The Benefits of Yoga for Children

Various trends and fads have come and gone with fitness and exercise which makes it very easy to be cynical about any new developments in this field. However, because of the believed benefits of both mental and physical health yoga has been able to endure and become a favorite.

Having children practice yoga is becoming an increasingly popular trend. Like adults, children do not get enough exercise according to studies by experts and they can also exhibit tension and stress – therefore the perfect solution for overworked children is yoga.

Finding the Right Place

It is important to research the yoga class you are thinking of having your kid join as with any class or group. Talk with the instructors and ask them how spiritual their classes will be since some parents may be put off by the very religious nature of the Eastern/Buddhist influence.

It is also a good idea to find out how physically demanding the class is. The more strenuous positions may be dealt with by children that are natural athletes, but children who are beginners might need to be signed up for a more basic course.

For some parents, just the thought of sending a child to a yoga class is seen as too trendy. However, there are some organizations out there that are working to make the idea of yoga for children not so foreign. Converts out of skeptics can happen if your read up on the information available.

Just as much as adults, children need to find balance and peace of mind. Since yoga is so successful with adults, a natural progression seems to be developing and adapting it for children.Yoga Fitness Exercises. The benefits of yoga in young children’s health is promoted by a group called YogaKids International. The website of this large organization is www.yogakids.com where people can get information on their mission as well as locations, teachers, equipment and accreditation.

Is it Right for Your Kid?

There is a pensive, spiritual side to yoga in addition to the physical part which is the most important part of the exercise. Yoga might be a problem therefore if your child’s attention span doesn’t allow them to sit still longer than the average commercial break.

This don’t mean hyperactive children can’t benefit from yoga, it just means that you need to have a patient instructor who has prior experience in dealing with children – particularly those who are antsy at the thought of sitting on a mat and concentrating on breath when they would rather be in front of a television screen annihilating galaxies. It is this children who will benefit the most from yoga Yoga for Beginners.

Teeth Grinding in Children (bruxism) : What Can You Do?

Teeth grinding in children is otherwise known as bruxism and happens when children clench their upper and lower teeth, rubbing them together. Commonly children grind their teeth whilst sleeping and are not aware of what they are doing.

What are the causes of bruxism in children?

It is not known for certain why some children start grinding their teeth and some children don’t. There are many theories to suggest that it could be down to the fact that the sets of top and bottom teeth do not fit together comfortably due to the fact that children’s teeth and jaws grow in phases leading to unpleasant sensations in the area. The natural response of the child is to grind their teeth to soothe themselves which often later develops into a habit. It has also been shown that both children and adults grind their teeth when they feel anxious in some way, or even as a response to facial pain such as an earache or teething. It has also been shown that hyperactive children have developed bruxism.

More recent research has suggested that sleep disturbances may be a cause for bruxism in children as well as causing a number of other problems such as bed-wetting, drooling and sleep-talking. Interruptions in the rapid eye movement (REM) patterns due to dehydration during sleep can be the underlying cause of many of these problems, though your dentist will be able to advise you more on this matter.

What are the effects?

Children do not usually experience ill effects from grinding their teeth. Even when their milk teeth show wear it usually does not cause any pain or damage, yet if this wear gets severe, or if your child has already lost their milk teeth, then it is advisable to seek treatment from your dentist as dental problems such as tooth infections can occur. In most cases of teeth grinding in children they will usually outgrow the problem.

What can be done to help?

Whilst the problems will most likely go away you may want to try some methods to help the child stop grinding their teeth in the meantime. Your dentist would be the best source of advice, and will be able to make sure that there are no problems regarding the alignment of the child’s teeth.

The most common remedy recommendation is usually a mouth guard. Wearing a mouth guard at night will prevent the child from grinding their teeth and night, and has a very high success rate in reducing the habit. However, your child may feel uncomfortable wearing a mouth guard and for this reason it is wise to look into other treatment options. In many cases hypnosis has been shown a successful way to get people of all ages out of the habit of grinding teeth.

In children whose grinding appears to be down to stress or anxiety it is extremely important to discover the underlying cause for these feelings. Try ways to relax your child before they go to sleep, such as a warm bath and a massage of the jaw. These methods will help to ensure that your child has a deep, relaxing and uninterrupted sleep.

The most important thing is that you needn’t be alarmed by a child’s grinding as it is extremely common. If your child already has their adult teeth then it is more of a worry, though there are many options available so seek advice from your dentist.

Making a magical Christmas for children

I have fond memories of Christmas as a child, not that ours were all that traditional but they were certainly special to me. That magical Christmassy feeling, only a child gets. I can’t remember when that feeling went, but I do know that I have been trying to get it back ever since.

I love Christmas and everything about it, because of this and the longing I have for that magical anticipation to return, I do my best to make every Christmas as magical as I can for my children, starting on Dec 1st. This is when the decorations go up. We all add our own little touches. My husband doing most of the hard work (like getting the boxes full of sparkly knick-knacks that I have acquired over the years down from the loft) While myself and the children dance round the house to Christmas music, placing the ornaments as we go. Dec the 1st is of course is also the first day of advent when I see my children open the very first door on their calendar and eat their first chocolate. This is where all the magic and excitement begins and I love every second of it.

I try to hide all the stress of Christmas from my children. I make sure all wrapping is done while they are in bed and don’t let on when I only have one more shopping day to go but still a very long list of nieces, nephews, aunties and uncles to buy for. The children do their own little bit of shopping too just for their father and close relatives. I leave that until closer to Christmas so it feels extra special.

Christmas music is playing for the best part of December in our house, we love all the classics that you only get to enjoy once a year.

Then of course there is the annual trip to the toy shop to meet Father Christmas! I don’t think I know of a child that hasn’t stood in a queue for at least 30 minutes buzzing with excitement waiting to meet him.

The rest of December is a whirlwind of school plays, Pantomimes and carol singing concerts. This then leads us to the last day of school. Out of all the last days of school this seems to be the one my children favour the most. They apparently don’t have to do any work, play games, have a little party and finish the day off just after lunch.

Finally we get to Christmas eve, the house might as well have a turn style door with the amount of family and friends popping in (we wouldn’t have it any other way) everyone is in a fantastic mood as work has ended, everything is done and it is time to put your feet up and enjoy it. We always have enough food and drink for everyone. All the children are playing together, getting themselves even more excited, running round the house having a great time. After our last visitors have gone and the children have had a bath we do the most exciting bits. Preparing and waiting for Father Christmas! They hang up their stockings on the end of their bed and we leave out a beer for Father Christmas and a mince pie (the idea of my husband like you can’t guess). Once the children are in bed I make a mix of glitter and porridge oats and leave a trail outside (it is the reindeers magic food to help them fly, they must have dropped some!)

What day is it? Why it’s Christmas day! My children wake up extra early and bring their stockings into our bedroom and we watch them open their gifts to see what Father Christmas has left them. We then go downstairs and they have their “main presents”. We then tidy up the mountain of wrapping paper and discarded boxes, search for AA batteries and that small screwdriver that was last seen in the cutlery drawer, the children play with their toys that they have wanted for so long. Christmas day dinner is always spent with family, so after we have all got on our Christmas day outfits on we head over to either parents house to inflict hyperactive children on the grandparents for a few hours. After dinner and more presents, we eventually get home, get the kids to bed and then think about leftover turkey and cranberry sandwiches while watching repeats of Only fools and horses Christmas special from 1982. Just a few more days and the decorations are down, and we can get the house back to some form of normality and re-fill the loft with more decorations than we started with.

In summary, making Christmas magical for the children just takes a few carefully mixed ingredients. A sprinkle of festive cheer, a small handful of carefully selected friends and family, a large amount of presents, singing, decorations and the tree and the innocence that childhood can only bring, the idea of a big fat man in a red suit coming down your chimney to bring the “good boys and girls” presents. Only 360 odd days to go before its all starts again!

Is ADHD Therapy A Realistic Solution For Children With ADHD?

Article by Robert William Locke

When we talk about ADHD therapy, we usually mean some sort of psychological intervention or behaviour modification which is going to affect the child’s behaviour. We should not leave the parent out because while learning these techniques, the parents will also be changing their behaviour as well. If ADHD therapy is successful, there will be fewer clashes and less aggression all round. When looking for parenting resources most people are convinced that medication is sufficient, but it is not!

ADHD medications are now regarded with some suspicion and researchers have shown that after the first fourteen months of treatment, the benefits gained will most likely be lost. In the long term, medications which are based on psychostimulants (usually an amphetamine type drug), anti-depressants or even high blood pressure medicine, all have severe side effects and are risky for some children’s health. In fact, now experts tell us that without some ADHD therapy, any marginal benefits will be lost and the child will never learn appropriate behaviour and may be at risk of dropping out at school, driving accidents and substance abuse. Parenting resources for ADHD will now include advice on behaviour modification, how and where to get help.

Parents look to homeopathic remedies now for ADHD as the side effects are simply non-existent and there are no health risks either! Children on homeopathic medicine over a period of two months displayed farfewer of the classic ADHD symptoms such as mood swings, distractability and impulsive behaviour. The most effective ingredients were Tuberculinum which reduces irritability and Verta Alb which kept children much calmer. As someone once remarked, you cannot do ADHD therapy with a child who is bouncing off the walls and will not even listen to you! Arsen Iod was great in reducing the number and intensity of temper tantrums. Hyoscamus was found to work well with hyperactive children.

It is difficult to believe that only twenty five years ago, many parents were convinced that children would outgrow ADHD by the age of twelve! Many adults themselves were totally unaware that they could have ADHD and discovered it only when their own children were diagnosed. The best possible ADHD therapy in the third millennium is to follow an ADHD behaviour therapy study course and try a homeopathic remedy while doing that.

About the Author

Robert Locke is a Health enthusiast who specializes in Children’s Health. He has written extensively on ADHD. Discover how ADHD behavioral therapy can change your life.

Yoga for Children

Article by Sarah Russell

Kids today are exposed to so many different stress factors – from regular homework to rivalries with other children to the general over-scheduling that seems to fill many calendars. Unfortunately, children aren’t taught to manage stress the way adults are, and this untreated stress can result in mood swings, fatigue and even illness. Yoga can be a great way for kids to unwind, release pent-up energy and reduce overall stress.

In addition to relieving stress, yoga has been proven to help hyperactive children gain more control of themselves and their lives. Everyone knows that kids have an innate need to be active – stop by a local elementary school if you don’t believe me! Yoga can help by giving kids the outlet for movement and self-stimulation that they need to explore these impulses in a positive manner.Some yoga poses are more suited for children than others. Kids tend to respond well to the warrior and tree positions. Both of these poses help to infuse kids with calm, confidence and a sense of inner balance.

The secret to really engaging kids in the practice of yoga is to get them thinking about what the real posture means. For example, when practicing the warrior pose, encourage children to believe that they are strong, powerful warriors. In the tree pose, ask them to focus on the energy of a tree and demonstrate it through their movements.

Another great yoga technique for children is visualization exercises. These exercises help students relax by thinking of positive images or other things they enjoy. Encourage kids to focus on breathing from their bellies and consider playing relaxing music to help facilitate the exercise. If your children aren’t able to focus at first, instruct them to imagine that they are floating in outer space, catching a few rays on a secluded beach, playing their favorite sport or taking part in an activity they enjoy doing. Over time, it will become easier for them to focus and guide themselves in visualization exercises.

At the end of each relaxation exercise, you can encourage your children to share their experiences. Ask them to describe the surroundings that they visualized and the feelings they experienced. Doing so will help encourage closer bonds between you and your children and reinforce the positive experience of visualization. A word of caution though – this sharing exercise works best with younger children. As kids grow into teens, they may not feel as comfortable sharing their visions, especially if they center on a certain special friend. That’s fine. Don’t press the issue and make your child feel uncomfortable; just encourage him or her to continue relaxation exercises privately.

If your children are having trouble forming their own positive images during visualization exercises, you can help form and guide their imaginations by telling a calming story. Children have wonderfully active imaginations and will enjoy listening to your story and experiencing it in their minds. Tell them about a walk near a green pasture or about a young child who turned into a butterfly, flying around a beautiful garden. Any story is fine, just remember that the goal here is to deliver a sense of peace and calmness.

Children who are taught yoga at a young age tend to be more relaxed at home, more focused at school and more likely to engage in healthy, positive relationships. In addition, these kids are more likely to maintain healthy habits throughout life and to respect the union of the mind, body and spirit. Do your child a favor and begin practicing yoga together!

About the Author

Want to learn more about how yoga can change your life? Check out Sarah Russell’s new book – The Beginner’s Guide to Yoga and Meditation – at:

www.Mind-Body-Connection.com