Monday, March 4, 2013

Yoga for Kids and Families ? LOL? Love

While searching online one weekend for something to keep my seven-year-old daughter entertained on a Sunday afternoon, I stumbled upon my new favourite fitness trend: family yoga.

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The class I discovered was at a place called Yoga Buttons ? a Vancouver studio designed just for kids. While they offer occasional adult classes, most of the schedule accommodates a younger crowd. There are classes for babies/parents, toddlers, school-age kids and teens.

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What caught my eye, though, was the family yoga class ? a chance for parents to learn and experience yoga along with their kids. Count us in! As a fitness professional, I?m all for keeping kids entertained with physical activity.

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I suggested to my daughter that we give it a try. She happily agreed and ran off to get dressed in her idea of the quintessential yoga outfit: colourful undershirt, comfy leggings, headband. (Just added to my shopping wish-list: Lol? for kids.)

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We were the first ones to arrive for class, so we settled onto our yoga mats to do some colouring (a surprisingly restorative activity in itself).

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Once the 60-minute class began, I knew we were going to love it. Picture yoga for grown-ups but with stickers, stuffed animals, bubbles and a game of freeze dance to Gangnam Style. OK ? it was nothing like yoga for grown-ups.

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But all the yoga fundamentals were still there. Our cheerful instructor, Leigh, taught us deep Ujjayi/yoga breathing, and we practiced the technique using small stuffed animals perched on our abdomens. We worked on balance. We performed familiar yoga poses, such as Down-dog, Tree and Eagle. And some new ones like Elephant, Parrot and Frog.

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By the time we settled in for Savasana/final relaxation ? the kid-version includes bolsters for pillows, blankets and story-time! ? I felt like we?d run the gamut of a well-rounded yoga practice.

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My daughter and I got some exercise, and we were both feeling comfortably grounded. Plus, I loved being able to share my enjoyment of yoga with my child in a class geared to her age and interests. I?m hoping to see family yoga become a bigger trend this year and beyond. Namaste.

Source: http://www.lolewomen.com/blog/2013/03/04/yoga-for-kids-and-families/

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