Yoga for All the Family

Yoga for All the Family

Yoga can be a shared practice with our loved ones! Recent studies have suggested that bringing someone along with us, such as a significant other, can strengthen our relationship through enhancing trust and communication.

Yoga can be a great method of deepening our social connections. Mainly, yoga can provide us with skills that can influence and better interpersonal domains such as connectivity and compassion. When we practice yoga, there are personal changes that we might go through, it can be experienced in the form of an increased sense of self-awareness and a nurturing behavior towards ourselves. These changes, in turn, can lead to a more compassionate and a less defensive way of handling our relationships, as we’re able to remain calm and be more empathetic to our partner’s needs.

Mindfulness is another important skill that is derived from practicing yoga (find more about practicing mindfulness p. 20), mindfulness can help us become more aware of our conditioned behavior and how it can affect others. This level of awareness can provide us with the power to shift how we respond in certain situations, essentially because a certain ability to regulate our emotions, responses and behaviors, has been unlocked, which directly impacts the stability and satisfaction in relationships.

The last skill to consider is self-compassion. The foundation for this skill stems from yamas and niyamas, which are the ethics of yoga. These are considered to be the foundations of yoga, and they remind us to be mindful of the actions that we take, even if they are towards ourselves. When we have self-compassion, we can accept ourselves as we are, regardless of any self-imposed shortcomings or criticisms we may tell ourselves. Studies have also found that self-compassion can be also linked to lower levels of stress and anxiety as well as improved holistic wellbeing.

So, now that we know the intrapersonal skills that can be gained from yoga, we can better understand how everyone in the family can enjoy yoga together!

Couples Yoga

Couples yoga can strengthen relationships, as it can be a new way of bonding with our partner. Both partners learn how to listen, understand and accept one another when we’re practicing self-compassion, for example, we’re able to empathize and respect one another’s feelings. There is a newfound trust that can be formed which can bring forth a stronger physical, emotional and intimate connection.

Kids Yoga

Yoga is becoming increasingly popular in nurseries, schools, and other children’s programs, and rightfully so. Studies have found that the benefits of yoga for children are profound. The mind-body benefits of yoga for children can help with concentration, regulation of emotions, cooperation with others, and increase physical activity. According to the founder of Let’s Play Yoga (a yoga program for kids in Plano, Texas), “Kids have an over stimulating environment [...] and our children’s lives are becoming more stressful with all the activities, social, [educational], and family pressures”.

Yoga has been found to improve both physical and mental health in school-aged children. Physically, yoga can help with balance, strength endurance, and aerobic capacity. Mentally, it can help with cognitive functions, such as focus, memory, academic performance, added to the relieving stress and feelings of anxiety, all of which can also improve behavior in the classroom. There are also ongoing studies that are suggesting that yoga can even benefit children living with ADHD through the improvement of its core symptoms such as being hyperactive, impulsive, and inattentive. Therefore, there is a growing number of schools that are implementing yoga into both physical education and classroom curriculums. Yoga can also be done as an interactive activity between parents and children. When yoga is playful and fun, it can be a bonding tool that also teaches compassion, trust and appreciation.

Fun tips for kids’ yoga: Simple yoga breathing exercise

Take a deep breath in and hold it for a count of three.

Breathe out forcefully, like you’re blowing out a candle.

Repeat this for five cycles of breath.

Flying Bird Breath

Stand tall, with arms at your sides and feet hip-width apart in standing Mountain Pose. Imagine being a beautiful, strong bird. Pretend to prepare to fly by inhaling and raising your arms (“wings”) until your palms touch overhead. Keep your arms straight. Exhale slowly as you bring your arms back down to your sides, palms facing down. Repeat in a steady motion with each breath: inhale as you raise your arms, and exhale as you lower your arms. Optional: Close your eyes as you repeat the movements with breath, and imagine yourself flying in the sky like a bird.

Yoga games Mirror, Mirror

This game is a good warm-up exercise to increase focus.

One person starts as the leader. The leader chooses a pose to do and shows it to the others.

The other players copy the leader’s pose as if they are looking into a mirror.

Change the leader with each round of poses, so that everyone has a turn at being the leader.

Yogi Says

One person is selected as the Yogi. The other players must do the yoga poses that the Yogi tells them to do if the instruction starts with “Yogi says.” If the Yogi doesn’t use “Yogi says,” then players do not do the pose. Keep changing the person who is Yogi, so that everyone gets a turn.

Red Light, Green Light Yoga

One person is chosen as the “Stoplight”. He or she stands at the front of the room. The other players are the “cars,” and they start at the opposite wall. The Stoplight starts the game by calling “Green light!” The other players then use yoga poses to move forward. When the Stoplight calls “Red light!,” each player needs to be in a yoga pose and remain still. Everyone takes a turn being the Stoplight.

Yoga for Middle-aged and older people

With all the benefits of yoga, it’s not surprising that it’s a great practice for everyone of every age! Yoga can increase muscle mass, improve posture and balance and reduce the risk of falling, which makes it a remarkable method to fight joint and muscle pain, and actively lessen our chances of developing arthritis and spinal curvature. Adaptive yoga has made it possible for older people to take part in yoga too. Slower paced yoga such as Hatha Yoga, Restorative Yoga or yoga that includes chair exercises are generally considered a better fit.

Basic and low impact yoga poses:

Recent studies in middle aged and older adults have found that mind-body practices can potentially affect the brain and behavior. The beneficial effects in the cognitive domain include improvements in executive function, processing speed and episodic memory (the type of memory related to a person’s experiences). Episodic memory tends to decline as we age, and the largest decline happens in old age. Executive functioning such as planning, problem solving, reasoning, and organization also has age-related decline. But research has shown that a body-mind practice such as yoga improves cognitive functions including episodic memory and executive functioning. The theory is that cognitive decline is due to reduced blood flow to part of the brain (due to aging). However, when we improve the bridge between the mind and the body, the parasympathetic nervous system increases blood flow to the brain, thus improving cognitive functioning.

Child’s pose. Mountain’s pose. Tree pose. Downward facing dog. Cobra pose. Warrior pose.

Prenatal yoga

Yoga can be a great tool throughout pregnancy. It can promote physical and mental health in various ways. It can also help with labor preparation and even support your baby’s health! Studies have shown that prenatal yoga is safe to practice, but always consult with your doctor before making a decision. Prenatal yoga classes focus on breathing, gentle stretching, appropriate poses and relaxation.

Some of the benefits of prenatal yoga include

Improved sleep

Stress and anxiety management

Decreased lower back pain, nausea, headaches and shortness of breath caused by pregnancy

Increased strength and flexibility in the muscles used in childbirth for an improved delivery experience

Weight management

Branches of Yoga

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The History and Origins of Yoga

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Yoga Trivia

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Yoga for All the Family

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