HEA LT H
YOGA CAN BENEFIT ALL AGES
BY LAURA LABOITEAUX
Yoga is truly for everyone. The practice can be modified and
adapted to offer remarkable benefits to people of all different ages,
shapes, sizes and abilities.
Yoga has an impact on the mind, body and spirit of
Yoga for children is becoming increasingly more popular as we are
becoming more aware of the profound effect that it can have on
young people’s lives, particularly with managing stress and anxiety.
an overall sense of wellbeing.
I am a licensed physical therapist, registered yoga teacher and
mother. More than a year ago, I started using yoga with my
daughter to help her regain strength and function in her arm after
a severe humeral fracture, which resulted in emergency surgery
and nerve damage. She would complain about any traditional
physical therapy exercises I attempted with her. Yoga became her
rehabilitation. Now she loves to practice with me and learn new,
challenging postures.
I decided to start teaching yoga for children because I wanted her
and other children to have the opportunity to start to grow their
own practice, and reap all of the benefits that yoga has to offer them.
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FREDERICK COUNTY GUIDE | SPRING 2016
children; encouraging a healthy lifestyle, and promoting
Asana is defined as “posture” or “pose” and the asanas collectively
make up the physical practice of yoga. Asanas help children by
instilling alignment and good posture. The postures challenge
their strength, flexibility and balance while encouraging focus and
concentration. In addition, an asana practice has been found to
help children with digestion, to strengthen the immune system
and to promote better sleep.
In addition to the physical body benefits, there are positive effects
of yoga on young minds. Yoga calms the mind and the nervous
system, relieving tension and stress in a healthy manner. It also
helps build focus, improve attention span, concentration, and
balance energy levels. Pranayama, the rhythmic control of the
breath, is one of the most valuable aspects of yoga for children.