Young Children’s Experiences with Yoga after School

ABSTRACT Currently, little is known about the lived experiences of children who participate in yoga, particularly using their own words. This study provides insights into how young children aged 6 to 10 years old were able to understand their bodies within a yoga space. The purpose of this study was to investigate young children’s lived experiences of yoga through qualitative interviews. Parents of children engaged in yoga were also interviewed to gain a sense of their point of view about the experiences of yoga for their children. Results indicated yoga had assisted children to find, and express joy, and fun by moving their bodies into different shapes. The physical and psychological difficulty of some of the yoga shapes assisted children to develop a persistent mind-set which enabled them to transfer knowledge to different contexts, such as difficulties at school, and finding ways to relax, and be with themselves. Yoga as an activity after-school develops strategies such as resilience, and assists in other contexts such as school, and family. The parents’ described how they were looking for techniques to help calm their children, and how challenging this was with the constant stimulation of everyday activities. The findings suggest that yoga may have a place in the school curriculum for the purpose of teaching students’ simple coping skills when experiencing feelings of stress, and anxiety, and assist with controlling their behavior.