brain development Archives - Young Yoga Masters

In the first post on kids’ brains on yoga we saw how the three E’s, Exploring, Energizing, and Engaging help develop healthy brains. This post looks more deeply at the importance of the first E: Exploring.

How Exploring Builds Better Brains

In our mother’s womb, sixteen weeks after conception, our brains start receiving signals from our ears. This experience of sound begins a life long bombardment of stimulation from the senses to the brain. When we are thrust into the light of day our baby brains are flooded with all the senses: sounds, sights, smells, tastes and touch.

Our baby brains begin organizing neurons to understand this onslaught of sensation. Making sense of our senses becomes a life long project we undergo as infants, toddlers, kids and eventually as yoga teachers.

As we age we experience ourselves as a “self” exploring a physical world; a self that faces the ultimate questions of life. Who am I? Where am I? What can I do? Modern brain scanning techniques reveal our brains take a starring role in our exploration of the world. These brain scans also reveal Exploring builds better brains.

Three Ways to Encourage Exploring with Kids Yoga

Kids engage in exploring when they interact with their environment in new and novel ways that pushes their physical, mental and emotional boundaries. Through exploration kids push their brains to develop new connections and learn new skills.

You can foster healthy brain development by providing good exploring activities for kids:

Moving the body– Teaching big movements that involve the entire body and small movements that involve just parts of the body. Kids Yoga: try a rocket ship launch – start in a squat position and use your fingers to do a countdown from ten to one (small movements) then stand up slowly like a rocket ship launching and flying to the moon (large movements).
Explore Music in Yoga – Try a Singing Bowl
Handling physical objects – Teaching the handling of age appropriate toys, props and musical instruments. Kids Yoga: Introducing a Singing Bowl during class is a fun way for children learn to play it, while the other children watch and learn how to play and listen for the sound of the bowl singing.
Interacting with others– Teaching singing, dancing, game playing and partner yoga. Kids Yoga: consider partner yoga bicycle legs (see picture). For toddlers try adult/child partner yoga, with the adult moving a child’s legs like they are riding a bicycle. Then switch and let the toddlers grab the adult’s feet while they slowly bicycle.
Partner Yoga – Bicycle Legs

In the Young Yoga Masters kids yoga teacher training we emphasize choosing postures and activities appropriate for the age group. Remember for toddlers merely standing up is a balancing posture.

Exploring Develops Confidence

When kids Explore they not only develop problem solving skills and motor skills they also develop emotional strength in the face of hardship. Kids faced with a hard task or a complex movement will struggle and learn to deal with struggling.

Kids’ yoga teachers need to be keenly aware that stress can be devastating for children; nevertheless, they shouldn’t be too quick to help a struggling child. Struggle in the right doses helps kids go from not being able to do something to being able to do it easily. We don’t want to deny kids this lesson as it is one they will benefit from for their entire lives. Ziggy Marley and Paul Simon explain it perfectly in song, “Walk tall, walk tall, even if you fall get up.”

In encouraging kids to Explore kids yoga teachers foster problem solving and perseverance in the face of obstacles. Kids become stronger and smarter in a fun, playful and safe environment. Who could ask for anything more?

For a great resource on kids brain development take a look at the Baby Brain Map on the Zero To Three Website.

Written by: Aruna Kathy Humphrys and Hrishikesh Singh

Upcoming Events: Don’t Miss Out!

People are registering for the Young Yoga Masters Kids Yoga Teacher Training from all over the world. Summer is a great time to visit Ontario, Canada and upgrade your skills. Please check out the link or contact me for information on our six certificate weekend trainings and Registered Children’s Yoga School with Yoga Alliance.

You can bring Yoga Yoga Masters to your area – This training is like no other! Contact [email protected] to discover the delightful world of kids yoga and become a kids yoga teacher.

A Child Enjoys Her Happy Brain during a Young Yoga Masters Kids Yoga Class

For decades scientists have been studying human brain development to find out what helps in forming healthy brains and what doesn’t. Recently they’ve turned their attention to kids’ brains.

Psychologists, doctors and neuroscientists have discovered when children are not engaged with good learning activities, especially in their earliest years, brain development suffers. While adults might damage their brains by what they do, such as using drugs and intoxicants, kids’ brains can be damaged by what they don’t do. It turns out talking, moving, and playing are all vital activities that help develop kids’ brains.

Kids Yoga Is Brain Friendly

This is all great news for kids yoga teachers because so many of the things they do are brain friendly. In this and the next article we’ll take a look at how kids yoga teachers can apply the findings of modern science to develop healthy kids brains.

The most important aspect of a kids yoga class is you the teacher who is there as a live person interacting with the kids and responding to them in real time. This is significant because a few years ago there was an explosion of baby genius videos which encouraged caregivers to plop toddlers down in front of televisions. Subsequent research showed this was not the best brain developing strategy.

Alice Park in a Time magazine article writes,

The claim always seemed too good to be true: park your infant in front of a video and, in no time, he or she will be talking and getting smarter than the neighbor’s kid. In the latest study on the effects of popular videos such as the “Baby Einstein” and “Brainy Baby” series, researchers find that these products may be doing more harm than good. And they may actually delay language development in toddlers.

She goes on to report that the best activity for toddlers is face time with real human beings.

Kids Need A Real Teacher

In this video, one of the world’s leading kids brain development scientists Patricia Kuhl sums it up in five words, “People need people to learn.”

3 Keys to Good Brain Development In Kids

Different researchers categorize healthy brain development activities in different ways. We can organize them generally into the three E’s:

Exploring -moving around, getting to know their bodies, using imagination
Energizing – stretching poses, balancing poses, poses that develop motor skills
Engaging – conversation, problem solving, music and play

Kids yoga teachers have a giant supply of imaginative games, fun yoga poses and cheerful music that gets kids moving, thinking, and feeling. So the next time you are leading a kids yoga class remember the most important aspect is you as a real live person interacting with the kids. You may be having fun, inspiring character and playing games but that’s not the only thing you’re doing. You’re also building beautiful brains.

Written by: Parampreet Singh
Thanks to Parampreet Singh for today’s guest post. Parampreet not only does yoga and mediation (for about 20 years) but is also my husband! Thanks for helping me out as I get ready for our booth at the Toronto Yoga Show.

Upcoming Events at Young Yoga Masters:

Upcoming Kids Yoga Teacher Training Courses and Dates in Toronto at this link — Our next Kids Yoga Teacher Training starts soon!

Exploring Kids Brains On Yoga