Yoga For All Ages: It's A Good Thing!

by Laurel E. Anderson

As published in the March/April 2005 issue of City Health Magazine

Have you ridden a bumpy camel lately or jogged through the jungle this week? Sounds like fun doesn’t it? Fun and fitness ought to go together, especially when it comes to kids and these are just two examples of names of yoga poses for children at classes popping up at different studios around town.

Yoga is an activity and an experience at the same time and children tend to learn best from their own experiences. Children’s yoga is a healthy and natural way to exercise the body and mind and similar to the benefits of adult yoga, it can be used as a tool to teach or improve focus, relaxation and overall strength of the body, mind and spirit connection. For children in particular, yoga can help raise self-esteem and improve one’s concentration for school.

Children and Teens

Georgia Morissette has been a yoga teacher for many years and sees children benefit from her classes weekly. As the owner and president of Georgiayogainc, Georgia teaches in many facilities in Ottawa including schools, and finds that students participating in her classes benefit from better concentration in school, that they feel more relaxed and they experience increased confidence in their peer relations.

When I asked Georgia how receptive the kids are to trying yoga she pulls no punches. “Some are so keen to get it going while others are skeptical like so many adults were and still are.” She continues, telling me that once their friends give positive comments or the teacher sells it as a special treat, they come and generally keep coming. “Some even come in to say that they have band practice and are so sorry they can’t make it,” she says.

The kids in the class talk about yoga and its relation to anger management and their ability to control their emotions more through techniques learned at class. Not only are they more calm in their reactions to what happens around them, many have also commented on the value yoga has had on their flexibility and participation in other sports and activities.

Being young, kids and teens seem more open to both the physical and mental aspects of yoga as compared to adults new to yoga. “They absolutely lap up both,” comments Georgia. She told me that they are free with their introspection and comments and often offer to show posture moves that they have picked up at soccer or volleyball practice. Georgia thinks that the key to the openness is that she tells the kids that it is “our” class and not hers.

My research tells me that the connection yoga has with children is a positive energy trend although still a relatively new concept for mainstream schools. And while many Montessori schools (they believe that children learn best through their own experiences) and alternative learning centres seem to be embracing this trend at a quicker pace than their mainstream counterparts, I asked Georgia, herself a former schoolteacher, if she thinks that yoga in the schools will continue to develop based on all of the positives that seem to come out of it so far. “It is my dream to have this go into all the schools for children. It changes their lifestyle, awareness, wellness and communication with self and others as well as accepting limitations and then reaching to grow,” she answers.

Baby Yogis

The old saying, “you’re never too old or too young” certainly rings true when it comes to yoga and babies are no exception. Baby airplane, belly to belly bonding, fluttering and baby pushups keep baby and parent busy and smiling through class. Babies start from five weeks and up, depending on how mom is feeling and when she is ready to resume or begin her yogic journey.

Kim Barkley, owner and principal of the Kanata Yoga Centre, teaches many yoga classes, including parent and baby yoga. I asked her what it was like to teach the class and how it provided fun for both the parent and the baby. “There’s so much bonding between parent and baby like hair pulling in some poses where they are over the top of the baby, leaving mom stuck which results in lots of laughter over their recovering bodies.” The benefits of these classes for the moms include that they get to be with other new moms and their babies, which allows them to share and accept struggles, difficulties and varying emotions that they may be experiencing. At Kim’s parent and baby class everyone participates in milestones at then end of class. “This is where a lot of useful information is shared and written down for future reference. It’s a very social, non-judgmental, non-competitive and fun class,” she concludes.

What do they actually do in baby yoga? The focus of the class is a series of warm-ups and yoga postures designed specifically for a new mom, although dads are encouraged to join as well. Special attention is placed on developing correct posture to combat the stress on the body and back caused by poor posture during the feeding, lifting and carrying of a baby. This includes a particular emphasis on strengthening the back, abdomen and pelvic floor, as well as relieving tension in areas such as the neck, shoulders and back. Throughout class, parents have the option of involving their baby in the movements, by holding them in poses or by having the baby close by on the mat.

Mmm, that feels good! Kim incorporates baby massage at the end of class, which she says can aid with many childhood ailments such as gas and constipation. “The most important benefit is how yoga enhances the parent/child bond, making our babies happier, more confident in their moving bodies and encouraging their creative spirit,” says Kim. Other benefits of a regular postnatal yoga program include: improving posture, increasing overall endurance, strength and well being, reducing back tension and discomfort, building core strength and stability and reducing anxiety and stress.

In conclusion, I asked Ms. Barkley, as a mom and yoga teacher, about her philosophy behind yoga on young children. She shared with me that it is a wonderful way to spend time with your child and at the same time can be very relaxing (who’s not up for that?). She added that guiding our children into relaxation can be difficult at first but that they catch on quickly and enjoy it. Some of Kim’s students have said that it makes them feel calmer or not so angry or even just feel a little better about themselves. What more can we ask for?

For more information on children’s yoga, contact Kim Barkley at www.kanatayoga.com or 613-858-1114 and Georgia Morissette at www.georgiayogainc.com or 613-821-2321.

Laurel is a writer living in Ottawa. She writes for various print and online publications and is currently working on her first book of short stories. To find
out more about what Laurel is up to or writing about go to http://www.laureleanderson.com

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