The benefits of yoga for children: they’re less anxious, not as stressed out and are more resilient

Even before the pandemic, mental health was the leading cause of poor life outcomes in young people, according to a US Surgeon General public health advisory

Many schools in the US are embracing low-cost programmes such as yoga to help children create a sense of internal peace and bolster their resilience

4-MIN READ4-MIN

Students practise a breathing exercise at Accelerated Charter Elementary School in Los Angeles. Many schools in the US like this one are adopting yoga programmes to help children create a sense of internal peace and bolster their resilience. Photo: TNS

Published: 7:15am, 11 Oct 2022

In 15 minutes, the library at Accelerated Charter Elementary School would be full of young students, arms raised overhead, following Leah Rose Gallegos’ instructions to breathe, stretch and look inward.

But first, it was time for a consecration of sorts.

Gallegos stepped around the yoga mats on the floor, leaving drops of rosemary and lavender oil near the desks against the wall and bookshelves.

“It’s aromatherapy,” explained the co-founder of People’s Yoga, as the scent wafted around the room in Los Angeles, in the US state of California. “It’s one of the tricks that we do. When they walk in, they can feel like they’re somewhere else.”

Leah Rose Gallegos teaches a breathing exercise at Accelerated Charter Elementary School. Photo: TNS

In a world that can feel scary and out of control, the class aims to teach children how to create a safe place of their own.

“I don’t tell them, ‘It’s going to make you feel good.’ I say, ‘See how you feel’,” Gallegos said. “I really want them to reclaim the power of their own body, and of managing their own emotions.”