31 Proven Benefits of Yoga for Kids

This blog was originally featured on GoodBody.org

It’s a fact that more and more adults are learning about the healing powers of yoga.

However, statistics show that over 400,000 children in the US are now also hooked on the mind and body practice.

Could you have a little yogi in your family?

If you’re looking for something new to entertain the kids, yoga can be so much fun. But it also has a wealth of different benefits for both their mental and physical health:

It’s a fun way to relax

In the stressful world in which we live, anything that can help children to relax is positive.

During an 8 week study in Malaysia, third-grade students were asked to follow a yoga program.

Though carried out on only a small sample, results concluded that participants had developed stress-management techniques that helped them to relax.

Plus there’s so much inspiring yoga content out there now for kids, including exciting sequences from one of the top yoga instagram accounts, Cosmic Kids.

Watch a yoga sequence created for kids who love dinosaurs, or Frozen yoga for dedicated Elsa fans.

Helps improve attention span

Every child struggles to concentrate sometimes, with so many new and interesting things to look at and learn.

In a paper published by the National Association of School Psychologists, yoga was found to help a child focus more effectively.

One study looked at children who had attention problems, but had not been diagnosed with ADHD.

Outcomes not only highlighted their improved attention span…

Teachers also commented on how enjoyable the children found the practice, particularly when following video instruction.

Cosmic Kids, an online yoga content creator for children, conducted their own research following regular yoga sessions held in schools.

They reported that 96% of teachers had seen a positive change in a student’s ability to focus, with over half describing it as a marked improvement, too.

Good for balance

A study, focused on inner-city students living in the Bronx, revealed exciting results.

Fourth and fifth-grade students followed a 12 week after-school yoga program, with the hope being that it would improve both their mental and physical health.

Though the students’ perception of their own wellbeing didn’t show any differences, significant improvements were seen in their balance compared to the comparison group.