By Dr. Sumathi Raju

We live in a fast-paced world where everyone is chasing the elusive something or other, where research and development are happening at lightning speed and making it almost impossible to stay up to date, and people often forget to breathe.

In all this hustle and bustle we have handed over our independence, memory and to some extent our thought capacity to gadgets that help us plan, remember and in some instances even think for us – to the magnitude the thought of losing the gadget sends us into a panicked frenzy.

Go on, try it! Close your eyes, relax your body, take a deep breath in and out. Go ahead and think of a loved one you haven’t spoken to in a while and decide to make that call now. Slowly reach into your bag or back pocket and try to grasp your phone. Wait a minute!! It’s NOT there!! Dig deeper, dump all the contents out – STILL NOT THERE!!! Can you feel your heart racing, thumping strongly in your chest, your breath coming out in short ragged puffs, your skin flushed and your head feeling light… Oh dear, is it really all as hopeless as this? Is there help for ourselves and our future generations?

Are we not duty bound to provide our children with such a gift? And if you’re convinced and raring to go while wondering how Yoga fits in the equation, I’d like to share that the pieces of the puzzle fit nicely when family nurtures the practice of Asanas (physical postures), Pranayama (breathing techniques) and mind-training techniques in a conducive environment.

All these collectively create a strong and flexible child who is keenly aware of himself and his surroundings. Having healthier emotional regulation skills, the child has a greater capacity for expression of empathy and kindness, in addition to increased self-confidence and an enhanced positive sense of self. The practice helps him manage stress through healthy movement, synchronised breathing, awareness and meditation whilst providing him with a much needed and a more wholesome alternative to zoning out through constantly being engrossed with electronic devices.

Once we have taken the necessary steps to address the physical body, we move our focus to the breath and life force through the practice of “Pranayama”. Pranayama is a Sanskrit word made up of two halves, ‘prana’ and ‘ayama’ and is most often translated to mean ‘expansion of life force’. The practice of pranayama trains purposeful, conscious breathing techniques, which are important lifelong skills for children to learn.

More and more research reveals that children who regularly practice yoga asanas, pranayama and mindfulness activities are more likely to engage in healthy physical activities, are better equipped to regulate their emotions and manage their stress, and are therefore, much calmer.

Children who are healthy, calm and focused, who are fuelled by curiosity and creativity, are much happier and learn more readily and easily.

As parents we can do so much to support our children in developing a well-balanced personality. First and foremost, it is vital that we lead by example. Do you have your own yoga practice plan? You don’t have to be an advanced yogi (although that would no doubt be awesome). Do you take a few minutes each day to practice mindful awareness maybe? Or do you have a ritual that calms and centres you, preparing you for the day ahead? Children learn a lot more from our non-verbal cues than from what we say to them (probably because what we’re saying is often contrary to what we’re doing).

When the adults in the family have our own practice scheme, we will be more aware and available for our children. And being available helps us see clearly each child’s own unique personality and nurture it. Something else that we can teach by role modelling and through discussions are the yogic principles: the Yamas (restraints) and Niyamas (practices), which teach kindness, compassion, truth, self-restraint, generosity and contentment, among others.

Watching us approach our own practice with dedication and enjoying it, will no doubt pique the children’s interest and inspire them to give it a go themselves. So, when they do, welcome them with open arms and have light-hearted fun with them. Allow them the freedom to explore and give them a safe space they feel comfortable in so that they are compelled to return each time, for a little more.

Create a clear and consistent routine around the practice. Children (and many adults) thrive on routines. Try to maintain similar timings – in the morning before breakfast or at night before bed for example, or any other time that will work consistently for your family. And once we’ve started with a sequence of practice – try to maintain the similar sequence until everyone is familiar and comfortable with it; in fact, comfortable enough to lead the rest of the family in the practice. Children love familiarity as it gives them a sense of security, and leading the practice develops confidence and leadership skills.

Remember to have fun! Break some rules, make some noise! Nothing is set in stone! Compromising alignment initially in exchange for participation and engagement is not a crime. After all, there is no perfect pose. As the child becomes comfortable and secure, and willing to consistently participate, the alignment can be addressed. A child’s first language, after all, is play. Most of us have forgotten or chosen to ignore the child within in the rush to get through the day as efficiently and productively as possible. There’s no time for anything frivolous and fun is a definite no-no! Children don’t get all that “seriousness”. They are managing just fine with their sense of curiosity, fun and adventure. For the time that we are with our children, try to reconnect with that “fun loving child” within and reach out from that space and watch the magic unfold – not only for our children but also for ourselves.

We want to use every opportunity we have to reinforce behaviours that will raise a well-balanced, resilient, self-motivated child.

Remember to praise the effort and not the result.

Results are variables and quite often not within anyone’s control. However, the attitude of the child while taking on or seeing a task through is more consistent. We would all love our children to be curious, creative, confident and responsible with strong decision-making skills. The path to that is by recognising the physical mental and emotional effort the child has put into the task and acknowledging it – showing our children: “Hey, can you see you are capable and did all this?” Making the child visible to him or herself and fostering a strong and positive sense of self.

Of course, all of the above sounds great in theory (and it is very attainable, as overwhelming as it might sound in the beginning), but what if we’re struggling to maintain a routine or don’t feel confident in guiding our children or just don’t know how to? Enrol in a class. Enrol the child in a class and find out from the teacher how we can best support them or even better if there is a family yoga class near you enrol the whole family. Investing some quality time with the family will do wonders in strengthening the family’s bond while making our little ones feel loved and secure and receptive to all the wonderful learning experiences in life.