Protecting the mental well-being of children with Mindful Flow yoga
Mental well-being is a contentious issue at the best of times but what does it really mean to protect and nurture this in our children?
We know that a nutritious diet and plenty of exercise is important for growth and development, but how do we feed and support our childrens’ mental well-being?
If we were to apply the same principles to childrens’ mental well-being that we do to the physical aspects of nurturing their development, we would not only view mental health as important as physical health, we would also ensure that all children had the opportunity to learn strategies to manage and support their lifelong mental well-being. We only need to look the harrowing statistics of youth suicide in New Zealand to understand how important it is that we teach children from a young age about how to build strong mental health.
Anxiety
Anxiety is one of the most common problems experienced by children and young people and can elicit strong feelings, reactions and changes in behaviour. Without management, anxiety can lead to more serious mental health issues and mental health statistics for our young people in New Zealand does not read well. OECD rates indicate that New Zealand has one of the highest youth suicide rates in the developing world (Ministry of Social development, 2016). The Social Report published by MSD (2016) also indicates that alarmingly, Canterbury has the highest level of youth suicide rates in New Zealand (based on DHB statistics).
Opportunities & uncertainty
Growing up in the 21st century New Zealand provides fantastic opportunities for children and young people, but these opportunities can also create huge pressures. From social media to climate change, from serious youth violence to the current pandemic, children and young people have never been more exposed to change and uncertainty. Protecting their wellbeing and mental health must be a top priority.
All children need to be supported through provision of strategies and tools that enables them to look after their own mental health and navigate potential challenges such as bullying and other adversities.
Where does yoga fit into all of this?
It is widely known and accepted that exercise supports our central nervous system (Morgan, Corrigan & Baune, 2015). We know that exercise releases endorphins that makes us feel good and yoga as a form of exercise, is no different. However, as a therapeutic tool, yoga helps children to not only develop motor skills and spatial awareness, it also provides opportunity for children to manage the onslaught from their busy lives on their central nervous system. This is achieved through carefully created patterns of movement and breathing exercises that can identify and address anxiety as well as help support emotional self-regulation
Mindful flow for children at MoveWell supports children of all ages to develop within in a physically safe and emotionally secure space. The classes are designed so that children can participate and learn at a pace suited to their needs and abilities. Imagination and creativity is developed through guided visualisation and the specialised classes encourage children to develop techniques that they can implement into their daily lives.
Through the therapeutic yoga methods used at MoveWell, traditional poses are interweaved into fun games alongside themes such as gratitude, strength and compassion which allows children to build confidence and self-awareness. Through these teachings’, children learn that they are strong resilient individuals and are then able to take that confidence and resiliency into the rest of their lives.
