Yoga is becoming a popular activity for children, according to local yoga instructor Teresa Stackhouse in Lawrence.
With more and more demands on their time, children benefit from the relaxing effects of yoga, said the 43-year-old Stackhouse, who teaches a new series of classes for children at the Peace Learning Center (PLC) in Lawrence.
Yoga improves the health and increases strength and attention of children, she said.
“That doesn’t just happen on the mat. Eventually kids are able to take that off the mat and into their lives,” she said. “We’re providing kids with a tool they can use throughout their lives to bring themselves back into balance.”
Yoga and meditation also have a very positive effect on kids with attention deficit disorder, she said. She remembers one child who came to a yoga-therapy class and within minutes he would get on his parent’s last nerves. By the end of the class, however, he would be in control of himself and have a sense of inner quiet.