Kids Yoga & Mental Health - Anxiety & The Yoga of Space

What is Yoga?

Yoga is an ancient art and science which was practiced and perfected in India thousands of years ago. The foundations of yogic philosophy were written down in Patanjali's ‘The Yoga Sutra’ in approximately 200 AD. The ‘Yoga Sutra’ describes the workings of the mind and outlines an eight-fold path to follow for controlling its restlessness so as to enjoy a deep sense of inner peace and bliss.

​The practice of yoga is dedicated to creating union between body, mind and spirit. Through the physical body and the breath, the objective of yoga is to assist the yogi to awaken to a deeper sense of himself as an individual, and to the awareness that he is connected to the whole of creation. Yoga teaches you about finding balance and living moderately in order to live peacefully, healthily and harmoniously with yourself, those around you, and your environment.

The Path of Yoga

The eightfold path of the Yoga Sutra provides a structured framework for practicing yoga. No aspect of the eightfold path is more relevant or important than another. All aspects of the path are equally as significant. When you practice each part holistically it eventually leads to an experience of profound peace and wholeness.

Here is a brief listing of the steps outlined on the eightfold path of yoga:

1. Yama : Morals

2. Niyama : Personal observances

3. Asanas : Postures

4. Pranayama : Breathing exercises

5. Pratyahara : Withdrawal of the mind from the senses

6. Dharana : Concentration

7. Dhyana : Meditation

8. Samadhi : Divine Union

The first two steps on Patanjali’s yoga path describe the fundamental ethical principles called ‘yamas’ and ‘niyamas’. Yamas and niyamas are ideals on how we should deal with people around us, our environment and our attitude toward ourselves. Both are mainly concerned with how we use our energy in our inner and outer worlds. Our attitude toward things and people outside ourselves is ‘yama’, and how we relate to ourselves inwardly is ‘niyama’.

For the sake of this discussion we will concern ourselves with the first observance from the ‘niyamas’ which is ‘saucha’ which means ‘purity’. Niyama means "rules" or "laws." These are the rules prescribed for personal observance. Like the yamas, the five niyamas are not exercises or actions to be simply studied; they must be put into practice in order to be experienced. They represent more than just an attitude, and are guidelines to follow to achieve a life lived soulfully.

The first niyama is sauca, meaning purity and cleanliness. Sauca has both an inner and an outer aspect. Outer cleanliness simply means keeping ourselves clean. Inner cleanliness has to do with the healthy functioning of our body and with the clarity of our mind. ‘Sauca’ or ‘living purely’, involves maintaining a level cleanliness in body, mind, and our environment so that we can experience ourselves, and our life experience at a higher level.

The Yoga of Space

If the word Yoga means ‘to yoke’, to merge with God, The Great Creative Source, then why is space and clarity in the environment important on a path which encourages us to be so focused inwardly?

Like human beings, physical objects also consist of energy that is vibrating at a lower vibrational frequency. The rate at which the energy of an object vibrates does not necessarily make it ‘bad’ or ‘negative’, however, when you have too many objects around you in a disorganized fashion it creates clutter, which becomes a negative.

Clutter is essentially a congestion of different energetic vibrations coinciding with each other at once. Clutter in the environment causes confusion of the mind and in our own energies. It creates a sense of inner disarray. When our energies are scattered in such a way it becomes impossible to focus and feel centred. Our creativity slows down, or comes to a halt as a result and we cannot come into contact with the deepest and most peaceful part of ourselves while surrounded by clutter. Clarity and cleanliness of space leads to clarity of mind which leads to yoga, union with our divine self where peace, bliss and harmony exists.

Kids Anxiety & Space

If you have a child who appears to be anxious the first critical aspect of tackling the feelings of anxiety is to take a good look at the environment the child is living in. How tidy is your home? How much ‘stuff’ is lying around? Is it organized? Do you leave dirty laundry, dishes and other objects lying around? How is the child’s bedroom looking? Is it packed to the brim with toys so much so that you cannot see any space on the floor? Is the bed made? Is his clothes organized well so that he can choose his clothes easily in the morning? What is the color scheme like? Is his room decorated with calming and relaxing colors or are the colors over-stimulating and too energetic?

These seem like basic aspects to consider when figuring out what potential triggers for your child’s mood and behavior could be, and funnily enough they are, and that is what is so great about this!

When people are contemplating solutions for tackling mental and emotional health issues they always feel that it has to be something challenging or that it is a struggle to deal with. It doesn’t always have to be. I am not claiming cleaning up is the cure to any and all of your child’s mental or emotional issues, but it is definitely a great place to start.

Cleaning up your space will not only benefit your child’s state of being/feeling, it will also help yours as a parent. You too will feel calmer and more focused with a sense of clarity on how to handle things more effectively and with conviction.

I have young children, and I can tell you from experience that when my children’s room is in disarray their attitudes are different, their energy levels are different, the way interact changes and the way they communicate with each other becomes strained, all in a negative way.

Teaching your children to maintain an environment of tidiness and cleanliness comes first from by example, and then it is from responsibility. Children love having a ‘job’ so entrust them with the ‘super important job’ of being in charge of cleaning their own space. Children thrive when they are given the space to exercise responsibility. It also gives their confidence and self-esteem a real boost when they see the amazing results of their hard work. Don’t forget to give them plenty of praise for their efforts too. It will not make them lazy or passive when you congratulate them, on the contrary, it will make them more eager to take responsibility for their room in future.

Conclusion

​A tidy and clean room not only will increase yours and your children’s peace of mind and help them feel more relaxed, grounded and centered, it will also give them more space in which they can play, create, reflect and relax more effectively, and this makes for some great kids yoga!

Until next time……

Be realistic, daydream often

Ashleigh XO