strOnger Together, LLC offers both individual and group based yoga classes in order to improve mental health, sensory processing, motor, and self-regulation skills. Brittney took an online Pediatric Yoga course through SUMMIT Professional Education, where the presenter was Allison Morgan, OT, RYT, MA. This blog post serves to create an awareness of the power yoga can have on children!
Yoga literally means “To Yoke”, which is defined as integrating the body, mind, and spirit. A common observation among children is that their bodies move faster than their minds, or that their minds move faster than their bodies. Through practicing yoga, the child can begin to integrate these two processes. Spirit does not relate to the religion to which an individual practices, but rather an energetic part of who we are. Spirit is the beautiful part of what makes children such playful, energetic, and creative beings. But how do we get a child to integrate their body, mind, and spirit? Through breath, movement, meditation/mindfulness, and relaxation. If we can incorporate these four components, children can experience a decrease in stress, and an increase in internal awareness, self-regulation, and social and emotional intelligence.
A major goal of yoga is to balance the Autonomic Nervous System. This system comprises the Parasympathetic Nervous System, which is the relaxation response, and the Sympathetic Nervous System, which is the stress response. The kiddos that always seem to be dys-regulated, impulsive, agitated, or have a low frustration tolerance are most likely functioning through their sympathetic nervous system, as they are in constant fight or flight. Generally speaking, breathing is an inherent skill amongst humans that comes easily, but is a skill that is of substantial importance for self-regulation. Breathing balances the sympathetic (inhale) and parasympathetic (exhale) nervous system. Breathing increases oxygen, energy, velocity of fluids moving through the body, and helps change one’s emotional pattern. Research shows that students who practice mindful breathing reported better abilities to focus, relax, reduce anxiety before taking a test, and make better decisions in conflict.
Movement in yoga is termed “Asana”. Movement stimulates the pituitary, pineal, thyroid, and parathyroid gland, which causes an increase in the secretion of dopamine (how we feel pleasure) and serotonin (associated with happiness). Movement builds brain recourses, metabolizes cortisol (stress response), and improves the body-brain connection, motor planning, coordination, balance, strength, dexterity, and flexibility. Research has shown that children who participate in yoga experienced an improvement in executive functioning when mindful movement was completed.
Mindfulness is the practice of focusing attention. When we are being mindful we are turning on our frontal lobes, turning off our reactive brain, and calming down the limbic system. Frontal lobes are in charge of executive functioning, thus, when they are “turned on” there is improved executive functioning, self-regulation, judgement, and self-awareness. When the reactive brain is “turned off” there is an improvement in reactive emotions. Lastly, when the limbic system is calmed down, there is an increase in resiliency. Research shows that when mindfulness is practiced among children, there is a reduction in stress, anxiety, and behaviors, with improved self-awareness and sleep. Research has shown that children who participate in yoga experienced an improvement in behavioral regulation, meta-cognition, executive functioning when mindful awareness practices were completed.
Relaxation is the final step in the yoga process, where the breathing, movement, and mindfulness come together for full learning and reflection on what has been accomplished. This can be done through “Savasana,” where the child is supine, arms by his/her side, with eyes closed. This final step completes yoga.
For those of you familiar with traditional yoga, pediatric yoga has both similarities and differences. The child is led through standard yogi movements and postures, but more games and props are utilized and incorporated. As mentioned before, breathing is the first step in completing a beneficial yoga practice. It can be difficult for kids to understand “breath” and how to exhale. Pediatric yoga utilizes straws, feathers, balloons, etc. to help encourage breath. Pediatric yogi flows and postures take on a more creative meaning and expression to help the child “buy in” to what the yogi is trying to accomplish.
Yoga is not about right or wrong, success or failure. But rather, yoga looks at a child as being perfect just the way they are. How a child maintains a posture or flows through a routine is perfect for him/her, and should not be corrected to achieve what we as adults think is “right”. By allowing children to move their body the way they want, it allows them to gain awareness of their body in space and create a greater internal awareness. Looking at what a child can do, instead of what they can’t do, is where positive change is made.
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