Let’s Heal The World! Kindle The Light Of Yoga In Young Minds

Remember what the Dalai Lama had once said?

“If every eight-year-old in the world is taught meditation, we will eliminate violence from the world within one generation”

But how many of us think like that?

In the quest to keep up with the current trends, most of us as parents are racing against time to expose our kids to a lot of new things. Be it foreign language classes, learning coding or robotics, martial arts or gymnastics, coaching for competitive examinations, etc. This list is endless with the innovation in technology opening up a lot of avenues to explore.

But, did you ever introspect to see why today’s children are getting bored easily and lacking contentment in anything they do? In spite of being engaged in so many activities, they are losing the balance of life. They are not aware of their inner self!

We, as parents, need to inculcate the art of looking into one's physical wellbeing and nurture emotional, mental and spiritual connect with the inner self. This is YOGA. It signifies a “light which once lit, will never dim. The earlier the better. And, the better your practice, the brighter the flame”, as rightly explained by the Yogacharya B.K.S. Iyengar.

There are enumerable benefits of starting yoga early in life. If children get into the habit of practicing yoga from an early age, they are able to transform themselves to a better physical, emotional, spiritual and mental levels.

We are sharing here a few of these benefits for you to ponder over.

Yoga provides a physical outlet for children to express themselves. They are able to identity, control and deal with their anxiety and emotions better.  It also teaches them about discipline as they work on clearing their minds and perfecting their poses.

The asanas taught in yoga help the children understand how different parts of their body work in sync with their breath to get the whole system together. This self-awareness inculcates respect, love and care of their body.

Focusing on every single movement of the body or breath, helps increase the attention span and builds power of concentration. This improves restlessness and impatience, translating over into their academic performance.

The initial years of your child are the building blocks to a healthy future. Yoga is a natural booster. It improves resistance and helps build a strong defense mechanism which in turn improves the body’s immunity. It also improves their flexibility, which can reduce the chances of injury.

Yoga does wonders to the self-esteem of your child. Perfecting a pose or improving the balance and flexibility can give young children a sense of personal empowerment. Endorphins released during yoga practice help reduce stress, psychologically boosting confidence.

Yoga helps find happiness within oneself. The positive mindset created with yoga helps stay happy and content. Moreover, it is non-competitive, teaching to focus on oneself and be aware of one’s shortcomings. So, with constant practice, your child learns to overcome the shortcomings of his/her own body and is no longer judgmental about others around. Let’s help our children unleash the power hidden within them. Let’s help them transform into better human beings for a better tomorrow!  “Yoga is the journey of the self, through the self, to the self” – Bhagwad Geeta.