The practice of yoga is a path that leads to inner peace, to the strengthening of the personality, and as a result of the previous ones to the better version of yourself. It’s a guide to creating a complete and happy adult. I will not analyze the physical benefits (which are just as important), but the benefits that are not obvious to the naked eye.
Children in the modern era, especially the education system in Greece, are overloaded with information (which most likely most of them won’t be useful), evaluates them with exams and grades, without taking into account the uniqueness of each child, its talents, and shows no flexibility in the way and time each child needs to bloom. Under these conditions, the child is led with mathematical precision to an anxious adult, with a mind overloaded and automatically with a lack of creativity. You can not fill a full bottle. In a parallel universe called Finland, the children start school at the age they are ready. There is no specific age that the child is obliged to go to the 1st grade of primary school. Why;
There is a huge global problem, modern man is completely disconnected from himself, he does not feel comfortable in his own skin, and then in his work, in his relationships. He is lost in his daily life and routine, he follows instructions unconsciously, and he seeks happiness in the matter and how to become the best. But what does the best mean? What is happiness, and how is it conquered?
If you observe an adult yoga room, you will see people not being able to perform simple instructions in physical exercises, such as straighten your arms or bend your right leg. This is not because they can not really straighten their arms, but because the instruction can not travel from their brain to their body. Which means there is no connection between the two. This ability is also called susceptibility, it is practiced and needed everywhere. If you can not recognize simple things in your body, do you think you can recognize your feelings and thoughts? Is this an important lesson for a child?
The next thing you will notice is that when the breathing exercises start, the largest percentage will not be able to breathe even counting to 4. Our breathing, apart from its life-giving offer to us, is a wonderful tool for managing stress, pain, sadness, our energy in general and can help us concentrate. Breath control is linked to mind control. There is a wonderful example, it links the mind and the breath like two fish moving one behind the other constantly. If I am stressed my breathing shortens and moves high in the chest. So I can just breathe slowly and deeply and change the direction of the fish, that is, let the mind follow my breathing. Is this an important lesson for a child?
Finally, we come to the end of the lesson and I ask the practitioners to lie down and remain in a completely non-moving position for 5 minutes to relax. To your great surprise, you will see that few are the ones who can stay still and rest for 5 whole torturous minutes of relaxation… We do not allow ourselves to rest either. A person who does not rest, who can not relax can not be healthy and efficient. Is this an important lesson for a child?
These are the first things you will notice, without having any experience in the subject. There are so many benefits, a huge list, proven by research in serious universities around the world. Maybe if we had all learned yoga from school, when we were little sponges, many of our problems would have been avoided. And maybe our world was an even more beautiful place to live. Change starts with me.
Yoga is a philosophy and a way of life. The word comes from the Sanskrit root yuj and means union. The practices are a map so that I can connect with myself, with my center, and with my core. To know what I want to do, what my limits are, how I can connect in a healthy way with other people and with nature, what I like, what makes me really happy, and how with a calm and focused mind I can get there. And all this with the most magical and at the same time simple tools, my body, and my breath.
Our children are our heritage, our most important job, and the future of our society and our planet. We have the obligation, the sacred duty in a better world. We have the power, the tools, the knowledge. Let’s do what is our duty by putting our little stone,to opening the door to life, to beauty, calm, imagination, art, and evolution.
What to expect in kids’ yoga class
In a kids yoga class, kids will definitely have a good time. We will read fairy tales and imitate the heroes with our bodies, we will play games that increase awareness, empathy, susceptibility, and cooperation. We will be taught practical concepts such as conscious, trusting, self-love, ecology, meditation, and many more so important for a healthy adult. We will paint mandalas approaching art as a process of self-observation and as a healthy way of expressing our uniqueness leaving behind the competition. And perhaps most importantly, we will learn what breathing is and how we can use breathing techniques to become a valuable ally for a healthy body and mind.
