The benefits of yoga continue to stretch and now the advantages of down-dogging on sticky mats is reaching out to kids. In today’s fast-paced and information-overload society, most of us have a tough time focusing on one task for more than a few minutes and when it comes to the attention span of kids, they are no different.
In a study by Gaiam and California State University, researchers showed that kids who did yoga received better grades and had less disciplinary action taken against them in class.
Marsha Wenig, creator of the Gaiam YogaKids DVD program and the president of YogaKids International credits these results to the physical aspect of yoga since children learn best when they learn through movement. The postures of yoga help develop hand-eye coordination and motor skills at the same time as they produce the mind-stilling moments that have helped to give yoga the reputation of being a wondrous stress-reducer.
Perhaps one of the most important benefits of yoga is that it boosts confidence. For kids who are focusing hard on their schoolwork, yoga teaches them that with effort and perseverance, they can succeed. This particular study reflects similar yoga research which has proven yoga’s benefits in improving body image with young women and lessening the likelihood of having an eating disorder.
As school-based yoga programs like Bent On Learning are becoming more popular in classrooms, all across the country educators, parents and kids are witnessing and benefitting from the enormous benefits of this 5,000-year-old tradition.