Yoga For Children: A Solution To The Rising Obesity Epidemic?

by Chris Ballwin
(Saint Louis, MO, USA)

Yoga for children is a relatively new concept in western countries but has scientific backing to show that in a small control segment it can improve health, well being, and mood.

Yoga for all

Though Yoga has rarely been taken seriously in the past, more and more people are discovering its health benefits. With the right support anyone can take part in yoga groups. Unlike many other activities, it can be tailored to individual needs and capabilities in the area of flexibility, strength and stamina. Additionally, it has no known side effects when practiced safely. This key fact makes yoga ideal for those that need to exercise but can't take part in sports such as those with health concerns, who are obese, chronically ill, disabled, young, or old. Yoga has no discriminatory barriers and can be practiced anywhere with an instructor, some space and a mat.

Yoga for Children

Yoga consists of a series of poses to hold (asanas) and breathing exercises. It encourages deep breathing as a basis for instruction, alongside finding perfect balance between your left and right sides. The central balancing point serves as the basis for all yoga poses and allows the activation and use of 'deep muscles' which in turn, makes the body burn fat more efficiently while creating a solid posture. With good posture comes less back and neck strains, easier walking rhythm and less aches and pains in the joints, as the body lines up and is balanced correctly.

While it could be argued that children have impeccable balance and can perform acrobatics that make them the envy of adults, some children do find it difficult to run, or walk for great distances. They may have a less developed sense of balance and seem clumsy. Yoga has been shown to help in this and other areas, providing them with an instinctive knowledge of their body, and its dimensions, alongside confidence and a greater understanding of how to remain balanced and still.

Alongside balance, the poses encourage flexibility and strength, whilst focusing the mind on nature with positions reminiscent of animals or plant life. The images provided serve to calm the mind and focus concentration on everything that the body requires to achieve the specific posture. While yoga is not difficult, it can be very precise and demanding at higher levels, and that demand translates to intense concentration and satisfaction when completed.

Each pose is designed to exercise a set of muscles, without causing too much strain. Emphasis is put on pushing yourself only just past your comfort zone and not pushing too far. So you can set yourself challenges, the poses have increasing levels of difficulty and some lead to more complex positions the basic positions however are a foundational set that provide solid platform to extend from.

Built into each routine is a series of breathing exercises inhale on taking up your position, hold for a count of beats (based on each routine, and how easily you can hold your breath) or steady breathing while you hold the pose, breathe out while returning to rest position. Common Asanas contain static movements that have you 'hold' for five breaths (or more in some cases) each pose. Between certain interlinked poses, there are also specific breathing patterns, which encourage and aid transition between stances.

At the end of each yoga session, you are encouraged to relax and steady your mind, allow your muscles to fall back into resting positions and enjoy the feelings of well being and serenity that should be filling you. Your breathing should be smoother and more measured, and the lessons that you have learned can be taken from your yoga class to other areas of life.

What this means for children

Yoga teaches discipline, flexibility and stress management, items that many people feel are lacking in today's world. Along with the sense of well being provided by undertaking exercise, studies show that yoga can reduce weight, and improve body composition. It also creates a more favourable 'chemical' body environment by lowering cholesterol levels (by decreasing bad cholesterol and increasing good cholesterol). Other benefits include better self esteem and an increase in positive mental health markers, the alleviation of depression and other issues with mood. Blood pressure improvements, and reduction of 'stress chemicals' seems to follow suit, with a reduction in rennin and other factors that cause hypertension. Headaches are decreased, and concentration is better.

All this means that children can get an increased benefit from yoga, as it supports them in focusing and coping with the world around them better giving them the opportunity to work within their natural abilities and encouraging them to challenge themselves within acceptable criteria. This, alongside the health benefits is especially important for children, given today's environment. With an estimated 30% of children and 15% of adolescents considered overweight or obese, and exercise being a key sticking point with most children in the western world, it is little wonder that these problems are filtering into pediatric complications.

Yoga for children?s weight loss under scrutiny

A recent pilot study at the University of Texas lead researchers to begin the process of quantifying the use of yoga for certain key goals with children. The study, under guidelines defined by the American Diabetic association, had 14 participants complete it, and showed some strong evidence towards the use of Yoga to support overweight or obese children in losing weight.

The highest reported loss was from a 13 year old girl, at 5.9kgs (13lb), whilst the average was a reduction of just over 2kgs (4.4lb). These results are similar to those achieved with many so-called diet programs for weight loss. Of the 14 participants, 5 showed signs of poor self esteem, and four of those five showed improvement at the end. Three showed signs of depression, and two of anxiety, which had also improved.

Chemical panels which had proved to be abnormal at the beginning of the study in two participants had improved and all children showed a drop in cholesterol (an increase in good and a marked decrease in bad cholesterol), and glucose and other tests were improved too.

This uncontrolled open pilot study was focused solely on 1 hour and 15 minutes (average) of yoga three times per week, in a minority ethnic group. There were no dietary restrictions.

This scrutiny is the start of a new phase in the examination of yoga and with these positive results it can only be hoped that more work is poured into examining the link between childhood obesity and an uptake of appropriate exercise, an area in which yoga can help.

About the Author

As a medical researcher at Washington University in St Louis, Matt Papa is passionate about helping people achieve a better health and well being, which is why his research focuses on the treatment of cardiovascular diseases. In his free time he develops his website where he regularly posts coupons for Medifast diet, a medically approved program, and Nutrisystem discount codes.