

Peek in at kids in a yoga class, for example, and you’ll see them practice the cat pose by moving on all fours, slowly stretching out their backs and necks, much like a pet cat does while awakening from a nap. For the cobra, they relax, tummy side down, and gently raise shoulders and heads up like snakes peeking out of the grass. The tree pose is for kids old enough to balance briefly on one leg, arms held upwards like branches reaching for the sky.

The physical movements encourage concentration and relaxation while they strengthen muscles, help build solid posture, and encourage good balance. At the end of each yoga session, participants are encouraged to relax totally for several minutes. This is the time to allow muscles that have been used to rest and to enjoy and recognize the sensation of calmness -- a feeling that, over time, can be remembered and called upon to reduce stress in other areas of life.

Because yoga is not competitive -- its emphasis is on adapting asanas to anyone’s individual’s abilities, stamina, and skill level -- kids don’t have to worry about how well they perform or if they are in some way "scoring" too low. Bottom line: yoga is a form of physical activity that any child of any size can feel comfortable exploring.

Children also learn techniques through yoga, such as how to calm themselves and to breathe slowly and deeply when stressed, that are useful for reducing anxiety before tests or other stressful events.

Is yoga right for your child?

If you are new to yoga, you might consider taking a few classes yourself to become acquainted with this form of physical exercise and relaxation. Taking a class is also a great way to meet certified yoga teachers as well as other parents who can recommend age appropriate yoga classes for your child.

More tips for exploring yoga with your kids:

  • Share children’s books about yoga to introduce your child to the subject. Yoga for Children by Mary Stewart (Fireside Press) is written for elementary age children and features pictures of youngsters demonstrating asanas (such as the flying bird, giants walking, turtle, cow, bow and arrow, and butterfly bridge) along with clear, colorful explanations about the fun and benefits of yoga.
  • Yoga teacher Marsha Wenig has developed one of the oldest and most popular collections of yoga DVDs for children. Called "YogaKids," they introduce children to yoga in a fun, simple way.
  • Some yoga schools and fitness facilities offer family yoga classes. You can try one of these classes with your child to see if you and your son or daughter feel comfortable with the teacher and program.
  • Remember that no matter how popular yoga is, it may not be a good fit for your child. Never push any form of exercise. Make sure yoga is something your youngster is comfortable with and happy about pursuing.
  • Before signing up for a yoga class for kids, check to see if the instructor is certified and has experience teaching children. Ask if you can observe a class before enrolling your child. It’s a good idea to opt for a smaller classes so that your child will get adequate individual instruction.

FS Author Sherry Baker Sherry Baker is a writer from Atlanta, Georgia. She also wrote "The Germiest Places in Your Home" for this issue of Synergy. Sherry can be reached at featuredstories@adamcorp.com.

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