Balance and Self-Control for Your Kids

Taekwondo, soccer, swimming, horseback riding, gymnastics, art classes, violin lessons, being in school all day, chores... It seems most (if not all) of children's activities require focus, strength and determination. Stress is undoubtedly included in this mix.

No matter what your child is into, they need a time to relax, calm down and learn self-control. TV and computer games is not relaxing -- it can be either stimulating or brain deadening. My advice to all parents is to continue the activities you are doing, but to add one element, the missing link.

To help your kids learn about balance and self-control, take them to a yoga or tai chi class. I recently heard that "yoga" is considered the new Karate. Even one class a month can do wonders. Learning how to breath, relax and how to control your body is priceless. When my kids get angry, I tell them to take a "yoga breath" and they do. It's the whole mind-body connection.

Yoga will even help kids in their other activities. For example, my daughter just the other day was practicing diving into the pool after swim lessons and made a yoga move (heart center) to help her align her body for the dive. It was fun to see!

You can find classes in just about every city. Just look up yoga schools in your area and ask about a kid's class. They are typically very affordable too.

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