The eight limbs of yoga serve as its foundation for allowing a person to have a meaningful and purposeful life. Regardless of the age, Childcare Center in Irvine, California believes that children can grasp abstract concepts, especially moral and ethical conduct and self-discipline which yoga practice instills.
Here are the eight-fold paths of yoga at 24-hour childcare:
- Guidelines for living
Also called Yama, this deals with one’s ethical standards and sense of integrity with five components: non-violence, truthfulness, non-stealing, non-greed, moderation, and non-lying. - Healthy habits
Niyama deals with self-discipline and spiritual observances. - Physical exercise
These are yoga postures called Asanas designed to develop resilience, strength, coordination, and flexibility. - Breathing exercises
This stage called Pranayama calms and energizes the body by gaining mastery of breathing and connecting it to mind and emotions. - Calming the senses
Pratyahara helps with anger management and impulse control. This stage helps direct our attention internally and cultivating detachment from our senses. - Concentration
This increases focus on children. Also called Dharana, this stage proves helpful for their academic aspects. - Meditation
Dhyana, a form of meditation, is different from concentration. Concentration practices on one-pointed attention while meditation is ultimately a state of being keenly aware without focus. - Connection
Samadhi cultivates servitude to the greater community and the ability to step out of self-indulging tendencies.
Yoga is one of the after hours childcare programs at Little Leaderz Day Care, Inc.