As a kids' yoga teacher, I’ve seen how yoga, mindfulness, and time in nature can work wonders for children’s mental health. These practices help children feel more calm, confident, and connected—both to themselves and the world around them.
Yoga: Building Confidence and Calm
Yoga allows kids to move their bodies in fun and empowering ways, boosting both their mood and self-esteem. The physical poses help children release tension and stress, while the mindful breathing that accompanies yoga helps them manage their emotions. Yoga teaches kids to connect with their breath and body, which increases self-awareness and builds confidence as they master new poses.
Mindfulness: Fostering Emotional Resilience
Mindfulness helps kids slow down and be present. Simple practices like deep breathing and paying attention to their surroundings teach children to notice their feelings without getting overwhelmed by them. This promotes emotional resilience, which is key to handling stress and big emotions. Kids who practice mindfulness often feel more grounded and focused, both at home and in school.
Nature: Boosting Connection and Peace
Spending time in nature further enhances these benefits. Nature encourages kids to observe, explore, and appreciate the world around them, which promotes a sense of calm and connection. Whether it’s practicing yoga outdoors or simply taking a mindful walk, being in nature reduces anxiety and increases well-being.
How to Support Kids’ Mental Health
Combine Yoga and Nature: Practice yoga outside! Let kids feel the earth beneath their feet or the breeze on their skin as they stretch into poses. Outdoor yoga naturally invites mindfulness and adds a playful element to the practice. Try shadow yoga using the sun to make shadows while in poses or encourage kids to move and act like the elements of different things in nature like the sun, moon, leaves or water.
Mindful Nature Walks: Take your child on a mindful walk in nature. Encourage them to notice the sounds, smells, sights and sensations around them. Ask them to observe how they feel in the moment and to describe the sensations they make like or dislike in those moments. Try walking barefoot on different surfaces, balancing on logs or climbing trees to connect the whole body.
Breathing with Nature: Try a breathing exercise where your child breathes in fresh air and imagines it filling their body with calm. With each exhale, they can imagine letting go of worries. Try using props like feathers or leaves and simple visualisations to connect them with nature like branches swaying, clouds dancing or raindrops falling down with the outward exhale of the breath
When we share moments of yoga, mindfulness, and time outdoors with children we are giving them the opportunity to experience the joy and calm of slowing down while teaching them practical tools they can use in their everyday lives to feel more calm, confident and connected to themselves, eachother and the world around them.
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