This week the Power Yoga Company introduced Yoga for kids. The classes will run for ages 5 to 7 on Tuesdays from 4.15 to 5pm and 8 to 11 years olds on Wednesdays from 4.15 to 5pm.
Children can find many benefits in practicing Yoga. It enhances their co-ordination skills, concentration and relaxation within an exciting and encouraging environment. Yoga enables a child to be aware of their body, enhancing their confidence from an early age and improving strength and flexibility. Today children spend a lot of their time engaging with television or video games on top of busy school days and homework. This leaves little time for children to connect with themselves and develop a relationship with their bodies and their surroundings.
Originally, yogi’s were inspired by the natural world when they developed the asanas. For example, the grounding nature of the tree or the shape of the cobra. Children get to play with these postures and take on their qualities enabling them to play and express themselves physically, whilst being imaginative. When children make the connection between their bodies and their environment they are engaging their minds and deepening their awareness.
We hope that these classes will encourage children to discover a passion for Yoga which will develop into a life long practice but also provide the opportunity for them to be creative and have fun. The classes encourage children to co-operate with each other and find their way through challenges whilst being playful. Yoga for kids is being taught by teacher and parent Camille Kynoch. We are thrilled to have Camille as part of the Power Yoga Company team.
Camille, what initially interested you about kids Yoga?
I had been practicing Yoga for many years and wanted to share my love of Yoga with my daughter. I think movement, creativity, playfulness and relaxation are vital elements of childhood and Yoga ties these seamlessly together. I love getting kids excited about the amazing things their body can do and seeing their confidence grow through Yoga.
How do you feel Yoga is beneficial for kids?
Yoga develops a healthy mind and body in children because it engages all the senses, fuels the body with energy and releases tension so that children feel good. It improves coordination, balance, muscle tone and flexibility. By moving the body in asanas, children release anxiety, anger, sadness and negative thoughts. The imaginative and playful nature of the classes causes loads of laughter which is also beneficial. In a school environment where everyone is competing, yoga is about the individual child thriving in a non-competitive environment where they feel valued and safe. And in an age where kids often have too much instant gratification, Yoga teaches humility and patience as there is always a more advanced posture that the kids are working towards.
How do the postures differ from regular Yoga and what should kids and parents expect from the classes?
Tuesday’s class is for 5-7 years and each week the kids will go on a ‘yoga adventure’ through a story with a lot of imagination and using our bodies in creative ways with yoga postures. The Wednesday class for 8-11 year olds will also be based around a theme, such as introducing other branches of Yoga, and will be a good introduction for kids to asanas, breathing techniques, and meditation. Both classes will include partner postures, fun Yoga games and great music.
How did you come to teach kids Yoga?
I started off my career as a teacher in the inner city projects of New Orleans, which is where I also discovered Yoga as a way to release classroom stresses. I then worked on education projects in Africa and my yoga mat was loaded onto UN flights to the remotest parts of South Sudan. Despite doing Yoga teacher training, I never started teaching adult classes but when I went to search out a way to practice with my daughter it became clear to me there was a gap out there which I had the skills to fill. So I did my training with YogaBugs as they are the largest provider of children’s yoga in the UK and I liked the imaginative way they taught to children. I have been teaching YogaBugs classes for 2 years now, always in the Fulham area, and both of my children (Isla and Jack) love coming to my classes.
Keep up to date with kids Yoga classes at TPYC by checking our website or signing up to our newsletter. For any additional enquiries please email reception@thepoweryogaco.com