CALM KIDS - Tuesday 5 July 2005

"Today we're going to go on a special journey." Barry Doolan is taking these kids to Coconut Island and all he needs are simple yoga techniques and a bit of imagination to get them there. They walk to the beach, swim to their boat and row out to the imaginary island. "And as you reach forward I want you to exhale and then inhale as we come all the way back." > Onshore, the children explore their imaginations and use basic yoga poses to become what they find. Things like star fish and trees and coral on the beach. They're exercising without realising it. "Kids that need things like flexibility, coordination. Yoga is just another avenue where kid can develop those hand-eye coordination, balance, discipline, all those skills."

It's an avenue easily followed at home using exercises we all know. Stretching tall, bending low. Maintaining balance both in a standing position and sitting on the floor. If you need a reminder, Barry's classes have been picked up by the Brisbane City Council as part of its Active Parks program. He'll be taking free weekend sessions at Carindale Recreation Reserve from July 17. Parents are encouraged to watch and learn the simple and fun routines to do at home. "And if parents come along and get inspired to work with their kids and work with some of the visualisations and even repeat some of the exercises at home, yeah, it's a great foundation for kids."

If that's the case, 3-year-old Gabrielle Morris is getting a great foundation. Her mum Natalie has developed the Calm Kids Yoga program and she puts Gabrielle through basic yoga poses every night as part of her pre-bedtime routine. "Inhale." Once the stretching begins, Gabby knows bedtime's not far away. "So she knows what's coming next. She knows that there's a story and after the story she knows there's the eye pillow, so it's a really familiar routine so she gets excited about going to bed."

Excited, but relaxed. Her lavender-filled eye pillow comforts her as her mother gently urges her to let her imagination send her off to sleep. "This is your magic tree. I want you to go inside your magic tree. Open the door and go through." Natalie has taken Calm Kids yoga into schools to help children focus on learning at crucial points in the day like first thing in the morning and straight after breaks, when students can be overly excited. "And it only takes a few minutes to just focus their energy and get them ready for whatever they have to think about in the classroom."

Calmer, healthier, more relaxed children who are better able to learn - it sounds like nirvana. Perhaps it takes yoga to get there.

Contacts

Name: BCC Active Parks Programs & Yoga
Phone: 3408 3333
Web Address: http://www.ourbrisbane.com

Name: Natalie Morris' Calm Kids Yoga Program
Phone: 3720 9602
Web Address: http://www.calmkidsyoga.com.au

Name: ASHTANGA YOGA SHALA
Phone: 3420 1010

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