Yoga For Kids

By Angela Cannon-Crothers

"Hey, want to be a dog? Stretch those puppy paws!" Jodi Simons urges her students. No, she's not really teaching them how to be dogs, Simons, an instructor at Open Arms Yoga in Naples, is teaching her young students Yoga.

As any parent or caregiver can attest to, life – even for the very young – comes with its share of stress. From pre-birth to preschool, and from childhood to teen-hood, the practice of Yoga teaches calm in a hectic world while fostering selfesteem and a positive body image. Yoga can help focus and relax students preparing for a test, creatively engage energetic little ones, or help preteens get comfortable with their own changing bodies. Yoga is something that any child can do at home, in a class, or at school – and best of all, Yoga for kids is fun!

MAEYA STANDS STRONG

Prenatal Yoga

A great time to begin a family Yoga practice is before the baby even arrives. According to Christa Corsaro Tyson of Yoga Doula Rochester, "Yoga helps alleviate pregnancy discomforts like nausea, constipation, fatigue, back pain and varicose veins while getting the mother ready for birth." Pre-natal Yoga classes, taught by a certified instructor, help keep a pregnant body limber and strong with a focus on preparing for childbirth.

"Yoga gets you in tune with your body. You learn to trust your body, so it's great for birth," says Christa who not only teaches Yoga but also serves as a Doula – or birthing assistant – for mothers. She says that the asymmetrical poses and lunges in Yoga help "teeter-totter" the pelvis to open during labor. Other exercises, like Kegels, bring extra blood flow to the pelvic floor to strengthen those muscles. Also, a woman's body, radiant with limber and strong muscles from practicing Yoga, heals and recovers faster after childbirth.

Mommy and Me Yoga

Motherhood can be blissful, but it can be demanding on both body and mind. Taking your infant or

WILLOW DOES
A TREE POSE

small child to a "Mommy and Me" Yoga class offers parents a great way to fit in some exercise and network with other mothers. Jodi Simons, of Open Arms Yoga in Naples, says "in a Mommy and Me class mothers connect with their baby in a calm environment instead of at home where the 'to do' list might be distracting." Mommy and Me classes help inspire parent-child bonding, offer tools to help relax both mother and baby, and build a new mother's feelings of confidence and trust in herself. Simons uses poses that involve placing the baby on your chest, or underneath the mother's familiar face – such as in Downward Dog.

Getting out of the house, doing something with your infant or child, breathing deeply, and developing friendships with other mothers are just some of the benefits of a Mommy and Me class. "It's also social for the babies," adds Jodi. Most classes will take children from newborn up to age five, but it's always good to check with your instructor first. By taking a class, parents can learn poses and techniques to do at home, both to have fun with baby and to learn relaxation and restorative techniques for stressful times.

Yoga for Kids

Yoga for Kids takes a different approach from adult classes, one that's more about creative movement than maintaining a pose. "The Hindu Yoga poses – or Asanas – were created based on nature and animals, so getting kids involved is easy and fun," says Jodi. "Instead of asking my class to get into Adho Mukha Svanasana, like I would for an adult class, I'll say – hey, want to be a dog? Stretch those puppy paws!" Jodi also adds that "Yoga channels a child's high energy into a single focus, like a laser beam, using a pose."

Christa uses visualizations such as having kids line up like a train and using their breath to imitate train sounds or has them pretend to be animals. She includes storytelling and the creation of a safe environment to motivate her students. "Their poses don't have to be perfect," says Christa, who encourages her parents to practice what their children learn back at home. "Trees sway in the wind and so do our poses! Anyway they express themselves is perfect so long as their bodies are safe."

Yoga benefits children by fostering self-awareness, compassion, staying healthy, and cooperation instead of competitiveness. "Yoga promotes confidence for kids who aren't necessarily physical. It's different from most sports because its non-competitive." says Jodi. She adds that Yoga is "especially beneficial for kids who are overweight, or have high needs, because it stimulates their organs and lubricates joints."

Yoga In Our Schools

MAEYA
PRACTICES BALANCE

For some students at The Harley School, Yoga is part of the daily flow. Lorie Rick, Department Head for Physical Education at Harley, was inspired to teach Yoga to her own students after she saw the positive results it had on her son when his Track and Field Coach used it in training. Lorie, now a certified Yoga instructor, says that Yoga isn't just for Phys Ed classes – she instructs school staff in how to incorporate Yoga in the classroom.

"Yoga's relaxation and breathing techniques are an easy thing for students to do at their desk before a test, or when they're feeling stressed or angry," says Lorie, who adds that when teachers ask their students to get into Mountain Pose, all the kids know that means to stand up straight and tall.

Lorie employs the calming qualities of nature when she's teaching relaxation techniques, like using sounds of waterfalls or the gentle flicker of a candle flame. She also uses the characteristics of natural elements and forms to help inspire her students in their poses. "I make up fun names for the kids if the pose doesn't have an animal or nature name already," says Lori. She likes Yoga for the fact that every student is engaged during a class, and that Yoga is highly individualized– each pose is done to the best of your own ability.

According to Jodi, "Yoga improves concentration and focus by increasing the supply of oxygen to the brain. If teachers used Yoga for just five minutes at the start of every class they would see improvements in behavior, concentration, and learning."

The idea of using Yoga in the classroom is more popular in states like California, but several schools in the Rochester area do teach Yoga, if not in school then in Phys Ed classes. Lorie says that a lot of The Harley School's teachers use Yoga in their classroom and she – like many – believes it improves test scores.

The Wrap

The final pose at the end of a Yoga class is usually a resting or "Cloud" pose called Savasana (which means "to close") but Savasana also stands for re-emergence and rebirth. For children, this is the final piece of focused relaxation after they've expended their high energy and done strength building activities. Jodi says "The importance here is that children learn how to find their own calm center for whenever they need it." She often has children wrap up in a blanket to represent a cocoon as they rest in this pose.

For the parent who wants to encourage all the important benefits of Yoga at home, just remember to have fun – you can even make up your own nature and animal poses as you go along. Best of all, you get to spend time being healthy with your kids.

Angela Cannon-Crothers is a freelance writer who lives in Naples, NY.

This article originally appeared in the April 2009 issue of Genesee Valley Parent Magazine. Copyright 2010.

Enjoyed this article? Share it with a friend!