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Whether or not you are a practicing yogi or yogini, you and your child may attend Parent and Child Yoga Class at Yoga Yoga’s North location at 2167 Anderson Lane. The first time I took my son, Beck, to class I did not know what to expect. He’d been watching me practice Iyengar Yoga at home since he was born, and he loved to climb on my back as I did my downward dog, but how would he fair in a bonafide yoga class for children? As we waited for the teacher to arrive, Beck ran wildly, tipping over yoga blocks, diving into a pile of yoga blankets, and desperately trying to bang on the giant gong in the corner. I was panic stricken. How would I contain him? He was just shy of two years old and not used to taking instructions from anyone but me. “Oh, Ganesh, remover of obstacles,” I thought, “how am I going to convince Beck to sit quietly, meditate, and ignore all the interesting elements of this yoga studio?” I imagined a serene yogini walking into the room and politely dismissing my hyper child and me, as most librarians do during story-time when Beck sings too loudly or spontaneously breaks into his latest dance moves.

Instead, a beautiful yogini named Harimander warmly welcomed us and our vivacious energy to the class. With the ease and experience of a true yoga practitioner, she coaxed each of the children (and parents) to introduce themselves and proceeded to lead us in a yoga chant evoking the wisdom of ancient teachers and the very teacher-nature within each of us. What followed was thirty minutes of songs, yoga poses, and activities in which the children used physical exertion and concentration to the relaxed rhythm Harimander established for them. Some children perfectly replicated every move Harimander suggested, some shyly watched from their parents’ laps, and yes, others like Beck, broke into their own spontaneous song and dance. All forms of participation were appreciated as Harimander praised each child and chuckled at their idiosyncrasies.

At the end of class we all attempted to lie on our backs for some quiet time as Harimander softly played the giant gong in the corner. I was amazed to see sets of parents and children settling into their space on the floor sharing such a special time together. The parents appeared calm and refreshed. The children seemed happy and somehow a little wiser, as if they had cultivated something happy within their new little bodies. Following our quiet time, Harimander brought into the room a tray full of yogi tea, one for each child and parent. As we all sipped tea together, Harimander offered us time to discuss any parenting issues on our mind. She put us at ease with her warm demeanor, and it was then that I knew Beck and I would be back.

We’ve been regularly attending the class for nine months and Harimander continues to impress me with her wealth of yogic and parenting knowledge.

Harimander Kaur, is Janice Samuelson. She has earned Children’s yoga certification through the Radiant Child Teacher Training program and has been teaching children’s yoga in public schools and outreach programs since 2000. She teaches all age groups and has seen the beneficial results of yoga for children in reducing stress, increasing focus, enhancing mind-body coordination, and helping with ADD and ADHD. Her Tuesday Children’s Yoga classes are $7 each or $35 for an Unlimited Pass.

Posted by livemom on Monday, December 29th, 2008 at 11:11 am | 2 Comments » You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.