May 26, 2004
Yoga for kids
Yoga can improve your kids' strength, balance and breathing, their ability to learn, even their ability to cope with health problems.
It also can make them explode like a volcano - which is good, says yoga instructor Jane Rosen.
"I do one holding pose which lets the kids explode like a volcano," said Rosen, of Berrien Springs. "It's a good way for them to let their emotions go. People don't think about children having bottled-up emotions, but they do."
Yoga isn't just for adults anymore. There are a number of yoga programs for children in Southwest Michigan.
Rosen recently gave two "Yoga for Kids" programs at the Berrien Springs library and will be presenting a similar program at 1 p.m. July 7 at the Hartford Public Library.
Rosen also regularly teaches youth yoga classes at the Brookview Montessori School in Benton Harbor during the school year and at the South Shore Health and Racquet Club in St. Joseph year-round.
Other area youth yoga teachers include Doreen Cole and Nancy McIlwaine, both of St. Joseph.
Cole is a pediatric occupational therapist for Lakeland Outpatient Services and has used yoga techniques to help some of the children she works with. McIlwaine teaches a class each winter at Brown Elementary School. She also teaches adults at Yoga Connection in Stevensville.
Although yoga was developed 5,000 years ago as part of the Hindu philosophy, those who teach yoga today say it isn't about religion as much as it used to be. It's more about getting in tune with your body and learning proper stretching and breathing techniques in a non-competitive atmosphere.
At the recent program in Berrien Springs, Rosen led children in a series of moves and poses such as the snake, the scorpion, the cow, the cat, the rocking horse and the warrior. She also taught moves to different songs and read a book aloud while children did different yoga poses.
Rosen describes herself as a "gym rat" who did a lot of aerobics and running before she developed bursitis and took up yoga in 1997. She was teaching elementary school in Chicago at the time, and she began using yoga in her classroom before she retired in 2001.
"The breathing exercises were very relaxing and focusing for the children," she said. "One day a week, we all got down on the floor between the desks and tried out the different moves, and the whole day seemed to have a different feel to it."
After she and her husband retired to the Berrien Springs area, she started studying under Marsha Wenig of Michigan City, Ind. Wenig has developed "YogaKids," which is now taught around the world.
The philosophy behind YogaKids is to use traditional yoga movements as a way to educate the "whole child" by blending reading, storytelling, music, creative arts and yoga. Children learn skills that help them develop both their minds and bodies in a relaxing environment.
Rosen said yoga can be beneficial to people of any age. She teaches techniques that mothers can do with their infants and toddlers, as well as ones that appeal to older students, adults and senior citizens.
"I'm actually teaching a class of chair yoga in a nursing home, and it's amazing how it perks them up and gets them going," she said.
Yoga can be beneficial for children even if they have health problems.
"They get strong and develop balance," Rosen said. "In the tree pose, they balance on one foot, and most are able to do it after a short time.
"For those with respiratory problems such as asthma, anything that expands the chest helps. All breathing exercises help get more oxygen into the body. Yoga also helps to develop their stomach and back muscles. They also get the chance to learn about how their bodies work and experience fun and playfulness.
"It always amazes me how quickly they catch on. They seem to pick up on the different moves very quickly.
Children catch on quickly to yoga, Rosen said. Their concentration improves and they get into the habit of being active.
"Yoga is something people can do their whole lives, not just for a few years on an athletic team in high school," she said. "These are a set of habits they can use forever.
"It's a special thrill for me to see the enthusiasm of the children and bring to them a body of knowledge that's thousands of years old. ... It's like all that wisdom is coming through me to the children."
"I don't see a downside to the YogaKids program," said McIlwaine. "Children learn to respect the planet, other people and themselves. Kids are so busy nowadays -- this is a way for them to be calm, learn about nutrition and breathing, and to not stretch their bodies into pain.
"Yoga is intended to be non-competitive, and I see that as a key benefit for kids. It doesn't matter how they do compared to others, but that they do their personal best. I don't think that there's a person walking the planet who wouldn't benefit from learning yoga, and I hope the myth is finally exploded that it's not about religion."
The non-competitive aspect of yoga helps build self-esteem in children with special needs, said occupational therapist Cole.
"It's a great grounding tool to help them focus. It's true that children learn best when they're active."
She has used yoga with a pre-adolescent who had a stroke and other children with cerebral palsy, sensory integration problems, autism, Down Syndrome and other disabilities.
"It's very safe, and the kids say that a lot of stretching poses are similar to what they do with their physical therapists," Cole said. "It's enjoyable for them, and it really helps."
On the Web: yogakids.com; childrensyoga.com; yogamovement.com.
© 2004 Herald-Palladium