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If you thought yoga was about meditating calmly in the lotus pose, you haven't checked out yoga for kids.
A number of studios in the Twin Cities offer family and children's yoga classes, a sign of how the ancient spiritual and physical practice from India has gone mainstream. Skeptical of how a young child might take to yoga, I decided to try out a class for preschoolers at Riverbend Yoga Studio near downtown St. Paul.
We arrived primed for yoga's restorative effects. I had woken my 3-year-old daughter from a nap, and she was cranky. I almost hit another car while trying to parallel park. By the time we walked into the studio, we were late and stressed out.
The background flute music was immediately calming. Instructor Tami Eshult invited us to slip off our shoes and pick up a green circle rug to place on the hardwood floor next to two other moms and children.
"These are our lily pads!" Eshult told the kids.
My daughter was hooked. After a greeting game, we ran in place.
"Cheetah, cheetah, cheetah, running so fast," Eshult sang. "Cheetah, cheetah, cheetah, running through the grass."
Eshult used her hands to part the imaginary grass in front of her face and asked a child to name an animal. We struck a pose for bear, opened our arms wide and snapped them shut for a crocodile's jaws and stretched our necks as giraffes.
CREATIVE MOVEMENT
Eshult started practicing yoga nearly 10 years ago as a way to help her body heal from a back injury, and she became
"I think it gives him an awareness of his own body," Eshult says of her oldest son, now nearing 5. "His friends come over, and I've taught them as well. We've had yoga play dates. It's fun. And the kids love doing it."
Eshult has taught yoga to young ice skaters and to children on the autism spectrum, who she said, were able to "slow down and focus" with yoga.
Last year,
Several organizations certify instructors in teaching yoga to children, including Yoga Kids and Yoga Calm. Eshult came up with her own style, which incorporates traditional poses, called asanas, into an engaging narrative.
Think of it as storytime with creative movement. On the day we dropped in, Eshult told a story about a warrior. My daughter carefully mimicked how Eshult stood with her legs spread and her arms straight out in the warrior pose.
Instead of telling kids to get into a Setup Band asana pose, Eshult
When the warrior walked through a forest, my daughter gamely tried to balance in the tree pose, standing on one foot with her arms overhead, palms touching. But she kept tipping over.
We rowed across a lake by making our bodies into v-shaped boats. When the warrior fell asleep, my daughter lay absolutely still on the floor with her eyes closed, a far cry from the rambunctious girl who had pretended to be a cheetah running through the grass.
"Part of what yoga does is create quiet moments in the activity to reflect and think," Shultz says. "It is about learning that there are times to be excited and do things like run round and that there are times to be quiet and calm."
LIFE SKILL
Other proponents of yoga for children claim a range of similar benefits. Yoga has found its way into schools, as teachers seek ways to help kids focus and learn. It's being researched as a way to reduce stress and anxiety among children with autism spectrum disorders, ADHD, behavioral problems or other challenges.
"I think we're searching for tools that help children deal with the stress they're under, and I think we can do that by working with the body," says Minneapolis school counselor Kathy Flaminio, a certified trainer with Yoga Calm, an approach designed to be used in schools that blends yoga with social and emotional skill building. Flaminio also teaches family and children's
"Think of the breathing," says Flaminio. "It really connects kids to the present moment, and when you're in the present moment, a lot of those worries dissipate. They start to learn this and practice it every day. This huge life skill in how to mange stress."
Yoga instructor Debbie Gitar sees benefits for special-needs kids. She recently started teaching yoga for these kids and their families through community education in Rosemount, Eagan and Apple Valley.
"With so many special-needs kids, your body becomes your enemy because you can't make it do what you want it to do," she says. "What's nice with yoga is that its accessible to everyone, and you get in touch with your body and your breathing. For special-needs kids who have low muscle tone or a slouch, it can really help them."
HAPPY THOUGHTS
Back at the Riverbend Studio, Eshult helped us practice breathing by blowing through plastic straws and trying to scoot cotton balls across the floor.
Then, she walked to a vase of orange chrysanthemums sitting on an antique wood chest at one end of the room and plucked a bloom for each of us. She told us to hold it under our noses as we breathed slowly in and out. The smell was musty but not unpleasant.
Flaminio was right. It was hard to think of other things while focusing on your breathing. My daughter took the instructions seriously and looked transfixed.
Then, we put our palms together.
"I'm happy in my thoughts," Eshult said to us. "I'm happy in my words. I'm happy in my feelings. Namaste."
She sent us away with our mums and a new sense of calm.
Maja Beckstrom can be reached at 651-228-5295.
THE SCOOP
What: Yoga Stories
Where: Riverbend Yoga Studio
Information: riverbendyoga.com
Hours: 4:15 to 5 p.m. Monday or Wednesdays. (Next six-week session starts week of Nov. 30.)
Cost: $48 for six classes ($8 per class)
Target audience: Children ages 3 to 6, with or without parent
Crowd pleaser: Mastering the tree pose without tipping over
Avoid: Taking a class from someone who is not certified
Tip: Even if you're a yoga pro, don't push your child to hold the pose perfectly.
Special event: Free demo classes 4:15 to 5 p.m. Nov. 23 and Nov. 25
MORE YOGA
Here are other people and places providing yoga for kids. Many studios offer a free trial class, so it's worth asking.
Who: Blooma: Prenatal and Postnatal Yoga Studio
What: Bring Your Own Baby Yoga (adult and infant 6 weeks and older) and Tot Yoga (adult and child 18 months to 4 years)
Where: 3919 44th St., Edina
When: Check Web site for ongoing class schedules.
Info: 952-848-1111 or blooma.com
Cost: $60 for six sessions, $15 for single session
Who: Maren Dahlke
What: Yoga for Kids (ages 7-12)
Where: St. Paul Yoga Center, 1162 Selby Ave., St. Paul
When: 4-5 p.m. Fridays
Info: 283-8490 or dahlke@comcast.net
Cost: $64 ($40 for sibling) for eight-week session
Who: Debbie Gitar
What: Adapted Yoga (adult and special-needs child age 3-6 or 7-12) and Family Yoga (adult and child age 3-6)
Where: District 196 Community Education
When: Next sessions start in February.
Info: 651-423-7920 or district196.org
Cost: $43 for six sessions
Who: Kathy Flaminio
What: Family Yoga (adult with child age 6-teen)
Where: Core Pilates, 1828 St. Clair Ave., St. Paul
When: Next session is 4-5:30 p.m. Dec. 13.
Info: 651-373-1352 or 1000petalsyoga@comcast.net
Cost: $20 per session
Who: Milissa Link
What: Tot Yoga (adult with child age 1-3)
Where: Tree of Life Yoga, 3857 36th Ave. S., Minneapolis
When: Next session is 4:45-5:30 p.m. Wednesdays.
Info: 612-616-9793 or tolifeyoga.com
Cost: $75 for five-week session
