Free Guided Meditations

GG Park Nature Walks

Mindfulness Apps

Just a Few of the 38 Health Benefits of Yoga

Makes you happier

Feeling sad? Sit in Lotus. Better yet, rise up into a backbend or soar royally into King Dancer Pose. While it’s not as simple as that, one study found that a consistent yoga practice improved depression and led to a significant increase in serotonin levels and a decrease in the levels of monoamine oxidase (an enzyme that breaks down neurotransmitters) and cortisol. At the University of Wisconsin, Richard Davidson, Ph.D., found that the left prefrontal cortex showed heightened activity in meditators, a finding that has been correlated with greater levels of happiness and better immune function. More dramatic left-sided activation was found in dedicated, long-term practitioners.

Founds a healthy lifestyle

Move more, eat less—that’s the adage of many a dieter. Yoga can help on both fronts. A regular practice gets you moving and burns calories, and the spiritual and emotional dimensions of your practice may encourage you to address any eating and weight problems on a deeper level. Yoga may also inspire you to become a more conscious eater.

Helps you focus

An important component of yoga is focusing on the present. Studies have found that regular yoga practice improves coordination, reaction time, memory, and even IQ scores. People who practice Transcendental Meditation demonstrate the ability to solve problems and acquire and recall information better—probably because they’re less distracted by their thoughts, which can play over and over like an endless tape loop.

Relaxes your system 

Yoga encourages you to relax, slow your breath, and focus on the present, shifting the balance from the sympathetic nervous system (or the fight-or-flight response) to the parasympathetic nervous system. The latter is calming and restorative; it lowers breathing and heart rates, decreases blood pressure, and increases blood flow to the intestines and reproductive organs—comprising what Herbert Benson, M.D., calls the relaxation response.

Helps you sleep deeper

Stimulation is good, but too much of it taxes the nervous system. Yoga can provide relief from the hustle and bustle of modern life. Restorative asana, yoga nidra (a form of guided relaxation), Savasana, pranayama, and meditation encourage pratyahara, a turning inward of the senses, which provides downtime for the nervous system. Another by-product of a regular yoga practice, studies suggest, is better sleep—which means you’ll be less tired and stressed and less likely to have accidents.

Gives you peace of mind

Yoga quells the fluctuations of the mind, according to Patanjali’s Yoga Sutra. In other words, it slows down the mental loops of frustration, regret, anger, fear, and desire that can cause stress. And since stress is implicated in so many health problems—from migraines and insomnia to lupus, MS, eczema, high blood pressure, and heart attacks—if you learn to quiet your mind, you’ll be likely to live longer and healthier.

Builds awareness for transformation

Yoga and meditation build awareness. And the more aware you are, the easier it is to break free of destructive emotions like anger. Studies suggest that chronic anger and hostility are as strongly linked to heart attacks as are smoking, diabetes, and elevated cholesterol. Yoga appears to reduce anger by increasing feelings of compassion and interconnection and by calming the nervous system and the mind. It also increases your ability to step back from the drama of your own life, to remain steady in the face of bad news or unsettling events. You can still react quickly when you need to—and there’s evidence that yoga speeds reaction time—but you can take that split second to choose a more thoughtful approach, reducing suffering for yourself and others.

Benefits your relationships

Love may not conquer all, but it certainly can aid in healing. Cultivating the emotional support of friends, family, and community has been demonstrated repeatedly to improve health and healing. A regular yoga practice helps develop friendliness, compassion, and greater equanimity. Along with yogic philosophy’s emphasis on avoiding harm to others, telling the truth, and taking only what you need, this may improve many of your relationships.

Encourages self care

In much of conventional medicine, most patients are passive recipients of care. In yoga, it’s what you do for yourself that matters. Yoga gives you the tools to help you change, and you might start to feel better the first time you try practicing. You may also notice that the more you commit to practice, the more you benefit. This results in three things: You get involved in your own care, you discover that your involvement gives you the power to effect change, and seeing that you can effect change gives you hope. And hope itself can be healing.

Read about more benefits of yoga

Book References for Parents

• Axness, M. (2012). Parenting for Peace. 
• Brooks, R. & Goldstein, S. (2007). Raising a Self-Disciplined Child.
  
• Greenspan, S.I. (1995). The Challenging Child: Understanding, Raising, and Enjoying the Five "Difficult" Types of Children.
• Kabat-Zinn, J. & M. (2014). Everyday Blessings: The Inner Work of Mindful Parenting.
• Kaiser Greenland, S. (2010). The Mindful Child: How to Help Your Kid Manage Stress and Become Happier, Kinder, and More Compassionate.
• Nhat Nanh, T. (2007). Planting Seeds: Practicing Mindfulness with Children.
  
• Nhat Nanh, T. (2008). Mindful Movements: Ten Exercises for Well-Being.
• Race, K. (2013). Mindful Parenting.
• Shapiro, S. & White, C. (2014). Mindful Discipline: A Loving Approach to Setting Limits and Raising an Emotionally Intelligent Child.
• Siegel, D.J. & Hartzell, M. (2014). Parenting From the Inside Out.
• Willard, C. (2006). Child's Mind: Mindfulness Practices to Help Our Children Be More Focused, Calm, and Relaxed.

Four Seasons of Mindfulness
Book Recommendations for Children

Early Childhood (Preschool and Up)

• MacLean, K.L. (2009). Moody Cow Meditates.

This vibrant and funny children's book is a playful way to introduce children to the power of meditation. It teaches how to settle the mind and let go of frustration through a simple and fun exercise.

• Gates, M. & Hinder, S.J. (2015). Good Night Yoga: A Pose-by-Pose Bedtime Story.

This beautifully illustrated, full-color book tells the story of the natural world as it closes down for the night, while teaching children a simple flow of yoga postures inspired by their favorite characters from nature. Moving from “Sun Breath” to “Cloud Gathering” to “Ladybug & Butterfly” and more, readers learn techniques for self-soothing, relaxing the body and mind, focusing attention, and other skills that will support restful sleep and improve overall confidence and well-being.

• Gates, M. & Hinder, S.J. (2016). Good morning Yoga: A Pose-by-Pose Wake up Story.

This “wake up” story is so much more than a story. It’s a practice for kids and parents to greet the morning with joy and embark on their daily adventures with intention and confidence. Turn the page and reach up to the sky, press your feet into the earth, and get ready for a great day!

• Karst, P. (2000). The Invisible String.

Specifically written to address children's fear of being apart from the ones they love, The Invisible String delivers a particularly compelling message in today's uncertain times that though we may be separated from the ones we care for, whether through anger, or distance or even death, love is the unending connection that binds us all, and, by extension, ultimately binds every person on the planet to everyone else.

• Cohen Harper, J. (2013). Little Flower Yoga for Kids: A Yoga and Mindfulness Program to Help Your Child Improve Attention and Emotional Balance.

Written specifically for parents and kids, the book aims at teaching children to pay attention, increase focus, and balance their emotions—all while building physical strength and flexibility. Based on a growing body of evidence that yoga and mindfulness practices can help children develop focus and concentration, the simple yoga exercises in this book can easily be integrated into their child’s daily routine, ultimately improving health, behavior, and even school achievement.

Elementary Ages

• Saltzman, A. & Santorelli, S. (2014). A Still Quite Place.

This book presents an eight-week mindfulness curriculum to help children and adolescents manage stress and anxiety in their lives, and develop their natural capacities for emotional fluency, respectful communication, and compassionate action.

• Alderfer, L. (2011). Mindful Monkey, Happy Panda.

This wonderful picture book for children and adults alike introduces the powerful practice of mindfulness in a fun and exciting way. With the delightful Monkey and his serene friend Happy Panda guiding readers to a calmer and more attentive mind, this whimsical yet warm presentation will delight all readers.

• Nhat Nanh, T. (2008). A Handful of Quiet: Happiness in Four Pebbles.

Pebble meditation is a playful and fun activity that parents and educators can do with their children to introduce them to meditation. It is designed to involve children in a hands-on and creative way that touches on their interconnection with nature. Practicing pebble meditation can help relieve stress, increase concentration, nourish gratitude, and can help children deal with difficult emotions.

• Snel, E. (2013). Sitting Still Like a Frog.

Simple mindfulness exercises to help your child deal with anxiety, improve concentration, and handle difficult emotions. 
Includes a 60-minute audio CD of guided exercises read by Myla Kabat-Zinn.

• MacLean, K.L. (2004). Peaceful Piggy Meditation.
  

This book does a great job in helping children feel validated for having feelings of anger, doubt, and worry — and then offering coping strategies that employ mindfulness techniques. In this book, kids will read about piggies using meditation to deal with feelings of frustration.

• Muth, J.J. (2005). Zen Shorts.
  

With graceful art and simple stories that are filled with love and enlightenment, this book presents three ancient Zen tales that are sure to strike a chord in everyone they touch.

• Muth, J.J. (2008). Zen Ties.
  

This is a disarming story of compassion and friendship that reaffirms the importance of our ties to one another.

• Silver, G. (2007). Steps and Stones: An Anh's Anger Story.
  

Anh, the protagonist of Gail Silver’s previous book Anh’s Anger, is a typical and easy-to-relate-to elementary school-age boy. His anger, personified as a red hairy impulsive creature, teaches him some valuable lessons about not getting carried away by his strong emotions. By counting his steps and coordinating them with his breathing Anh is able to slow down and take his anger for a peaceful and magically transformative walk.

• Nagaraja, D. (2008). Buddha at Bedtime: Tales of Love and Wisdom for You to Read with Your Child to Enchant, Enlighten, and Inspire.
  

These 20 thoroughly modern retellings of ancient Buddhist tales give parents a fun, low-pressure way to impart wisdom and moral guidance without preaching. Each story highlights a moral or ethical dilemma that echoes those that children face in their own lives, providing insight and enlightenment that they can use to defuse trying situations. At the conclusion of each story, applicable Buddhist principles are discussed. Featuring engaging characters, enthralling adventures, and modern language that speaks to today’s kids, these beautifully illustrated stories can help children relieve stress, attain greater academic and social achievement, and enjoy a more positive outlook on life.

Tweens and Teens

• Saltzman, A. (2016). A Still Quite Place for Teens.

Being a teen in today’s fast-paced, media-saturated world is difficult, and it’s easy to get overwhelmed or stressed out. This breakthrough workbook will help you balance your emotions, stay focused, and experience the natural quietness that lives within you.

• Winston, D. (2003). Wide Awake: A Buddhist Guide for Teens.

Written in a style that will have immediate appeal to young "seekers" and those wanting to understand the ancient teachings, this book addresses such relevant topics as peer pressure, emotional difficulties, stress, fostering peace, and even protecting the environment. For everyone looking for self-help, self-esteem, and self-awareness.

• Biegel, G. (2010). The Stress Reduction Workbook for Teens.

This is a collection of thirty-seven simple workbook activities that will teach you to reduce your worries using a technique called mindfulness. This book is about building on the resources, skills, and positive qualities that you might not even realize you have. It is a way to move from “I'm powerless” thinking to “I can do it!” thinking.

• Vo, D.X. (2015). The Mindful Teen.

The simple, practical, and easy-to-remember tips in this book can be used every day to help you handle any difficult situation more effectively—whether it’s taking a test at school, having a disagreement with parents, or a problem you are having with friends.