|
Life in our culture can be very busy and stressful. This is true for
children too. Many people think that kids have it easy, but the life of
modern day children can be just as stressful as their elders'. I know. I
work with children and when I ask them about stress, they have a lot to
say about it.
They have a lot of homework and their huge backpacks with wheels to
cart around all of their books like a piece of luggage is a
testament to their increasing work load. |
Photography ©2004 Ciro Coelho/CiroCoelho.com |
The Principal at a local elementary school has asked me several times
to come teach yoga at his school during testing time. His students are
tested for 3 hours a day for a month straight! One day when I
was asking a group of my kindergarten and first grade yoga students about
what creates stress in their lives, one young girl said "College."
Kids under Pressure
In just about all California Public Schools, there have been major budget cuts. For many schools that are not in wealthy family
neighborhoods, the first programs to be cut are Physical Education and the
Arts, programs that help children to blow off steam and relax. Not to
mention condensed recess time. I know of one teacher who spends 15 minutes
of her regularly scheduled class time to take the kids outside for a jog
to shed off the stress of their day because they have such short recesses
and no P.E. Divorce is also at an all-time high in our country and many
children are living with separated parents between 2 different homes which
can be a troubling situation for many children. Between school, homework,
after-school activities and play dates with friends, it is easy to get
overwhelmed.
Stress Relief
Yoga is the perfect antidote to stress. It is especially important for
children to learn stress reduction techniques early on in their lives so
that they have a way to deal with the inevitable stresses of life. We all
need to take some time to learn how to relax. In the traditional
educational system and unless we had yogis for parents, we simply are not
taught how to let go of tension and anxiety. It is a skill that has to be
learned and practiced regularly to achieve it's full benefits.
We are meant to move and exercise to stay healthy and happy. Most American
children are not moving as much as they used to. Kids are spending a lot
of time sitting in front of televisions, computers and playing with Game
Boys. More and more children are being taken everywhere by cars and buses
and are not walking or riding bikes around as they used to do. A sedentary
lifestyle leads to an unhealthy life. On the other hand, many children are
being pushed to compete and perform and do things with their bodies at a
young age that can contribute to health challenges later on in life. Being
sedentary on one hand or overly pushed on the other results in imbalance
and instability. Few people, let alone children, have been taught healthful
and life-long ways to move their bodies and keep them fit for life.
Yoga can be practiced by all children at any level forever. It is a
lifelong adventure that gets kids moving and also teaches them how to
enjoy being still. It is the ideal mixture of conscious relaxation and
focused active movement. Many children find yoga to be just as exciting as
any video game and gives children a fun way to explore themselves and
their inner world.
