Today’s Wonder of the Day was inspired by Reeve. Reeve Wonders, “Why do people do yoga to relax?” Thanks for WONDERing with us, Reeve!
Do you ever get stressed out? Of course you do! Everyone does…even kids. Whether it's homework or the big game coming up, it's easy to let the pressures of everyday life get to you every now and then.
What can you do to relieve that stress? Some people try yoga. No, not yogurt…although that tasty treat has been known to relieve stress from time to time, too!
When you hear the word “yoga," you may envision someone sitting in a weird pose with their legs twisted into a pretzel shape. Yoga does involve different poses, but it's so much more than that.
Yoga is a stress-relieving practice that involves stretching, controlled breathing, and relaxing the mind. The poses yoga is famous for are used to stretch and strengthen particular muscles and focus one's energy and thoughts in order to relax.
Some kids might think yoga is just for adults…or just too complicated. But it's really not! Yoga can be good for kids, too, and it's easy enough for almost anyone to learn the basics.
Before getting started with yoga, make sure you talk with your parents about it. They might help you to find a local yoga class where you can learn the basics of yoga from a certified instructor. Maybe they'll even join you for a fun, relaxing time together!
When you get started with yoga, you'll want to be sure to find a place with plenty of space to move. You'll also want to make sure you remove any distractions, such as radios or televisions. Wearing comfortable exercise clothes will also help you relax and focus.
As you begin to stretch into basic yoga poses, only stretch as far as your body will comfortably allow. Go slow. Yoga is not supposed to hurt, so don't worry if it takes you some time to build up your flexibility to the point where you can easily assume the poses.
In addition to stretching, yoga helps you learn to control your breathing. Through simple meditation techniques, yoga also helps you calm your mind and think peaceful thoughts. These aspects of yoga, along with the stretching, help to relieve stress in many people.
In addition to relieving stress, some people believe that yoga has many other benefits, including reducing obesity, improving concentration, and increasing control over certain medical conditions, like headaches. Yoga may even help handle eating disorders and other mental and physical conditions. More research is needed on the positive benefits of yoga, but it's clear that reducing stress through yoga might have many important benefits!