Yoga for Little Yogis

By Heather Seftel-Kirk

As an Educational Assistant and Child and Youth Worker, Hilda Siegel-Wilson has been teaching yoga for eight years. Hilda recently turned her passion for yoga and her love of children into a new book called Yoga for Little Yogis.

With today’s pace, where kids are over-scheduled, racing to win a spot on teams in school and in life, perhaps this is the break they need. The practice of yoga aims to nurture and feed the self. Its non-competitive spirit calls for reflection and strengthening the inner person while toning and conditioning the outer body. Its methods of relaxation and breathing techniques are all about quieting the world around so the student can properly listen to what is inside.

The physical practice of yoga is based on control, strength and flexibility. We are never more flexible in our lives than when we are young, which makes this a great activity for children. Hilda says many children adopt yoga poses unintentionally when they are playing or just laying around so the flexibility required is no big deal for them. Yoga also teaches balance and body control. Whether for soccer, dance or hockey, an improved sense of balance and body control helps with performance. Even if children are not inclined in the sense of traditional sport, these skills help with improved posture and stronger body cores and this will only help them as their bodies grow and develop.

The non-physical aspect of yoga is about breathing and focusing. Relaxation and the ability to focus one’s thoughts, allow the participant a few moments of peace with control being the ultimate goal. With the stresses of school, pressures from friends and family, it is such a release for young people to have peace, and the ability to control external influences whenever they want to or need to.

The simplicity and natural element of yoga works so well with kids. Poses are fairly simple, held for short enough periods of time that kids do not lose interest and have fun names. Often involving animals, the names alone peak kids’ interest and get them involved.

Despite what you may think, yoga is easy. It does not require a lot of co-ordination and unlike aerobics, it does not necessitate the ability to follow instructions and the beat of the music at the same time. It requires nothing except comfortable clothing and a comfortable place to be; no expensive memberships or costly equipment is required.

Yoga is a form of activity that can change your outlook, centre your mind and improve your body. Why shouldn’t children benefit from the same experience?

To order Yoga for Little Yogis you can e-mail the author directly at littleyogis@hotmail.com or order online at www.littleyogis.ca. Two dollars from every book sold will go to support Hilda in her efforts with the 2009 Prague Marathon where she will be running to support diabetes. You can find more information about this at www.teamdiabetes.ca.