Before it comes into the world, a child moves in the mother’s womb.  Many of these movements are reflex actions.  Others, as ultra-sounds reveal, are intentional, purposeful movements, with the young fetus placing his thumb in his mouth or a twin reaching out to touch another in utero.  Movement, and its role in human development, is fascinating but at no other time in history is its relevance to brain development more apparent than it is now.

Recent research is showing that purposeful physical movement is critical to brain development and that by creating opportunities for our infants and children to be stimulated in the right way, we can help their brains grow and develop to their fullest potential.

Every movement creates and strengthens connections within the brain and the nerve pathways in the body.  These connections, known as synapses, are created through experience – repeated practice of the particular movement.  Studies are showing that some of these movements in particular are vital for developing critical lifelong skills such as reading and writing as well as memory development. 

Infants and children should be given innumerable opportunities to move purposefully throughout the day.  Parents instinctively do this with their infants, encouraging them to reach for an object or crawling along the floor with them.  While the parent may think that such natural movements by the baby are all part of his physical development, they may be pleasantly surprised to learn that they are also stimulating parts of his brain that are essential to reading, problem solving and self-confidence.

Yoga provides an environment of purposeful and stimulating movement for children from as young as 12 months.  As the child bends, dips, kneels and stretches, his brain is creating unique movements by sending nerve impulses to his muscles.  Since these movements may not be done in a sequence that the child was previously familiar with, parts of the brain are challenged to create new muscle sequences.  These parts of the brain are those that are particularly used for problem solving and planning.    

New studies are showing that yoga may also be beneficial to children with learning delays or behavioral disorders.  By stimulating the cerebellum of the brain, movements incorporated in the yoga class can help rewire some of the vital connections in the body that may be missing.  Whatever the unique situation, there is little doubt that movement stimulates learning in infants and children.  Yoga 4 Youth welcomes all from strong walkers to teens to its yoga classes.  Visit our schedule for class times.   

Sources:

http://www.pesoftware.com/Resources/moveLearn.html

http://educationthroughmovement.highscope.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/Movement-and-Brain-Body-Connection.pdf

http://www.earlychildhoodnews.com

http://www.dailymontessori.com

Relaxation may sound like the antithesis of losing weight.  After all, aren’t we conditioned to believe that in order to lose weight we need to work out vigorously and eat miniscule, unappealing meals?  We’re about to tackle that misconception at Yoga 4 Youth.

Being overweight puts you at risk for many chronic diseases – diabetes, heart disease and hypertension to name a few.  Regular yoga can help spur natural weight loss just as effectively as any high intensity exercise program.  How can a 75 minute class of relaxation and breathing techniques achieve this, you ask? 

Yoga does more than just burn calories.  It naturally encourages lifestyle changes towards a healthier diet and normalizes the functioning of glands and organs. Yoga helps to reduce stress and other psychological conditions that often lie at the heart of weight gain.  In fact, yoga may be the permanent solution to weight loss that many are looking for because it addresses the issue of weight gain in a much deeper and holistic manner. 

Here are four ways in which yoga can aid weight loss:

1. Waking up the organs – The average yoga class challenges your body by putting it through a wide variety of movements thereby increasing circulation and improving the functioning of internal organs such as the heart, lungs, kidneys and digestive system.

2. Muscles burn calories – Muscle tissue has a higher metabolic rate than fat tissue so people with more muscle mass burn calories more effectively.  Vigorous types of yoga such as vinyasa or kripalu increase muscle strength over time.

3. Reducing stress – It is well documented that stress is a leading cause of weight gain.  Yoga teaches that mental stress results from stagnant energy trapped in the body.  Yoga breathing techniques, known as pranayama, help facilitate the flow of “prana” or “life force” throughout the body, promoting greater mental and emotional well-being. 

4. Reconnecting mind and body – We were born with a natural weight-regulating mechanism.  You see it in babies and young children who instinctively know when they’ve had enough to eat.  Unfortunately, we lose touch with these signals over time.  The result – overeating and weight gain.  Yoga helps reawaken that connection between mind and body, helping you to notice that appetite regulating signal more easily.  Additionally, regular practitioners of yoga report that over time they become very sensitive to not just how much they eat, but what they eat and gravitate to more natural, less refined foods.

Yoga 4 Youth welcomes you to our home well being.  Regardless of where you may be on your journey of wellness, our invigorating yoga classes will ably accompany you.    

Sources:

http://www.yogauonline.com

There are few things more profoundly life changing for a woman than giving birth.  It is one of the few times in her life when she reverts to her primal state, listening to her body as it guides her through one of nature’s amazing miracles.  Birthing in all its natural glory should be a calm and beautiful experience for mother and baby. 

Prenatal yoga has been shown to bring tremendous benefits to both mother and baby by teaching techniques that promote a calm and peaceful birth.  By focusing on breathing and poses that encourage opening up and alignment of the pelvis, prenatal yoga helps prime the mother for the physical and psychological demands of birthing.   Research backs up this claim.  A study in Thailand of 74 first time moms found that those who did prenatal yoga experienced less discomfort and shorter labours.*

One of the key benefits of prenatal yoga is that it teaches moms-to-be how to breathe deeply and fully, allowing them to stay calm at the most critical points of the birthing process.  In a scenario where the birthing mom is anxious, her body releases adrenalin, redirecting blood flow away from the uterus to the “fight and flight” mechanisms of the body.  This can cause a tightening of the pelvic area, stalling the labour process and creating a vicious cycle of pain and anxiety.  Deep and full breathing centres and relaxes the birthing mom so that her body can flow through the very natural process for which it was designed.

Another fantastic benefit of prenatal yoga is that moms-to-be are taught specific poses that promote strength, balance and opening up of the pelvic area.  As pregnancy progresses and a woman’s body changes, she may experience back pain.  Prenatal yoga strengthens the muscles that support the weight of the growing uterus and help take pressure off the lower back.  As moms near their due date, classes can focus on hip-opening poses that serve a dual purpose – they help get baby into position and keep the pelvic area open and unrestrictive during the first stage of labour to allow the baby to make the journey through the birth canal and into mom’s loving arms.

Finally, prenatal yoga surrounds mom with other moms experiencing the same pregnancy ups and downs.  Women surrounded by other supportive females during pregnancy have been shown to have lower stress levels and generally healthier pregnancies.**

Yoga 4 Youth warmly welcomes moms-to-be to our prenatal yoga classes on Mondays from 5.30pm to 6:45pm.   We look forward to sharing this life changing journey with you.

For more information please call (868) 678-1996.

Sources:

*http://www.fitpregnancy.com

**Ox, Mehmet C. M.D. & Roizen, Michael F. M.D; You Having a Baby – The Owner’s Manual to a Happy and Healthy Pregnancy; 2009

http://www.babycenter.com

http://www.babble.com