November 18, 2003

A Youthful Balance

More and more kids are squirming and stretching in yoga classes

By Kristi L. Gustafson, Albany Times-Union Staff Writer

Amy McKenna encourages her students to act like cobras. Thirteen bodies follow her lead and start wriggling on the floor. Then the hissing begins. Spittle flies from mouths. The bulk of the pupils are missing at least a few teeth.

The mood is mixed.

“I need to go potty,” comes from one corner of the room.

Another student, front and center in the class, is focused. Her eyes are closed, yet her movements mirror McKenna's.

“My hand hurts,” a third cries.

This isn’t your typical yoga group. The pupils in the Saratoga Springs class are 4-, 5- and 6-year-olds. They meet once a week for 45 minutes to bend and balance, stretch and squirm, and hopefully strike a few yoga poses in the process. Eight weeks of classes cost parents $80.

Kids doing the downward-facing dog and standing like trees, common yoga poses, really isn’t anything new, but yoga for youngsters has gained in popularity recently, says Marsha Wenig, creator of YogaKids International.

Wenig is widely regarded as the guru of children’s yoga. The Michigan City, Ind., resident taught her first class to children 20 years ago. Ever since, she has devoted her time to reworking traditional poses to make them more kid-friendly, recording YogaKids videotapes and writing YogaKids: Educating the Whole Child Through Yoga.

“Yoga has become really big the past couple of years, for everyone,” says Wenig. So the transition to children was natural. “It’s a 5,000- to 6,000-year-old system, but it works, and the techniques are so beneficial to all ages and body types on so many levels.”

Endless benefits

From increasing discipline, strength and flexibility -- and maintaining it through the teenage years and into adulthood -- to decreasing stress and injuries in everyday life, yoga offers endless benefits for kids, says Kevin Albert, a pediatrician with Northeast Health’s South Troy Health Center.

Albert’s own daughter, who’s 4, began taking yoga about a year ago. As long as a child isn’t forced beyond his or her physical or mental limits, he sees no negative aspects.

“If someone is constantly pushing you to overachieve, (yoga) is going to become very stressful,” says Albert. “Just like a parent who pushes their child to overachieve at basketball, it becomes like the violin lesson and ‘I hate it’ overshadows the positives.”

In fact, some even say yoga may benefit kids who are coping with certain health problems, including asthma and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, says Lorraine Lemons, a pediatrician with Albany Medical Center.

“For kids with ADHD, it can help with structure and relaxation techniques,” Lemons says.

Fun the focus

While fun is not the first thing on most adults’ minds when it comes to yoga, it should be the primary focus for children, says Albert.

“Keeping it light and playful is easy because many young kids fall into that naturally,” he says. Kids relate to animal poses, like cows, flamingos, lions or elephants.

Deborah Neary, whose 6-year-old daughter, Fiona Rose, is one of McKenna’s pupils, says the lighthearted nature of the classes appeals to her daughter. During the week, Fiona prances around the house imitating an elephant, complete with sounds, and singing songs she learns in class.

She even makes up her own poses. One recent creation: The Rocking Chair. It even got used in class, which Fiona says was pretty neat.

This is Fiona’s second season taking yoga. Right now she’s focused on balancing on one foot. It’s tough, she says, but she’s getting better.

“Sometimes I can balance, but sometimes I fall over because I’m still learning,” she says. “I know how to hop.” So she tries to think of it as hopping, but staying still. That’s helped her reach the 10-second mark with the tree pose.

Neary believes the benefits of yoga are unlike anything Fiona experiences in school.

“Children love using their bodies in unusual ways,” says Neary. “In school they’re running and kicking, but not getting in to those unusual positions.”

Increase in independence

Mom also has noticed an increase in her daughter’s independence. Fiona now bursts up the stairs to class and takes off her shoes and socks without her mother’s help. In the beginning, Neary accompanied Fiona to class and even waited around till her daughter was OK with her leaving.

McKenna, a certified children’s yoga instructor, believes every child should work at his or her own comfort level, and if that means a parent needs to stay during the class, then so be it.

Allowing kids’ behaviors and personalities to direct the class is fundamental to creating a relaxed, comfortable atmosphere, McKenna says.

“You never know how kids are going to behave or react,” she says. “I can plan a class, but the kids almost always end up leading it in another direction and, as a teacher, you go along with that. The class will unfold as it does.”

McKenna’s method allows kids to expand their minds while working their bodies, says Wenig. Most importantly, the multitasking keeps kids going and going.

With kids’ notoriously short attention spans, variety is important. Donna Jennings, who teaches yoga to kids in grades 1 through 5 throughout Albany and Schenectady counties, incorporates 30 to 35 poses, a cooperative game, an art project and music into an average one-hour session. She uses small drums, maracas and other instruments -- they’re especially useful when the kids are acting like animals or forces of nature.

“Kids love making noise,” says Jennings, “so adding the instruments or verbal sounds helps maintain their focus and interest.”

Cecilia Iachetta, 10, of Latham says Jennings’ classes are one of her most fun, and beneficial, free-time activities. Certain poses, like the “tree,” have helped Cecilia with her other love -- ballet.

“I used to have a hard time balancing on one foot (in ballet) and yoga helped me a lot with balance,” says Cecilia. ”Now I can balance better than anyone else in my ballet class.”

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