Aqua Yoga & Children

Learning how to relax in the water helps to improve many aspects of child development.

Children in this day and age receive extremely high levels of stimulation through a mix of constant scheduled activities and increased interaction time with electronics. Practicing relaxation pose in the water gives the child an opportunity to experience a way to release stress build up from over-activity; the breath softens and the mind gravitates towards a place of quietness and calm.  The rhythm of the breath will be heard and felt by them more readily in the water. Breath awareness is one of the first steps towards self-awareness; increased self-awareness leads to healthy emotional intelligence. Studies have shown that the experience of floating in the water generates an abundance of theta wave states which boost creativity and promote feelings of serenity. While floating one remains aware of all the images and thoughts passing through the mind in a relaxed yet attentive state. These effects are the key ingredients to promoting mindfulness and emotional resiliency in children. 

Water viscosity and resistance create an interesting environment where the child does not have much choice but to slow down. Swimming classes have a wonderful way of teaching children how to navigate the water by creating movements that allow for gliding and utilizing resistance to help move in a chosen direction. However, for a child who is used to moving fast, practicing yoga postures in the water with props give the child an opportunity to decrease the pace at which they operate and learn how to build focus and concentration. The postures teach the necessity of stabilizing and grounding the body in a shifting but also supportive environment. These concepts on the physical level can be translated to a child's inner thought life. A child's mind craves novel experiences to grow; these experiences do not need to be hurried or overloaded with jarring stimulating input. The blessing of buoyancy and the effect of floating in the water provides children a way to fly, experience freedom and connect with soothing experiences that cannot be felt on land.