kids' yoga

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March 2013 59 THE CAMP ISSUE SUPER STRETCHING Yoga for children offers tremendous benefits Story by Julie Kendrick Photos by Tanya Villano

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Kids' yoga is enjoying growing popularity, including an app called The Adventures of Super Stretch and an upcoming summer yoga camp.

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Page 1: Kids' Yoga

March 2013 59

59T h E c a M P i S S u ES

uP

er

Str

etc

hin

gYoga for

children

offers

tremendous

benefits

Story by Julie Kendrick

Photos by Tanya Villano

Page 2: Kids' Yoga

60 March 2013

60

There’s adult yoga and there’s kid yoga, and

they are very, very different sorts of

animals—as far apart, say, as downward dog

and a crazy, multi-colored cartoon canine.

Adult yoga usually involves dim

lighting, soft music, and lots of time to

de-stress from the pressures of, well,

everything that comes along with being a

parent. Kid yoga is playful mix of

running, jumping, stretching, and playing,

all with an element of mindfulness. The

body awareness, breath consciousness,

and inner calming are there, all right—but

they’re as undetectable to the average kid’s

eye as those “sneaky” brownies that have

puréed spinach baked right in.

This summer, venerable mommy-and-

baby-yoga empire Blooma will be offering

kids’ yoga camps, taught by Jessica

Rosenberg, a longtime Twin Cities’ yoga

instructor and developer of the The Adven-

tures of Super Stretch kids’ yoga program,

products, and yoga apps on iTunes. Camps

will be held at Blooma’s Minneapolis

location, 5315 Lyndale Avenue.

can your kid make it to shavasna?If your first thought is that there is no way

your little darling would be able to sit

through a session of yoga, consider the

experience of Anne Gustin, Edina resident

and mother of two children. Her six-year-

old and two-and-a-half year-old often beg to

fire up the Adventures of Super Stretch app

on the iPad during their daily quiet time.

And, says Gustin, her six-year-old loves

going to kids’ yoga classes, especially those

Jessica Rosenberg leads a class of parents and their children.

ResouRcesFor camp schedules and registration, visit blooma.com or call 612-223-8064. To download the app, visit adventuresofsuperstretch.com or the Super Stretch Yoga app in the iTunes store.

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Page 3: Kids' Yoga

March 2013 61

61

taught by Rosenberg.

“Jes takes a playful approach to yoga.

They move around a lot. To teach squats,

for example, they all pretend to be frogs

and hop in a circle around imaginary lily

pads. It’s very interactive, and she uses

pictures, toys, and animals to illustrate

things to the kids. But she also teaches

them about the benefi ts and reasons for

each pose. And incredibly, she gets them

to lie relatively still in shavasana at the

end,” Gustin says.

While yoga for kids is still relatively

rare as a regular athletic activity, she says,

“I wish it were more prevalent and more

of a priority for parents, since sports tend

to take precedence. I know that in our

household, when our daughter got to a

certain age, there were lots of chances for

skating and soccer and gymnastics, but

we’re still trying to keep yoga in her life,

since it’s a lifetime practice, with so many

benefi ts,” she adds.

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Page 4: Kids' Yoga

62 March 2013

62

“Kids learn how to blossom through the

yoga sequences,” teacher Rosenberg

observes. An industrial designer, she is a

500-hour Yoga Alliance registered yoga

teacher, and she believes that many of the

things learned in yoga camp are translat-

able to kids’ lives off the mat. “They fi nd

how they can use their breath for

emotional control and self-regulation and

they learn how to share with partner

poses. The balancing poses help them

remember that, even when things are

stressful, you need to keep breathing or

your mind will become erratic,” she adds.

The mind-body connectionKids’ yoga camp gives children the

opportunity to take ownership of their

reactions, she says. “For example, we

might do a fl ower exercise, where they

imagine using their sitting bones to root,

and use their breath to blossom. We’ll talk

as a group about what kind of fl ower they

choose to be. Or we’ll do an activity where

they make up their own yoga pose, name

it and then teach it to the group.”

Rosenberg observes that there are

signifi cant health benefi ts to a regular

yoga practice, no matter how small the

yogi or yogini. “In addition to increased

mental and physical fl exibility, yoga has

been shown to have a benefi cial impact on

children’s health concerns like obesity,

juvenile diabetes and attention disorders.

There is a great connection between the

mind and body, and I fi nd that the

immediate encouragement of simple

physical successes can be extremely

rewarding to children, and often provides

an ideal balance to their normal daily

activities.”

emphasis on funThe camps will be held for three age

groups that Rosenberg has designated:

Eagle group is for ages 5 to 8; Tree group

is for ages 9 to 11 and Butterfl y group is

for ages 11 to 15. Camps include daily

Kids embrace the Super Stretch philosophy outside the new location of Blooma in Minneapolis.

Page 5: Kids' Yoga

March 2013 63

63

yoga sessions, art projects and healthy

snacks. Each class typically features

stories, games, partner dynamics, animal

sounds and, Rosenberg promises, lots of

laughter. For all of the groups, there will

be an emphasis on creating self-confi -

dence, body appreciation and centered,

focused minds. Classes for older kids will

include elements such as journaling, time

for self-refl ection and group discussions.

“Yoga camp is a chance for children to

learn how to show up and tap into their

own inner strength and power. When they

learn to be truly in their bodies, it helps

them create their own true selves,

whatever age they are,” she says. “Plus, we

have a whole lot of fun!”

yoGa anyTIme, anyWheRe: aDVenTuRes of suPeR sTReTch aPPRosenberg’s app allows kids and families to do yoga at home or on the road, and delivers each pose with a compelling story that keeps kids engaged and moving. Sarah Deziel, a Minneapolis mother of two daughters, says that her four- and two-year-old have done yoga with Jes, and love the daily reinforcement that the app provides. “They use the Super Stretch app every day, and they now take deep breaths when feeling stressed or overwhelmed. My older one will move into up dog when she has a tummy ache, the way Super Stretch has told her to do,” she says.

For Deziel, yoga has become a family habit. “We practice yoga together a lot, and I love that it is something that they can feel a part of and can understand what I’m up to when I go to take a class. I’m also a yoga instructor, teaching mainly out in my driveway in the summers, to friends and neighbors,” she says, adding, “Now my daughters think that they can teach to their friends and will set up a mock class. I’m grateful that yoga can be so accessible and fun for our family.”

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