
Yoga is about opening our eyes to the beauty of life and falling in love with life itself, it can transform the world, so where better place to start but with our children who are naturally so open and joyful from their earliest years. I listen to the children I teach and can often be lead off the class plan quite spectacularly, incorporating their ideas and going wherever it takes us!
I have been teaching for over 13 years now and am very pleased that Yoga for children is slowly but surely making its way into British schools more and more as the need for developing their emotional intelligence becomes more urgent. There is a huge increase in mental illness, eating disorders and image-obsessed culture creeping in and Yoga is a powerful tool to tackle this epidemic. The sooner younger children are introduced to the benefits of Yoga the better, using Subtle Yoga techneques we can change the neuroplacticity in the brain to lower stress hormones, increase their emotional intelligence and internal awareness which are the keys to calmer, happier, more fulfilled children
A brief pause for Yoga in your child’s day improves their flexibility, posture and concentration levels and the simple postures, breathing techniques and meditative elements have beneficial effects on the emotional wellbeing and mental health of children from a young age. The endorphins released contribute to feelings of happiness and greater self confidence as well as, over time, developing a greater capacity for calmness and better sleep patterns. Pre-school children need 11-13 hours a night and 5-12 year olds need 10-11 hours a night, both with no screens before bed, just a nice bath/bedtime routine, reading and even a little Yoga!
Children as young as 2 years old can be taught Yoga with a parent and thereafter, classes will be divided accordingly, normally grouped 2-4 yrs, 5-7 yrs, 8-11 yrs, 12-14yrs and 15-18yrs but it depends on the venue and the circumstances.