Building friendships through Yoga

Yoga is a practice where you can have your own space, it is like “ Me time”.  But even if it’s an individual practice, it could help you a lot in being a more social person. One of the best things about yoga is that the practice invites you to be a part of a community. Here’s how:

If kids take class at a yoga studio, the park, the school, etc. they have the chance to meet other kids that have the same interests and create their own community of mini yogis.

I remember my first yoga class was when I was living in a different country and a friend of mine invited me. It was a great and unique experience! I loved it! So if it wasn’t for her invitation, I don’t know how long would it have taken me to start being a yogi! And now, not only we are best friends as well as yoga teachers! Awesome right?

Fast forward years later, I came back to my country and started taking yoga classes here, too. And after a while, I noticed that all the people that attended classes together created a very united group. We celebrated birthdays, special events, and we shared a lot of things. 

 And there I learned that’s really what yoga is. Yes, yoga is a union in your mind, body and spirit. But also creates a connection to other people in a very harmonious way! 

This can be a very important theme to teach in a kids’ yoga class. Children should attend class not just because it is very active and fun, but also because it is a way to show them the importance of being a tolerant, friendly person in this world. 

This idea of friendship through yoga could be demonstrated through partner poses such as Tree Pose, Boat pose, Flower pose, or maybe some acroyoga for kids. (Nothing too extreme.) We can also play games, and maybe make a craft in pairs or teams, painting a mandala together or making a chakra bracelet. For the last one you just need colour beads and a elastic so you can put the colours of the chakras in the bracelet and that’s all! It can be like a special type of friendship bracelet. 

It is quite interesting that even kids that are very competitive in sports and games, can work naturally in a team, too. For example when someone gets scared or cries, their teammates and classmates tend to be supportive and patient. So we should encourage them to always be like that, to always be a good friend. In the end, we all are friends anyway! Don’t you think?

Making and keeping friends helps us feel more confident and have a better self – esteem and a stronger immune system. It reduces stress and that helps us be healthier and happier! And good news! We don’t necessarily need thirty friends for the health benefits to kick in! The number is not the important thing. What truly matters is that you have a close relationship with your friends, even if it is just one person! 

So if we can encourage kids to create childhood friendships with others, they will be healthier and happier today and in the future. They will learn to be more trusting and kind. And of course this is true for adults, too! It is never too late to get out there, go to a new yoga class and meet new people! The result always will be a very positive experience.