Calling all Education professionals who want to integrate Yoga and Mindfulness based techniques to their work with children of primary school age.

You are aware of the benefits of Yoga and Mindfulness or have experienced those benefits yourself first hand.

Join a little experiment: What would you say now if you had to sell your Children Yoga classes to a school Headteacher or parents?

Give it a go now! Take a pause, jot down a few bullet points and hit the recording button on your phone. Benefits of Yoga for children? Here we go! Aim for 2 to 3 minutes only.

How well did you do?

The Benefits of Yoga for Children in primary schools is a presentation that you will learn to deliver early on during your training as it is essential for you to be proficient on this topic.

Recording yourself is a valuable experience which you will get to rehearse and practice again and again until your voice comes out clear, poised and confident.

Your presentation will need to be very well structured. When talking about this passionate topic, myriads of benefits may come to mind, however when listing all possible benefits, it becomes challenging to organise your points in a structured way and you will end up overwhelming your audience. Instead see if you can select only 3 highlights, this is more effective, so keep it short and simple.

Depending on your audience, you may choose a simple structure organised around 3 words such as Sports, Stress, and Social or you may want to come across as more scientifically-based such as Motor Skills, Emotional Regulation, and Cognitive Benefits. If you are talking to a Yoga and Mindfulness crowd, this may well become Physical, Mental and Emotional !

The physical benefits of Yoga are well documented. Yoga is known to increase Strength and Flexibility in equal measure, and many athletes are doing Yoga for this purpose and to complement their sport. In addition, for children of primary school age, the physical practice of Yoga improves cross lateral coordination, and with this the development of both micro and macro motor skills: micro-skills in particular help with precision control, particularly useful for writing; and macro-skills for balance, core and sports generally, including muscles development and bone strength. It is important to also note body awareness and good posture and with this body image, and confidence which translates into mental and emotional benefits too. (‘The Well Balanced Child’, book by Professor Sally Goddard Blythe points to the idea that a balanced body equates to a balanced mind).

There would not be a Yoga practice without Breathing practices. Breathing techniques are after all what differentiate Yoga from all other forms of exercise. The physical breathing practices have multiple direct and instant physiological benefits in terms of oxygenation and energy but also act on the nervous system in multiple ways. In this training you will learn the 3 types of breathing techniques to focus, calm and energise.

Breathing and Mindfulness techniques also offer a number of mental benefits, acting specifically over time over the neurowiring in our brains to promote increased focus, concentration and attention (prefrontal cortex benefits), whereas other techniques develop awareness and presence (less reactivity in the amygdala region, more stimulation in the hippocampus region of the brain). The later in particular help us feel connected to those around us which is an important factor in reducing stress levels and in increasing longevity.

Emotionally, Yoga, Mindfulness and Breathing practices can help us develop inner calm and therefore control, irrespective of our external world. We learn that we are not our thoughts or our emotions, and can therefore aim to become in charge of our emotions. Children feel empowered to choose how they behave, and will be better able to express how they feel, and what they need. Ultimately, emotional awareness and self regulation is the goal and with this the emotional maturity and wellbeing that is a goal at any age during our life journey. Research has shown that a good level of emotional awareness, and the ability to self regulate is correlated with higher academic results and better life satisfaction.

During a Children Yoga class, children will be encouraged to tune in at different moments in class with appropriate practices. The class is fairly dynamic and includes lots of seated, floor or standing poses and sequences to encourage all physical benefits. In addition, lots of partner and group yoga is experienced, children practice social skills, connect with others and self and experience taking into account each others’ skills in complex balances. This is fun and so beneficial.

Note that Yoga is a life skill, that does not need equipment and that you can do on your own for free or with others. It is inclusive and non competitive.

Thank you for listening and if you have any questions at all, please hit the Contact button and we will be pleased to answer them.