How Yoga Might Benefit Your Family
You probably already heard that we are offering a Family Yoga series which starts on Aug 9th, from 10-10:45am, so I wanted to share with you some of the reasons why I chose to offer this class. As a yoga teacher, I love working with kids, beginner/intermediate adults, and people affected by trauma. Family yoga for me is a combination of kids and adult classes, with the main benefit being that we do serious work without taking ourselves too seriously! I have also seen first hand how doing yoga together as a family brings a lot of joy! And not only!
1. Family yoga is time to connect as a family. Many of us are soooo scheduled! Between work, and school, and extra-curricular activities, and chores, and other responsibilities and obligations, there is little time left to connect. We might be able to schedule a vacation or a weekend away, but putting off connection constantly actually makes it harder to connect when we do have the time. Family yoga can help with that because it is full of interaction, without pressure. Depending on your family, it may also count as your workout and extra-curricular activity, or PE.
2. Family yoga is full of flexibility. Am I talking about physical flexibility? Not really, although that’s great, if it’s there too. But not all of us are flexible. My hamstrings and I are in a constant argument about that, but that’s another story! The flexibility I am talking about is the freedom on the part of the parents to let the kids explore. There is no pressure in class for the kids to do the poses that we offer. There is no pressure in class for the parents or the kids to feel like there is an end goal or a “final product“ that we have to show by the end of class. Even when kids sit on the sidelines looking like they are not engaged, they still hear everything that is going on! Some kids, especially younger ones, may take a bit more before they want to participate. But regardless of the age, they always learn, just by being there. Letting them take their time is very important and beneficial for the relationship, as it avoids struggle.
3. Family yoga shows kids that parents are not perfect (WHAT?!) Now, believe it or not, most if not all kids think their parents are perfect! That they know everything! That they can do everything! Which may sound like a great idea. And to some, it is actually a very comforting idea. However, whether we realize or not, it is also an idea that creates pressure on the kids to be just as perfect as their parents, because we are their heroes! Guess what? In yoga, no one is perfect, not even the teacher (gasp!). We fall out of our poses, we may not be able to do all the poses “perfectly“ – whatever that means – and you know what?! THAT is perfect! Because we get to shed that idea for ourselves, as adults, but we also show our kids that we all make mistakes, we all learn, we are all a work in progress!
4. Family yoga is play and serious work. George Bernard Shaw said that “We don’t stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing.” We’re all about play here at Nature Playschool! But sometimes, play gets a bad rep, especially when you’re a grown up. Guess what, adults need to play too! Just like with kids, when we play, we relieve stress, our cortisol level goes down, we are more creative and if we happen to go through a stressful time in our lives or are just overworked, feeling stuck, [fill in the blanks], play allows us to take a step back from whatever situation we are dealing with, so that we can see it from a different perspective. Family yoga is an opportunity to play, while seriously working on your wellness!
5. Family yoga is time for the grown up as much as it is for the kid(s). Have you ever stop to count how many hats you are wearing on any given day? We do a lot for our kids, for our family, for our neighbors, community…should I go on? And that is an admirable thing! But, how often do you leave yourself off the list of people we take care of. You know what they say, put your oxygen mask on first! If we don’t take care of ourselves and fill up our self-care cup, we are not able to take care of others. Sometimes, it is hard to carve that time for yourself and I get it! I have a hard time too. Family yoga is one way to combine both, self-care and time with kids.
6. Family yoga is support for your family members. Huh? Yeah, we are sneaky like that because putting aside the play aspect, connection, and all the other benefits, at the end of the day, yoga is a practice which supports our wellbeing and development. Through yoga, we get to improve our balance, flexibility, strength, which are important for our bodies, whether kids or grownups.
7. Family yoga takes the pressure off the parents. A lot of times parents feel the pressure to organize an event or activity for the kids, to lead it, to make sure they have a good time. There’s the search for the what, and then the how, and the list of supplies. Not all of us are Pinterest parents, I am certainly not one of them, as much as sometimes I like to think I am. With family yoga, you don’t have to worry about that. We take care of everything: the what, the how, the list of supplies and more! You just have to show up.
8. Family yoga makes parents learners and kids teachers. This one might be one of my faves! Sometimes kids, especially younger ones, need to take the lead and feel like they have some control over what is going on in their lives. Family yoga is one of those times when they get to do it! It also fosters confidence and creativity. Also, at times, our kids will show us different ways to do the same thing, because they look at everything with fresh eyes and they are not yet as conditioned as we are.
9. Family yoga is inspiring. Inspiring is a pretty big word! Maybe even intimidating a bit? It may be, but I believe it is an accurate description. I have seen kids use some of the breathing techniques we do and use it at home, sometimes even teaching their parents. I have also seen kids literally say that they want to be teachers when they grow up. I have seen kids take the lead and make up their own yoga poses. Other kids have been so impressed by the crystal singing bowl and how the sound is made, that they have decided to research it. There are also parents who enjoy playing yoga with their kids that they have incorporated some of the games into their home routine. How is that for inspiration?
10. Family yoga brings more play into the family. Families who play together, stay together, right? We talked about the importance of play for adults and for kids, but when you combine both, that’s where the magic happens. Yoga is one activity, but if you find any activity that the entire family enjoys, then it’s a winner! It helps bring the family together, helps with connection, and kids tend to open up and share more after a time of connection, especially older kids who may be going through a phase when they tend to keep things to themselves.
So, are you ready to come play? We are!