The amazing benefits of hugging…
1. Hugging makes your children smarter, so not only do they reap the health and well being benefits of yoga inside kalma baby classes but with each hug they get from another yogi or from a loved one your helping their brains! Researchers found when conducting a study that when institutionalised infants received an additional 20 min of touch stimulation per day for 10 weeks, they subsequently scored higher on developmental assessments. In a typical Kalma Class your child we provide up to 45 mins of touch stimulation!
2. Hugs help children grow not just in height but in character, personality and confidence too. When children are deprived of physical contact, their bodies stop growing despite normal intake of nutrients. These children suffer from failure-to-thrive in each of the above ways. This growth deficiency can be improved when nurturing touches and hugs are provided.
Hugging is known to trigger the release of oxytocin, also known as the love hormone. This feel-good hormone has many important effects on our bodies. One of them is growth stimulation. Studies show that hugging can instantly boost the level of oxytocin. When oxytocin is increased, several growth hormones, such as insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-1) and nerve growth factor (NGF), are increased as well. The nurturing touch of a hug can enhance a child’s growth.
3. Hugs keep kids healthy, and as they are never short of them in a Kalma baby class it helps the level of oxytocin and can strengthen immune systems. Hugging also helps lower the plasma levels of thyroid hormones causing wounds to heal faster.
4. Hugs can help with temper tantrums believe it or not! Many parents worry that hugging a tantrum-throwing child is rewarding bad behaviour with attention. But it is not. Hugs are good for a child’s emotional health. Nothing can calm and throw off a tantrum throwing toddler faster than a big hug from a parent! A tantrum is a toddlers way of loosing emotional control because the can’t self regulate. Hugging helps avoid an emotional car crash by triggering the release of feel-good hormone, oxytocin, which lowers the level of stress hormone and counter effects anxiety.
5. Helps create resilience! Not only does learning yoga help make a child more resilient hugging does too. During distress, high level of cortisol is released circulating through the body and the brain. When left for a prolonged period of time due to a young child’s inability to regulate, this toxic level of stress hormone will impact the child’s health, both physically and mentally. Studies show that excessive exposure to stress hormone can compromise the child’s immune system and affect memory and verbal reasoning later in life. It can also lead to depression when the child grows up.
Hugs trigger the release of oxytocin to lower the level of stress hormone and prevent harmful effects. This helps children learn to regulate their own emotions and become more resilient.
6. Hugging helps bonding and makes kids happier humans, they help build trust, reduce fear and improve relationships. A simple hug helps promote a secure attachment and improves parent-child bonding. We know that a happy child is one that feels secure and loved. A hug will bolster optimism and boost self-esteem!
So what are you waiting for join our not so average children’s yoga classes now and benefit from hugging and yoga! www.kalmalifeuk.co.uk