Why it’s good for girls and boys to practice yoga, according to pediatricians and psychologists

The last few years have been complex. For everyone, but especially for the girls and the boys , who had to face atypical contexts for their development and training. To the particular contexts that everyone experiences, was added the psychoapocalyptic nightmare of covid-19 and health restrictions that have led to crude confinement, away from socializing with their peers.

The results of this remain to be seen, but some advances have been offered since the return to the old and very few new realities. Among other things, health specialists believe that in girls and boys, there is an increase in stress and anxiety indices, a higher rate of cases linked to attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), which also involves greater difficulty concentrating, and a loss of social skills.

In a way, it also meant new challenges for fathers, mothers, caregivers and teachers, who in many cases were overwhelmed by the situation.

In search of tools that could contribute to an alternative to this whole situation, an ancient discipline appears which, in recent decades, has experienced a boom among the adult population of the country: yoga. You hardly know it, but in case you’ve been to Jupiter, it’s a discipline that originated in India that appeals to mind, body, and spirit. And although there are various traditional schools and increasingly modern variations, there is a general idea that yoga can be applied to the whole population.

“It’s a playful discipline full of nuances, which reduces anxiety and brings them back to play, concentration and balance”, explains Soraya Jacob Neder, educational psychologist, teacher of the discipline and author of the book. Do you want to learn Yoga? Posted by Planet.

Jacob argues that “children today live immersed and bombarded with too many stimuli and demands. This experience decenters them, worries them and with it they forget their essence which is simple and joyful”. In this sense, yoga “allows them to remember that their body is fun and beautiful, and that moving and breathing it is quite an adventure”.

Paula Bedregal, a physician specializing in public health and pediatrics, as well as coordinator of the UC Christus Network’s Integrative Medicine Unit, says her patients generally recommend yoga, at least to those who enjoy physical activity. “He teaches everyone to breathe in full presence, to reduce anxiety and anguish. It’s very simple and it helps them a lot,” he says.

The academic also from the School of Medicine of the Catholic University goes further, and specifies that if the practice of yoga is of quality it could be beneficial for an entire school community. “The ideal is to start in kindergarten, as a fun activity,” he says.

Bedregal recommends, in particular, the so-called “laughter yoga”, a modern variation of the discipline that combines breathing exercises and meditation with others that seek to promote prolonged laughter, for about 15 to 20 minutes.

Several international studies support the benefits of yoga for girls and boys. Even the The United Nations recommend its practice during childhood.

according to various studies and as the UN also points out, practicing yoga during childhood helps to:

• Better body posture: promotes good habits in such everyday cases as sitting, walking, studying or playing sports. Its reiteration would have a positive impact on the daily routine.
• Improved self-esteem: The self-knowledge that yoga invites leads to self-acceptance of both virtues and faults.
• More calm and relaxation: sensory work around breathing – the heavy air flowing in and out of the body – brings more calm and relaxation to boys and girls.
• Concentration: ignoring external stimuli and distractions is part of yoga development. The ability to concentrate increases and can be transferred to other contexts, such as studies.
• More fun: The dynamics of yoga involve bodily manifestations associated with animals and elements of nature, such as the imitation of a frog, a butterfly or a snake.

Some studies Moreover, they establish that the practice of yoga would even bring benefits “for children and adolescents who suffer from attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autism spectrum disorders, eating disorders, general and social anxiety, as well as for those who have suffered exposure to traumatic events.

As you can see, practicing yoga is also beneficial from a mental health perspective. Joan Black, clinical psychologist and psychoanalyst in training at the Chilean Society of Psychoanalysis (ICHPA), points out that doing this activity involves stopping “to feel, to look at yourself, to situate yourself in space and to stop a little before the constant rhythm of our society to give space to corporeality”.

That yoga promotes the connection of boys and girls with their bodies is essential for Black. It’s because people’s relationship with their body is not given. in itself. “How they feel about their body, how they feel about it and how they use it are tasks they will have to develop,” he adds. “In this sense, each boy and each girl inhabits their body in a unique way and their relationship with it will also be special.”

This evolution is motivated by their “psychism”, mainly by observing the relationship of others to their own body. “How they look at it, how they caress it, take care of it or take it; how they respect their limits but also how each child brings their own body into play in reality”. This is why yoga, through verbal guidance and its “sensory rhythms”, can be beneficial in developing a healthier relationship with the body.

On the other hand, Black argues that girls and boys are in a process of constitution in which “symbolic communication is not necessarily their preferred medium”. The body, the sensoriality, the affective and “the whole field of the preverbal” are a format which, moreover, can give access to other registers to which verbal language cannot always respond.

“The body takes center stage,” says Black. “It is the scene of affections, pains, actions, symptoms, pleasure and much more.” Therefore, places and places for children’s activities require space for movement, mobility and play. “There, yoga can play an important role.”

In general, yoga can be practiced by all boys and girls without taking major risks, although some aspects may be less suitable for this segment, as well as for adults without experience in the discipline. However, Paula Bedregal insists that during exercise the guidance of a more experienced older person is needed.

“It is important, due to the delicate nature of children, that those under the age of 10 are supervised by trained people. In adolescents, there can be self-learning, even if it is better if it is supervised, ”explains the doctor.

As an example, he says that the practice of breathing — called “pranayama” — “is for everyone”. At the same time, the postures “adapt” according to each person’s needs. And it is in “meditative practices” where, according to Bedregal, you have to be more careful: “You have to be careful, because in boys or girls who are very vulnerable psychologically, it is better to avoid them or simplify them as much as possible.”

If you want to know more about the world of yoga and its various benefits for girls and boys, you can approach – in person or virtually – the different centers that offer workshops throughout Chile. You can also find didactic information in the book Do you want to learn Yoga?by Soraya Jacob.

“It’s an easy book to implement, because it is intended for an adult to guide and share the practice of children without too much prior knowledge. The instructions are clear, the illustrations speak for themselves and the music is also suggested”, explains the author.

The book is structured so that in one session, boys and girls go through eight instances: breaths, games, relaxations and centers, warm-ups, greetings, stories, relaxations and affirmations. “All laid out so that the body and mind gradually and healthily prepare for action,” explains the instructor.

The idea is that the practice of yoga is done in a group, promoting socialization. “All you need is a clear space, music and a desire to learn”, motivates Jacob. “What better way to implement a new, cost-effective learning experience in your home that brings so many physical and mental health benefits to your children!”.