They learn to stay focused and calm. Various yoga postures also benefit them physically. STACEY CHIA reports

Yoga lessons may be one alternative to letting your children while away their time in front of the computer or television to de-stress.

Dr Sharon Fernando, a senior clinical psychologist at the Dynamics Therapy Centre for Kids, believes that yoga lessons can have a positive effect on children above the age of three.

“In yoga, children learn to listen to their body and this is extremely beneficial long after childhood,” said Dr Fernando.

In addition, breathing exercises that are taught in class teach them how to stay focused and remain calm when faced with a difficult situation.

Ms Charmaine Ong, a kids yoga instructor at Absolute Yoga, said the physical benefits of yoga apply to children as well. She teaches classes for children from three to 10 years old.

Ms Ong said that the various postures in yoga may be beneficial for certain body systems like blood circulation and the endocrine system, a group of glands that produce hormones for the body.

The increased flexibility gained from yoga lessons can also help children perform better in sports.

However, Dr Ong Wee Sian, the head and consultant of the sports medicine department at KK Women's and Children's Hospital, said that while yoga has its benefits, children should also engage in other physical activities such as running and throwing that involve locomotor and manipulative skills, both of which are not targeted in yoga.

While yoga may be suited for many children, Dr Ong said that those with medical conditions affecting their movement, muscle strength and joint flexibility should not do yoga.

He added that younger children should be supervised closely when they attempt the more complicated postures as their stability skills are not as developed.

Although many of the postures in kids yoga are similar to the ones performed in adult yoga, there is a greater emphasis on fun to keep children engaged, said a spokesman for True Yoga.

He explained that at True Yoga, exercises for children have been adapted to help them concentrate better, since children do not have the mental capacity of adults.

The special exercises include getting children to “bark” when they are in the downward facing dog posture or imagine that they are rabbits while in the rabbit posture.

Some yoga instructors like Ms Ong have added more value to yoga by incorporating mathematics and science into the lesson.

She gets her young charges to form a fist and lift their fingers as she counts the number of breaths they take during breathing exercises.

As the class practises various animal poses, she also shares facts about the particular animal. 

Dr Fernando said: “Yoga is even more useful for children as they can learn to lead an overall holistic lifestyle from a young age.”