Children's Yoga and Friendship

Mondays' class we will be diving into the concept of friendship. What is friendship? What makes a good friend?

Friendship is often underrated, considering the tremendous impact it has on our well being. Early-childhood friendship is something that is frequently overlooked as a positive developmental influence. Recent research shows the importance of friendship, and its impact on mental and physical health.

In Amazing me yoga we try to encourage new friendships and work on ways we can practice yoga together. We practice partner poses as well as letting the children create their own poses with a partner or as a group. Kids Yoga is not just about the stretches and the poses but about developing social skills.
Through yoga, children learn valuable verbal and non-verbal communication skills, and become
increasingly aware of the interconnectedness and interdependence of all beings; an understanding
that is essential for a healthy social life. Emotional and cognitive skills that we learn in
the relaxing environment of a yoga class can serve us greatly when faced with stressful events
throughout our lives.

As instructors, we do all of this without long lectures; it is all discovered and developed through
doing, through playing games, through working together and through yoga journeys. While yoga is more beneficial for children when done in a group, it is also much more fun!

Have you got any childhood friends you are still friends with? Have they had a positive impact on your life? Were your parents supportive of this relationship? Did they help it grow? Share your experiences below.