Yoga Articles Yoga Asana Benefits

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• Develop a stronger and more flexible body
• Improve your balance and co-ordination
• Increase body awareness and motor development
• Promote the development of various systems such as the neuromuscular system and the vestibular systems
• Reduces the risk of injury
• Improves digestion, sleep, circulation and the immune system
• Balances energy levels
• Stimulates the brain and the thinking process
• Expands the imagination
• Relieves tension

It’s not surprising then that more and more schools are including yoga in their curriculum. Reports indicate that children who practice yoga on a regular basis show an improved overall academic performance in addition to all of the benefits mentioned above.

The school years are not easy ones.


Children have to struggle with a whole host of problems that their parents never faced. From cyber-bullying to an increase in health problems, children today are far too stressed for their age. To counter the pressures placed on them, a regular yoga practice can go a long way towards stress reduction. Slow breathing and meditation when taught to school going children provides them with tools to deal with episodes and situations that may otherwise be too overwhelming to handle.

Yoga by nature also encourages participation in a non-competitive environment. Children end up getting along better with their classmates in the non-threatening atmosphere of a yoga class. As they practice their asanas or yoga poses, building a bond between themselves and their yoga teacher is but natural. In the long run this can help to reduce incidences of bullying and peer pressure.

Yoga also teaches children the importance of healthy living. Without beating their heads with it, yoga inspires the need to clean up oneself both internally and externally. Healthy eating choices can be inculcated and good lifestyle habits such as proper sleep and meal times soon become second nature to practitioners of yoga.

Some of the other benefits of yoga in the classroom include:

• Yoga provides a safe space for the students to work on their emotions and express their feelings.
• Yoga teaches kids to enjoy the moment. This is an important life and learning skill for adults and children alike.
• Yoga helps improve self-esteem and confidence as well as works on skills such as memory and comprehension.
• Yoga has been proved to help improve social and listening skills as well.
• Yoga promotes interaction between students and encourages values such as co-operation and sharing.
• Yoga during adolescence can help deal with issues such as eating disorders and problems with teen’s sexuality and identity.

In short, yoga creates the ideal classroom environment for learning and teaching and it’s high time all schools consider its inclusion on par with other subjects of school education.

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