Starting yoga young

They stretch and sing and seek quiet time. They pose and play and practise deep breathes. 

Yes, there is plenty youngsters can learn from yoga.

While many pick up the art later in life, there is benefit to learning some basic techniques and yoga skills early on, according to Ginette Demers. She said when kids learn the principles of yoga, they can use the practice through some of the most challenging years of their lives.

“In a world of abundant 'screen time,' we are all so connected to these screens that we're distracted all the time,” said Demers, a registered social worker who has taken up teaching children's yoga. “It's easy to numb out what's really at the core of our emotions.”

One of the key things she teaches at Luna Kidz Yoga is the art of balance. Yoga can be very contemplative, and it can be very active, Demers said.

“In your day, you can expect to have some lulls and some highs,” she said.

Coping with the emotions that surround either extreme are important tools to have.

“If you learn to moderate that in yourself, when you're faced with a challenge ... you can tap into that inner peace.

“It's OK to be still,” she said. “It teaches (children) how to centre themselves.”

Demers offers classes for kids aged six to 16. In the short time she's headed sessions for youth, she said she has watched many kids prosper.

“Those who tend to be quiet surprise you at the end of the program when they request activities,” she said.

One young girl, about seven or eight, used the feel-good energy she learned in yoga class to combat tummy aches.

For more information about kids yoga classes by Demers, visit lunakidzyoga.ca.