The quiet space within

February 5, 2007 at 10:15 am | In Lifestyle, Sports |

Hardly a neighborhood in New York is without its yoga center. City slickers everywhere have become hip to the benefits of this time-honored system of health and fitness that originated in India.

What started off as a philosophy of life has become, dare I say, a trend, among both men and women, hoping to release the stress of a hard day’s work, and let their minds empty of concerns.

As usual, Hollywood has helped to boost the trend. Madonna, Naomi Watts, Sting and Jerry Seinfeld (just to mention a few) are all fanatics of yoga, never missing an opportunity to tout its benefits.

But it seems that youngsters are now also getting in on the game. After reading this article in Haaretz, I realized that kids from a very young age are tapping into the benefits of yoga.

The article mentions that though less common than adult yoga, children’s yoga classes are becoming more and more popular. And children’s yoga is unique and distinct from adult forms of yoga.

As a matter of fact, it makes sense. Children’s lives are not devoid of stress. Sometimes I think they work harder than we do, with their busy schedules: Long days at school, extra-curricular activities, demanding homework tasks and preparation for entry to a top-notch university.

Children’s leisure time can be limited and most probably spent in front of a computer or TV. Nettie Steiner, children’s instructor from Moshav Ta’ashr, explained why children’s yoga is effective, saying: “In today’s reality, children lack two things that yoga provides - correct movement and relaxation. The movement is taught in a way that will support the children in the future.”

Testimonies of children opting for yoga classes ahead of, say, tennis come to prove it as well. Seven year old Gal Zeibert sees it as a “game that gives her a good feeling in the end”.

The article mentions that she began practicing yoga at the age of four both in the kindergarten and at home. Her favorite part of yoga classes is hearing the stories that accompany yoga positions, and “the bowls, and the dolphins, fog, dog, cobra and turtle position”.

Yael, 12, exercises before she begins studying for a test or after a hard day at school.

With these young yogis in action, maybe the next generation of adults can look forward to a stress-free existence, and the maintenance of a good balance between body and spirit.