It looks like there's a trend on the rise for getting some of America's youngest citizens a little healthier.  Yoga, the age-old art of meditative exercise, has been touted by experts for years as a practical way for adults to dealk with the stresses of their fast-paced lives and get limb and body strength at the same time.

Now, kinesiologists and others are finding out the same could be true for kids.  Sure, kids don't have the same kinds of everyday stresses that their parents do, but children share the same need for daily exercise.  Child obesity rates are an alarming phenomenon in today's America, and activities like yoga are some of the more promising solutions. 

Kids also have the same need for mind/body connection that makes yoga so attractive to an older audience.  Many experts go a step further and suggest that kids will get more out of yoga because of its natural connection of the mind to the body.

Yoga is, after all, a holistic exploration, where structured poses evoke visual associations to concepts.  The theory is that while adults are only willing to take part in a certain range of yoga, kids are more likely to fully explore the potential of free association that has been a part of yoga for its entire history.  That's not to say that American adults all suffer from some pretty heavy mental blockage or inhibition (although somewould definitely make that point); but it seems evident tha yoga is something kids will generally take advantage of, with a capable instructor, a good space, and an engaging class structure.

When those involved in early education talk about yoga, they identify a range of key benefits that include that entire spectrum from physical to mental and emotional wellness.  Kids, they say, can get fitter, gaining strength, and in some cases, shedding pounds.  They can gain agility from using a diverse set of muscles in well-structured yoga.  They can also learn critical skills, from initiative (forming their own associations) to self-discipline (following instructions) and responsibility (by keeping track of their own mats, etc.). 

But another main benefit of yoga is in breaking up what some teachers call the "lecture block".  What this refers to is the tendency for instrution to be static: so much of what kids learn is in the form of words.  Words that come out of some grown-up's mouth, and sometimes float above them.  Yoga grounds kids instantly by connecting instruction to something visual, physical, and present.  Yoga puts kids "in the now", and that's something that most teachers would agree is key for the future of education in a high-speed world.

All of these benefits are leading educators and other to take a closer look at how the youngest age groups can start life in a healthier way, picking up good habits that they may use for a lifetime.