Baby yoga has come hot on the heels of baby massage as an aid to health, relaxation and physical development. Catherine Gaunt went along to a successful session
There are some who might dismiss yoga for babies as just another fad. But Vanessa Neal from Kidsunlimited says, 'It's a real benefit for us in the nursery to have children who are more content. It also makes nursery life more fun for all concerned!'
In fact, baby yoga is seen as so intrinsic to Kidsunlimited's holistic approach to child development that the KarmaKids programme is on the curriculum at each of its 34 nurseries throughout the UK.
Baby yoga and baby massage is available to all babies at the nursery once parents have signed a consent form, and the nurseries also encourage parents to learn how to practise the techniques themselves.
As Vanessa explains, 'In the recent past, there's been so much emphasis on sensory development, that physical development has been neglected. And for children to develop optimally, they need to develop physically as well. 'Children have so little physical activity before they're walking and crawling - because they're strapped into car seats and buggies - that it's great for them just to be able, even at an early stage, to tell the difference between relaxation and stimulation.'
The baby yoga programme has been designed in partnership with Dr Francoise Barbira Freedman, one of the leading practitioners in the country and founder of Birthlight, a charitable trust set up to improve the experience of childbirth and early parenthood.
In her book Baby Yoga (Gaia Books, 10.99), Dr Freedman, a trained anthropologist, explains how she was inspired by studying the parenting practices of Amazonian women. Dr Freedman has combined this experience with exercises adapted from classic Hatha yoga postures to develop baby yoga.
Baby massage and yoga can be practised at home from birth onwards, and starts at the nursery from three months. 'Yoga helps all the systems of the body to work better together,' explains Vanessa. It particularly helps the baby's digestive system, provides relief from wind, colic and constipation, promotes sleep and aids muscular development.
Baby yoga is carried out in the nursery by specially-trained staff on a one-to-one basis and continues with toddlers and pre-schoolers in small groups. I visited the Kidsunlimited Ladbroke Grove nursery in London to see eight-month-old Louis have his second yoga session. There were yoga mats and cushions on the wooden floor and gentle music in the background.
Vanessa massaged his feet and legs to relax him using Kidsunlimited's specially-developed massage oil made with a sunflower oil base, Roman chamomile, lavender and calendula. She then guided his body into different postures depending on the stage of his development. As Vanessa explains, yoga for babies is 'an extension of play - it is essentially play- driven exercise. It just gives a structure to what babies normally do.'
Each exercise has a purpose, for example, the 'mini-drop' teaches the baby to feel more secure, and can help counteract colic and wind. The 'roller-coaster' is for strengthening the baby's back and prepares him for crawling and climbing. It involves Vanessa gently rolling and unrolling Louis along her outstretched legs.
'Touch and movement stimulate neurological growth, so every time he does something new, it will open another neurological pathway in his brain,' she says.
Mothers and carers can benefit directly from carrying babies according to baby yoga techniques. Holding a baby on your hip can cause your spine to go out of alignment and result in long-term back problems, but when the baby is held with the technique of 'relaxed holding', this does not happen. As with adult yoga, relaxation at the end of a session plays as much a role as physical exercise, with benefits for both for the baby and her carer.
Yoga should never be forced on an upset child, but Vanessa has yet to find a baby who does not enjoy it. It certainly seemed to have worked on Louis. Shortly after the session ended he was sleeping contentedly.
- Kidsunlimited trained its baby yoga teachers with the help of a video (price 12.99) of Francoise Barbira Freedman at work by TV producer Alice Morgan. For details see www.thebabyyogacompany.com or ring 0207 724 8626. For details of training see www.birthlight.com
- To contact Kidsunlimited visit www.kidsunlimited.co.uk
