A few weeks ago, BBC2's Dragon's Den series showed two business entrepreneurs fighting for a stake in children's yoga business, Yogabugs. Fenella Lindsell and Lara Goodbody went away empty handed but the country's top business investors were left in little doubt of the value of children's yoga. Journalist Martin Drury looks at why kids and yoga are a natural fit.
Yoga has proved a valuable tool in the classroom. Schools in England and Wales are obligated to provide pupils with two hours of sport per week and traditional sports such as football and rugby require expensive equipment, supervision and enough pupils to form teams.
Yoga, however, is far more flexible - and in more ways than one! A yoga teacher can be brought in from outside the school, saving the expense of training existing PE staff in the practice.
It can be taught to pupils in groups or on a one-to-one basis and the mind/body relaxation achieved through yoga helps children become both relaxed and alert.
This mental and physical state is regarded by many as ideal for learning and many schools are bringing the benefits of yoga into the timetable.
In 2000, the Lambeth Education Business Partnership introduced yoga into schools in South London and the Yes! programme is pushing to introduce lessons into schools in Liverpool.
Child versus adult yoga
"The difference between adult yoga and children's yoga is in the way you teach," says Yoga instructor and creator of the Calm For Kids meditation series, Christiane Kerr.
"You have to accommodate children's physical and emotional wellbeing, adopting a creative approach in class and making sure kids have a positive experience of yoga".
Fenella Lindsell of Yogabugs agrees: "Yoga for children is based on dynamic, fun-filled classes which encourage children to enjoy an activity suitable for everyone,"
"Back arching yoga postures help energise children and forward bends help them prepare for relaxation and visualisation techniques. Balancing postures help concentration and cross-body postures help to integrate the activities of both hemispheres of the brain".
Kerr says children love the tree pose, which is great for concentration (although children under eight shouldn't hold this position too long). Headstands should be avoided if the child is under eight but most yoga poses can be adapted for children.
It's important to pay attention to the child's age group and physical development, says Kerr - forward bends such as paschimottanasana and uttanasana are good for tight hamstrings but go slowly with these and allow legs to be bent.
"Child's pose (or mouse pose) is a great pose for relaxing and helps children to bring their awareness inwards," she adds.
Meanwhile, the Karmatime classes of secondary school teacher and yoga instructor Justine Aldersey-Williams combine yoga with BrainGym stretches; movements that aid learning and development.
Children are encouraged to use yoga stretches for physical role-play in their "make-believe" adventures. Some children pretend to be trees whilst others prefer to "sit like the Buddha and think" and all are encouraged to use words and pictures to record their experiences.
Improved concentration, flexibility and spatial awareness are just some of the pay-offs children can achieve from regular yoga practice. But remember: however you and your child experience yoga, make sure you both have plenty of fun.
Martin Drury wrote Yoga & The Pupil for the September 05 issue of Yoga magazine and Little Yogis for issue three of Oneup magazine.
Picture source: www.calmforkids.com
.jpg "Baddha Konasana - Bound Angle Pose")
