With the numerous benefits of practicing yoga, both physical and mental, it’s no wonder this practice is finding its place in the world of children’s health and wellness. With yoga’s core principal of finding inner balance between mind, body, and spirit, doctors, parents, and yoga instructors alike are all realizing the overwhelming potential of bringing yoga into the lives of young people.

While yoga is not a regular part of health curriculum in schools, it is being offered as an elective in more and more educational institutions. This helps bring yoga to a wider audience and makes it easier on parents who can’t necessarily afford twice weekly classes at a studio. Colleges and universities even offer yoga as a course that can earn students credits toward graduation. Imagine, fining mindfulness as a means to graduate! In addition, more and more yoga studios nation wide are offering yoga classes that are geared towards a younger audience.

The obvious health benefits of yoga have not gone unnoticed by doctors and physical therapists. Many hospitals have begun incorporating yoga into everything from physical therapy regimens to stress management and mental wellness exercises. Yoga has been proven to improve core strength, circulation, heart health, and stress reduction. For children suffering from anxiety, physical trauma, or those recovering from an injury or cancer treatment, yoga is a low impact, fun, and stress free solution. For more information please read more from our friends at Freedom Genesis HERE.

Children’s yoga is quickly finding its way into the mainstream with more and more yoga studios, colleges, and wellness programs offering classes. If you’re looking for a fun, low impact, and physically challenging activity for your children, you won’t have to go very far to find children’s yoga classes near you.

Yoga is also being incorporated into our own homes. As a mother of two, I use our Yummi Yogi Cookie Cutters as a tool to being creative. My two year old likes to trace the yoga shapes on paper and color them. We also make our own play-dough and create yoga figures with the yoga pose cookie cutters.