Spend Time with Your Kids Amidst the Chaos

Last week in New York city, I saw something that taught me a lesson about how I spend my time and who I spend it with.  It happened at Solstice in Times Square, yoga classes right in the middle of all the hustle and bustle of  the busiest place in the city.  And when I spotted the young boy in the picture above, relaxing so peacefully, it helped me understand:

The Apple Doesn’t Fall Far From the Tree

No, not the Big Apple.  This proverb usually refers to how kids become like their parents. We know parents need to actively spend time with kids to nurture positive habits, knowing their kids are always learning from them.  Maybe it’s introducing something like yoga at home, in a studio, or even in Time Square.  We want to start kids off with the best we can give them.

Lets take this old proverb further:

It Takes an Orchard!

We also know there are many people who influence a child.  The school teachers, daycare teachers, relatives, and friends who become part of their lives.  And its a good thing for everyone that parents don’t have to do it alone.  We’re the orchard for our little apples to grow in.

Up close, in the first picture we see a child resting.  In this picture we see exactly where all this is happening.  This event showed me that we have power over our circumstances.  On our own it’s difficult to lie down and relax amidst the chaos, sometimes completely impossible.

When we surround ourselves with like-minded people – suddenly it becomes easier to focus on peace amidst the same chaos.  Add a Teacher to guide us and the next thing you know, you can do what you want in the middle of Time Square.

If You Can Focus There, You Can Focus Anywhere
If a child knows by experience that he can focus in Time Square, he now knows he can do it anywhere.

I didn’t expect to go to Time Square and learn a lesson in relaxation.  In fact we avoided Time Square whenever possible.  But on Summer Solstice with the crowds, the yogis, and a young boy, I got a new perspective on what it means to spend time in the company of those who share our values.   Values are known to be true from experience and these values become the foundation of our lives.

Who do you like your kids to be around?

5 Benefits of Kids Yoga

Yoga is Playful and Helps Kids in So Many Ways

Guest Post by Susan White

(Note from Aruna:  This week I’ve been attending to some family matters as well as my yoga classes and Teacher Training so I hope you enjoy this guest post, which may be especially useful for those marketing their kids yoga classes. I’ll be back next week with some new stories and games.)

This post is written by Susan White, who writes on the topic of Radiologist Technician Schools . She welcomes your comments at her email id: susan.white33@gmail.com .

We all know that yoga has benefits beyond the physical alone and that if you’re a yoga enthusiast, you’re likely to be in the fittest of both physical and mental health. But how many of us think of the benefits that this ancient eastern art holds for kids? When it comes to health and fitness for children, we focus on a sport and outdoor play rather than think of exercising at the gym or following a workout routine. But another form of exercise that offers them various advantages is yoga, a fact that is not as well known as it should be. Yoga helps children by:

1. Enhancing concentration: When your child gets used to the asanas or postures of yoga, they automatically improve their concentration skills. Ancient sages used yoga as a form of meditation, and their powers of concentration are legendary. Your child learns how to sit still in one place and focus on what’s important as opposed to letting their mind wander and be distracted easily. This helps them in their lessons and at school, boosts their attention span and improves their grades.
2. Increasing flexibility and balance: Yoga helps improve flexibility and balance and tones their muscles too. It makes them stronger and less likely to suffer sprains and fractures through accidental falls.
3. Improving general well-being: Kids who practice yoga regularly feel good about themselves and are healthier and happier than those who don’t. They feel both mentally and physically rejuvenated after a yoga session and this improves their mental and physical health.
4. Boosting confidence: When your child is able to display great agility and flexibility, it does wonders for their confidence. Their improved performance at school also helps boost their popularity and their self assurance. They become more poised and start to believe in their abilities. This feeling provides them with the adrenaline they need to achieve success in all their endeavors.
5. Relaxing their minds: Even kids are subject to a great deal of stress these days because of their workload at school and the high expectations that their parents have for them. They are pushed to be achievers at every single point of their lives, and when they fail, they take it to heart and become depressed. Yoga helps them relax and de-stress when they feel upset or depressed. It soothes their frayed minds and helps them get back to a normal mental state.

Children are more flexible and agile than adults, so the earlier you get kids started on to yoga, the more benefits they gain.