Classes for children (5-11 years old) begins with visual and imaginative breathing exercises, followed by active movement to warm up. The classes encourage students to explore working as one (altogether) flowing through sequences, but also to have moments during the class to explore their own interpretations of the yoga poses.
The classes will have a theme, which may be a mindful journey ‘the ocean’ ‘space’ ‘Africa’ or emotion/physical based themes such as ‘strength’ ‘balance’, ‘confidence’ and ‘flexibility’.
The classes will use music and games as a way of keeping a strong sense of light heartedness throughout, providing relaxation and confidence in all students.
Sequences will involve Sun Salutation A and B; the repetitive nature of this classical approach to any adult yoga class is great for children to practice also, as they enjoy returning to this set sequence and grow in confidence the more they are familiar with it.
Yoga poses will flow into a peak pose, which is the pose we will explore and build on over the entire course.
Positive Self Awareness
Perfecting a pose or improving their balance and flexibility can give young children a sense of personal empowerment.
Yoga helps strengthen children’s growing bodies and helps them improve their flexibility, which can reduce their chance of injury.
The different types of moves require children to focus and work on their memorisation skills which can translate over into their academic performance.
Going through a variety of yoga poses helps children learn about their bodies and the movements they’re capable of doing.
The breathing exercises and relaxation techniques learned from practicing yoga can help children with stress management. Teaching children how to reduce stress in a healthy way is an important life skill that will help them as children and as adults.
Yoga can help improve social engagement, develop fine and gross motor skills, increase body awareness and improve receptive language and processing skills (understanding and following directions).
My children's yoga classes are held at various locations in and around Bury St. Edmunds in Suffolk.
A yoga mat if you have your own, and also a cushion and or blanket if you would like to stay for Savasana (restful relaxation) at the end of the class. It is important you bring a bottle of water to keep hydrated during and after class and any blocks or straps to aid movement. I do provide blocks and straps free of charge and hire mats for a small fee.
Loose fitted or stretchy/flexible clothing. It can be nice to wear an extra long-sleeved top to start and finish the class to allow your body to stay warm whilst warming up and cooling down.
To aid balance, a 4mm thick yoga mat is best for my classes for optimal connection between you and the ground.
Ideally, allow 2 hours before a class to eat any large meals or eat a small snack an hour beforehand. It is highly recommended to drink plenty of fluids during the day prior to your class to ensure you keep hydrated.
Absolutely, you can. It is better and safer to practise yoga initially with a reduced ROM (range of movement) as hyper mobility can lead to injury when starting out. It is also great to measure your progress over the time and to explore how differently your body feels in this beginning state compared to how it feels after regular practise.
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