By Sam Coleman

Imagine: a room full of totally quiet, deeply meditative children, all in perfectly composed lotus positions, small smiles on their restive faces. Toddler nirvana or a creepy form of overachieving by pushing our children into yet another after-school activity? Sam Coleman grills Yap Zsze yeng of enLOHAS & tri-Yoga centre to get the lowdown on kids yoga.

What is kids yoga? Why not just call it yoga?
Yoga is an ancient science and philosophy that has been practiced for thousands of years, even by children. The popularity of kids yoga is increasing: it can be found in after school and lunch time programmes, special education classes, pre-schools, daycares, yoga centres and dance studios. Kids yoga combines dynamic movements, postures, breathing exercises and meditations of Hatha yoga into an integrated and holistic program of physical fitness, education and social and self-awareness.

Do children ‘get’ yoga? Isn't it a boring form of play? How could they grasp the spiritual element?
Yes, they get it but it’s different from an adult programme. It helps pre-school children to develop body awareness, language, good listening skills, cooperation and powers of observation; teaches children about nature, their environment and inspires their imaginations. It prepares them for breathing techniques used in yoga. They learn by playing, singing, moving and imitating. This is an ideal time for children to begin a yoga practice.

Yoga with school aged children balances quiet and active poses with game playing, singing, storytelling, drawing, simple breath meditations and rest. Children can easily follow the teacher's instructions by learning the names of different body parts, their locations and function. As children learn the names of the postures and movements they develop a yoga vocabulary. They can use their yoga poses to play games, take on the qualities of different animals or use their imaginations to make up stories about animals on a farm, climbing a mountain or trekking through a jungle. They can each assume the role of leader and teach their classmates a yoga posture or breathing exercise. Their yoga improves very quickly.

In the spiritual way, normally they can't go in the deepest level, but we can just guide them when it comes to relaxation such as some children have a difficult time closing their eyes while others can't get enough. I once had a tem-year-old girl ask me if we could have an extra long relaxation session as she wanted more time to relax. One technique that encourages relaxation is visualisation. At first I may have them focus on belly breathing and listening to relaxing music. Then I may ask them to imagine that they are at the beach, playing their favourite sport, or doing some other activity that they like. At the end of the relaxation exercise, I encourage the children to share their own experiences.

Another approach is to create a guided visualisation or story with a calming theme of some kind. For example, I may ask them to imagine themselves walking in a green pasture. ‘Notice the beautiful trees and the birds flying over head,’ I may say. ‘Feel the fresh air. Listen to the water calling for their mates.’ The idea is to instill a sense of peace and feeling of oneness with nature.

What are the barriers for children? Bone structure, spine development etc?
The barriers in children basically are community, safety, structure, discipline, health and self control. Through a learning process that engages both the body and mind for optimum learning, yoga helps children develop skills in identifying and expressing emotions, communication, trust, empathy, teamwork and leadership. Another thing is the flexibility of the bones, it depends on the body structure of the students. That is because some of them are hyper mobile or very flexible; some of them are not.

Okay, shoot me some personal stories of students, when they came in, how they developed?
Teaching kids, I've seen how yoga helps them develop better body awareness, self control, flexibility and coordination. I've also seen how they can carry these skills beyond class and into their daily routines. For example, one of my students, Dheena, a nine year old, asked me what to do when she gets frustrated, like when her computer doesn't work properly. First, I asked her what she thought would help. ‘Sometimes I do the child's pose when I've had a bad mood,’ she said. I told her that was an excellent idea. We then talked about breathing exercises that could help her stay centered and calm in difficult situations throughout the day.

Isn’t child yoga the ambition of the parents? Would kids really pick up yoga on their own?
It depends on the parent, some parents will be more focused on the education part and kids yoga is just one part that the helps the children develop mentally and physically.

Children are often pushed into struggling to achieve in every area of their lives. They often long to possess more than they truly need or want, through the commercial pressures on them or on their parents, and the emotional pressure of keeping up with their friends. The very nature of yoga teaching involves respect for the uniqueness of every person. It is about accepting ourselves, not about measuring up to outside standards. Yoga gives children space to explore themselves and to be themselves, without having to compete.

enLOHAS & Tri-Yoga Centre, HerbaLine Beauty Square Lot 28 Jalan Anggerik Mokara 31/47, Kota Kemuning, Shah Alam. (03 5121 1152/012 315 8105).
Yoga2health, 21A Jalan Telawi 3, Bangsar, KL. (03 2282 3866/ www.yoga2health.com.my). Sat, 10.30am.
Buoyanzyoga – Legends Yoga Academy, 22-1 Jalan 28/70A Desa Sri Hartamas, KL. (016 225 4718). Sat, 9-10am; 6-7.30pm.
Fitfor2, Bangsar Village II, Bangsar, KL. (03 2287 5001/ www.fitfor2.com.my).
Celebrity Fitness, 3B-10-3 Plaza Sentral, Block 3B, Level 10, Jalan Stesen Sentral 5, KL Sentral, KL. (03 7718 8000). Sun, 10.30am.