For years, adults have experienced the effects of practicing yoga and now kids get to work out on their level through Indiana based YogaKids.
As a stressed-out mother, an employee, founder and president of YogaKids International, Marsha Wenig began practicing yoga to unwind from her busy life. She enjoyed working with kids and began developing a yoga program in child size portions.
“They’re different beings and they need different things. I had the tools, whimsy, and the fun in it. In teaching kids, I had to create an arena of love, patience and fitness and it’s very challenging, but also the most rewarding,” explained Wenig.
Fusing her love of yoga and children, YogaKids combines traditional yoga poses and adds an element of education to the exercise. Poses such as “downward-facing dog” becomes “down diggity dog” and participants bark like a dog or “camel pose” turns into “dromedary delight” because the pose opens the heart making the participant happy.
“With the health initiative in this country, it’s the perfect timing. Kids are up and moving and they don’t always get that. Many schools don’t even offer recess anymore. Our program doesn’t take away from any learning time. The kids are up, breathing and moving their muscles, even at their desk,” said Amy Haysman, director of YogaKids International.
YogaKids is not only a form of fitness, but it also teaches children how to control their natural energy. Children today are told, “calm down,” or “focus,” but Haysman believes children don’t necessarily know how to effectively relax and center on the task at hand.
Through breathing techniques called “breath play,” kids use their breath to increase oxygen in the blood giving energy and fresh oxygen to the brain. This type of breathing gives the optimal readiness for learning and relaxation.
“Not only is it physical fitness, but it’s mental fitness,” said Wenig.
Many believe YogaKids is beneficial in the classroom allowing teachers to get their students moving regardless of access to a yoga studio. Because of this belief, Wenig and her team created YogaKids Tools for Schools, which is an instructional program for teachers.
Instructors go into the classroom and train teachers how to integrate yoga poses into their curriculum. Teachers can use yoga to instruct subjects like math, science and reading giving students an out of the ordinary tool to remember facts. The program also incorporates all forms of learning so that whether the child is a visual, musical, or verbal learner, all kids can get the most of yoga’s benefits.
Connie Young, a certified YogaKids facilitator in Carmel, wants to get into more classrooms to teach YogaKids’ programs. She knows Indiana’s struggle with obesity and believes by teaching Indianapolis students yoga she’s teaching them a form of fitness that lasts a lifetime.
“It helps with self esteem and body awareness; it’s a whole body exercise for balance,” said Young. “I’ve seen growth from kids with special needs. I see many kids who are very active in the beginning and want to show off, but at the end they’re more focused and have processed a lot.”
When it comes to physical fitness, YogaKids is an alternative to exercise and traditional sports. YogaKids enables children to learn, be active and self regulate.
“The great gift of yoga is that it operates on so many different levels. Teachers are underpaid, there’re 30 kids in the class and no support. We designed a program where you don’t have to know anything about yoga, but everyone can implement this into their day,” said Wenig.
For more information, call 1-800-968-0694, e-mail info@yogakids.com, or visit www.yogakids.com.
