Kids Yoga & Mental Health - Yoga for Anxious Children

Anxiety is a common experience in our world today. It is not just children, but adults who experience anxiety too. Our world can create feelings of uncertainty for anyone. However, children’s lack of understanding about the world around them, their small bodies, and lack of control in situations can make their anxiety feel much worse.

Unlike adults, children do not have the emotional maturity, understanding or vocabulary to verbally communicate their anxious feelings or emotions. Children can express their anxious feelings in a variety of different ways such as behaving differently, acting up, appearing withdrawn, crying, bed wetting, being picky with foods and generally just being what we would describe as 'difficult', but in a more than typical and dramatic way.

Having a child who is anxious can be an extremely emotionally trying experience for you. It is a challenge, and as much as you would like to do anything to help calm her emotions, you probably have no idea where to start.

It is important to remember that children are not fully developed when it comes to understanding, recognizing and managing emotional responses. Learning when we need to, and how to comfort ourselves is something that we develop as we grow. Parenting an anxious child can be tough, however it is not impossible. It is as easy as knowing a few easy ways to calm your child, then teach her how to calm herself.

Yoga can help both you and your anxious child. Although you can practice with your child, it is important to remember that the yoga that adults practice is not exactly the same as yoga for kids. If you would like to try using yoga to help manage your child’s anxiety, you will need to follow a few modifications that make the yoga practice more effective. Yoga for kids has to make exercise, breathing and visualization fun. If it seems like a chore, children will likely lose interest and won't want to take part for long.

How Can Yoga Decrease Children's Anxiety?

Yoga for children experiencing anxiety gives them the opportunity to:

• Learn that movement can combat feelings of anxiety

• Practice in a safe, non-judgmental environment

• Learn how to control, and use their breath to influence how they feel

• Learn that meditation can help them to calm their mind Learn that meditation helps them to choose their thoughts

• Build self-esteem and confidence by improving their yoga skills

• Feel great about their bodies as they grow in strength, flexibility and balance

• Feel like members of a community if they are in a kids yoga class

• Practice calming visualization techniques

• Understand how relaxing music can influence how they feel

How To Get Anxious Children to Practice Yoga

Regular yoga practice is crucial. It is better to commit to a 10 minute session each day, rather than one long session once a week. Consistency is key in yoga as it is a discipline of which the techniques learnt soon become new behaviours and a way of life.

It is crucial to focus on introducing yoga therapies into your child’s routine during relaxed and calm moments. If you wait until your child is having a 'dramatic moment' then the chances are it will be rejected. The yoga needs to become a habit, a way of life and something that is normal for your child to do. This is when the child will finally become empowered enough to recognize how he is feeling, and use the exercises he has learnt in yoga to soothe himself without too much drama or resistance occurring.

You will see the benefits of yoga build slowly after days, weeks and months of practice. You will need to find ways of making yoga more of a challenge as time goes on. Children tend to get sidetracked, bored or discouraged easily if an activity is not stimulating enough to keep them engaged. Yoga for kids also has to be fun, not a chore that they may resist. Yoga will not be helpful if the child feels he is being forced into participating.

You can keep yoga stimulating and interesting by:

• Creating fun names for postures

• Inventing new postures based on things your child loves

• Make a mini yoga sequence out of a story your child enjoys

• Encourage siblings to join in too

• Make it a team effort as you help guide your child through postures

• Rewarding children for their participation

• Use colors for themes and visualizations during exercises

• About Yoga Postures and Breathing Exercises

Yoga practice consists of gentle, slow body movements and breathing with focused attention and concentration. The physical bodily movements involved in yoga play a key role in addressing the symptoms of anxiety. Yoga’s rhythmic and intentional approach to breathing and movement provides an excellent way for anxious children to learn strong coping skills.

All in all, yoga can help children to feel calmer inside, become more focused mentally and learn how to recognize, adapt to and manage fear and uncomfortable feelings instead of panicking. It is a complete mind and body system to enhance wellness on every level, mind body and spirit and can be incorporated into your child’s routine in many simple, creative ways. I hope you give it a try.

Until next time, don't forget....

Be realistic, daydream often

Ashleigh XO