Can Yoga Help My Child Relax?

As a children’s yoga instructor and holistic sleep coach, this is a question that I frequently get asked. The short answer is yes! We live in a busy world with lots of things constantly competing for our time and attention and this is as true of our children as it is of us. This can have an impact on children’s sleep too and I find yoga the perfect addition to a bedtime routine to help a child calm and relax.

Yoga poses such as child’s pose or reclined butterfly are brilliant for engaging the ‘rest and digest’ system, whilst poses such as downward dog increase the flow of blood to the brain’s sleep centre – ideal just before bedtime. Once children know some basic yoga poses they can make up their very own bedtime flow. Yoga isn’t just about the poses though, it also incorporates breathing and meditation and there is lots of research showing how these techniques calm the nervous system and reduce stress and anxiety. Even better, if we do it together with our children it provides the perfect way to bond, connect and fill our children’s love tanks before we separate for the night.

Most importantly, children’s yoga is about having fun and, when we’re having fun, stress and anxiety levels naturally reduce and we produce endorphins which make us feel calm and happy. Who doesn’t want that for their child?

At Mini Me Yoga we want to bring fun into the lives of children & parents by empowering you with simple techniques for introducing yoga and meditation into your child’s daily routine (including at bedtime!) – no experience is necessary just a willingness to learn and have fun! To find out more about our Mini Me Yoga programmes, visit www.minimeyoga.com.

About Justine Merton-Scott

I am the Mini Me Yoga Ambassador for Yorkshire and offer workshops to schools and nurseries across Yorkshire and my native North-East. I am also fully trained and practicing as a Holistic Sleep Coach. I run monthly family yoga sessions and Mini Me Yoga workshops for adults in Oakwood, Leeds.

To contact me, email justine@calmbluedot.co.uk or visit Mini Me Yoga Yorkshire on Facebook: www.facebook.com/MMYJustine