Creative Yoga (ages 4-7) is a 7 week program meeting Saturdays from 1-2pm.  The current session is full and running from March 3 – April 14, 2012.  If you are interested in attending our next session, please call to register at 508-898-2688. Cost is $175/child.  For a video on the program, please click here.

Today’s yoga class started with each child introducing themselves. Each child was then given a yoga pose that starts with the first letter of their name. (Ex. Emily the Elephant) The children took turns stating each child’s name and yoga pose, followed by acting out the pose. I then explained to them that Yoga focuses on two main things: postures and breathing. The children practiced breathing in through their nose (sniffing a flower) and out through their mouth (blowing out candles on a cake). The children then learned the meaning of “OM” (hum of the universe) and “Namaste” (the light in me bows to the light in you)

After the initial introduction to yoga, we began to warm up our bodies with a yoga song that encourages proper body position/alignment, breathe, as well as focus/attention. The children then traveled on their magic carpets (yoga mats) under the sea where they became beautiful mermaids, engaging in “mermaid pose” which provides proprioceptive input through their joints to help calm/focus while strengthening their arms/upper bodies. The children “swam through the ocean” with their bodies positioned in prone extension (balancing on belly while extending arms and legs in the air). This position helps to strengthen their core. The “mermaids” searched for buried treasure and found a pinwheel. They each took turns practicing their yoga breath by blowing on the pinwheel to spin it.

Following their undersea adventure, the children engaged in “ring around the Yogi” which encouraged team work/socialization, coordination/motor planning. They then learned a variety of animal yoga poses while singing along with a song that encouraged them to act out each pose. Following this, the children learned a simple “Sun Salutation” which is a series of poses that promotes strength and flexibility of the muscles and spine.

The last 15 minutes of class was devoted to story time yoga in which I read a book to the children and they acted out the animal poses within the book (bee, cow, owl, butterfly, rooster, cat). At the end of session, the children engaged in “Savasana” which is cool down/relaxation time during which the children lay on either their backs or bellies with dimmed lights and gentle music.

To end our first class, the children learned the goodbye song and after wishing each other, “Namaste” transitioned back to their parents.