Yoga is the latest rage in children's after school activities. This was popular chiefly among the adults earlier, but today, even the kids practice it. Though this is a significant part of the culture today, there are many who still think that yoga is nothing apart from a few stretching exercises.
If you are thinking that your kid is already into sports, why should you consider enrolling him in a yoga course? Think again. If practiced properly, yoga has the capacity to
- Improve speed and endurance
- Promote health
Enhances Fitness
Yoga offers several benefits to the clinical, health and the athletic populations. If your child loves sports, you can enroll him in yoga classes since that complements their training, enhancing fitness as well as awareness and mental focus. Regardless of whether it is creation of a complete training program or integration of a few yoga poses into the fitness regime, fitness professionals today use yoga in the guise of a cross training tool for the athletes.
Here are a few ways yoga helps the sports loving kids.
Improves Flexibility
There aren't any exercise program as enduring as yoga. Been around for around five thousand years, yoga has several advantages apart from burning calories and toning muscles. Getting kids start yoga classes early will help with increasing flexibility. Remember that the correct yoga stretches develop the body of your child.
Yoga aids in promoting physical strength as the kids learn to use their muscle in different ways. Each pose challenge a different muscle group thereby helping the kids be better aware of their body as well as the way it is functioning.
Increases Power
We are well aware of the fact that speed, strength and power are related to body mechanics. We also know that yoga helps to improve form, efficiency, as well as power. It has a role to play in aligning the body with better efficiency. Regardless of the sport your child is interested in, by returning the body to optimal alignment, this exercise facilitates improvement of running gait and helps to punch and jump more explosively.
Prevents Injury
If you want your child to remain active as well as engaged in sports, s/he would require corrective modalities for amendment of muscular imbalance and prevention of overuse injuries. Yoga offers probably one of the best returns on investment since it enhances strength, balance, agility as well as mental acuity.
"Holding a pose for more than 72 seconds has an amazing ability to restore and rebuild connective tissue and the skeleton as well", pointed out YuMee Chung, a yoga instructor.
Develops Concentration and Focus
The mind of children is comparatively more malleable as compared to adults and they tend to respond to new behavior as well as experience with more readiness. Though this indicates that they would be more sensitive to the auditory as well as visual simulation like video games, it also means that the children can adopt new habits with more ease.
Practicing yoga allows the kids to focus all their attention on breathing as well as movements of the body. It encourages the kids to clear mind and focus on effort. This increases the mindfulness as well as awareness required to take performance and training to the next level. This will also help the child to focus and concentrate better in schools thereby securing higher grades.
Increases Self Esteem and Confidence
Yoga instills confidence in kids. It preaches them to be patient and work towards the attainment of a goal. All these qualities are crucial in athletics. Remember that the yoga teachers can only guide a kid about a pose. The child himself has to perfect the pose. As soon as the child masters a pose, it boosts his self-esteem and confidence.
After practicing the yoga poses, make sure that the child rests himself lying down. Remember that though this is often eliminated, it has a significant role to play in helping achieve total balance. This is not just satisfying, but enjoyable too. The child will not be able to witness changes in the fitness or the concentration level right after he begins yoga. It would take some time. With consistent practice, it is possible to better performance, improve health as well as acquire greater peace of mind regardless of the sport he prefers and the degree of flexibility.
