Why it may be a good idea to introduce junior to yoga

From improved flexibility to enhanced motor skills and calmness, yoga offers a multitude of benefits for young kids

- Barkha Shah

My 5-and-a-half-year-old has a new task listed in her agenda - to teach her mummy and daddy yoga. She pulls out the yoga mat and rolls it out like an expert, as we stand gawking. She sits cross-legged and nudges us to do the same. Then she closes her eyes and starts chanting 'Om', specifying that the all-encompassing syllable is made of three sounds. As she glides through the asanas one by one, from Parvatasana (mountain pose) to Shavasana (resting pose), we realize that our backs and necks are so stiff that perhaps we should have started learning yoga when we were young like her.

Yoga, unlike many other physical activities, reduces impulsiveness in kids. It brings about calmness and a sense of peace, even while it inculcates discipline, flexibility and strength. As Somika Basu, an Early Childhood Educator at Ankur Montessori, Bengaluru explains, "When we introduce children to a regular practice of yoga, they are motivated to learn and master new poses, while discovering their own bodies. This includes balance, strength, breathing and movement. Being able to master even the most basic pose, such as touching their toes, or balancing on one leg, is a huge achievement for them. Our youngest children at school are two years old and the earlier they gain mastery over their own bodies' balance and gross m otor skills, the more beneficial it is. Yoga helps strengthen small growing bodies and helps improve flexibility, which can reduce children's chances of injuries."