"You are the bows from which your children as living arrows are sent forth"
Kahlil Gibran

Children are naturally compelled forwards and into the future, it is their nature.

An infant learns in stages, to roll from side to side and then to sit without support.

Ever moving upwards, spine strengthening, senses sharpening. Then our babies learn to crawl and explore the world through the tactile senses of the palms of the hands, the soles of the feet and the mouth. Gradually the urge to stand upright can no longer be resisted and our children begin to stand, balance, and finally take steps towards their future. Ever forward moving.

Yoga is a natural extension of this innate natural progression. Full body breathing is the natural state for young children, but once insecurity and self consciousness come into play as children grow older, this breathing can become restricted or shut down.

Yoga offers the same benefits to children as it does for adults: improves balance, agility, concentration, stamina and flexibility while improving performance and preventing sports-related injuries.

Through yoga postures and games that mimic the world around us, I encourage children to develop and maintain their whole body breathing, open hearts, and flexible nature.

Children have to compete on so many levels these days; yoga allows them to exercise their minds and bodies and not feel any sense of having to do it "different" or "better".

The children especially love the inverted poses such as handstands, headstands and forearm balances as these postures allow them to cultivate strength and confidence while viewing the world upside down and from a completely different perspective.

The difference between yoga and other sports, like gymnastics, for example is that we are teaching how to integrate the mind with the physical body. When I tell the children to stretch their brain into their big toe- they giggle, but they get it!

The seed of yoga, once planted, will sprout, grow and nourish the child through its entire life.