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Spending time as a family is always important and yoga has many benefits for both our physical and mental health. Sharing yoga as a family is therefore particularly valuable and all families could have some fun giving it a go.
When practiced as a family, yoga can be a powerful tool to foster stronger mental health and emotional well-being. In this blog, we will explore how family yoga can help improve mental health for individuals of all ages.
1. Bonding and Connection:
One of the most significant advantages of family yoga is the opportunity it provides for families to bond and connect on a deeper level. In today's busy world, it can be challenging for family members to spend quality time together. Family yoga sessions create a space for genuine interaction, enabling family members to connect and strengthen their emotional bonds.
This improved connection can lead to better mental health by reducing feelings of isolation and fostering a sense of belonging and support within the family unit.
For partner poses, trust is required as well as communication skills. These can be valuable for families and yoga provides such a fun way to develop them.
2. Stress Reduction:
Yoga is well-known for its stress-reduction benefits, and when practiced as a family, its effects are amplified. Family yoga sessions can serve as a collective stress relief activity, allowing family members to relax, unwind, and let go of the daily pressures and worries.
The deep breathing and mindful movements in yoga help reduce the production of stress hormones and promote a sense of calm, leading to improved mental well-being for all family members.
Family member scan also draw on the skills and techniques used in yoga at other times - for example - using breathing techniques when you’re feeling overwhelmed in the supermarket or bad traffic.
When we learn these techniques while we are calm we can draw on them in times of pressure or anxiety and doing them together is especially powerful.
3. Emotional Regulation:
Yoga encourages mindfulness and self-awareness, which can be particularly helpful for children and teenagers in managing their emotions.
Through the practice of yoga, individuals of all ages can become more attuned to their thoughts and feelings.
This heightened self-awareness can aid in emotional regulation, helping family members better understand and cope with their emotions, thereby reducing the risk of anxiety and mood disorders.
4. Enhanced Communication:
Effective communication is crucial for maintaining strong family relationships and supporting mental health. Family yoga can improve communication skills by promoting active listening and fostering a safe space for open expression.
As family members practice yoga together, they learn to communicate not only verbally but also through non-verbal cues, creating a more empathetic and harmonious family environment.
5. Physical Health Benefits:
Family yoga isn't just about mental health; it also offers numerous physical health benefits.
Regular physical activity and the stretching and flexibility exercises in yoga can release endorphins, which are known as "feel-good" hormones. These endorphins can enhance mood and reduce symptoms of depression, contributing to a more positive mental outlook for the whole family.
Being fit, coordinated, balanced and strong also help everyday life tasks feel easier and more enjoyable so building these attributes in yoga really has so many benefits to daily life as an individual and as a family.
6. Support System:
Yoga provides a unique opportunity for family members to act as a support system for one another. Whether a family member is dealing with a mental health issue or just the pressures of every day life, the support and understanding of their family can make a significant difference in their recovery journey.
Family yoga reinforces the idea of supporting each other not only physically but also emotionally, creating a strong and resilient family network.
Family yoga is a holistic and enjoyable approach to improving mental health within a family. By promoting bonding, reducing stress, enhancing emotional regulation, fostering better communication, and providing physical health benefits, family yoga is a valuable tool in the quest for emotional well-being.
So why not roll out your yoga mats and invite your loved ones to join you on this path to stronger mental health? The benefits are not only individual but also extend to the collective well-being of your family.
You can find lots of family safe and age appropriate yoga poses online but my yoga and mindfulness activity cards are a great place to start - they contain only child safe poses and clear instructions on how to perform them. They also share the benefits of the pose helping you create a flow which is calming, energising or focus finding. It’s an extra bonus that they mean no screen is required!
The most important things to remember are that yoga should feel good for everyone and if any poses don’t feel good, you should move out of them gently. Secondly, yoga should be fun so be playful and enjoy it!
While yoga is usually safe for everyone to practice you should always check with your GP before starting a new exercise regime.
About the Author:
Vic Tso is a specialist children’s yoga teacher, primary school teacher and parent to two sons. She shares resources to help parents and teachers share the benefits of yoga with the children in their lives. Her yoga resources are available on her website www.innerchildyogaschool.com