Phys Ed now has a twist…a mind-body one.

The new mantra for school gym class: Fitness that helps kids take stress in stride.

Increasingly, schools are buying up yoga mats the way they once stocked up on dodgeballs. Kids’ yoga is a hot commodity—instructional books and videos aimed at little ones line store shelves. “We’re at the beginning of the trend,” says Mariam Gates. “Within the next five to 10 years, yoga in school will be the norm.” Though statistics aren’t yet available, Gates believes that many schools nationwide have already incorporated yoga into their curriculum, benefiting hundreds of students. And it’s not just for “big kids”—many preschool programs offer classes for the youngest yogis.

As yoga for children surges in popularity…Gates remain(s) a central figure in the movement… Praise for the method spread throughout the city and in 2001 educators in the Boston school system approached Gates about bringing classes to their physical education programs. “They were interested in setting up a pilot program for fourth-graders to help them deal with the stress of standardized tests,” she recalls. Enthusiasm ran so high that some administrators made room in already-tight district budgets for the classes — which replace gym or are offered as electives — so parents wouldn’t have to pay. In other schools, motivated parents, members of the yoga community, and teachers helped Gates find funds through grants and PTA sources.

KidPowerYoga proved to be such a hit that the classes expanded to include all grades and were also adopted by a number of suburban schools. Educators are thrilled with the results. Darcelle Lowe, a teacher in Dorchester, says the difference yoga makes in her students is striking. “The classes are so calming. If my kids spend a morning doing yoga with Mariam, they’re more relaxed and better able to focus for the rest of the day.”

By Jessica Brown

“Young people are natural yogis,” says Mariam Gates, cofounder of Pow Wow Yoga for Kids. Gates, who has taught youngsters-in a Dorchester school and at the Baptiste Power Yoga Institute-such moves as “peeing dog” (a favorite among the under-3-foot set), will introduce yoga to fourth graders in Lexington schools this month. “Schools ar looking at the overall wellness of children,” she says. “They’re starting to see the connection between a relaxed mind and a deeper level of learning.” Pow Wow classes also start back up this month at the Baptiste studios in the South End and Cambridge.

Do the pintsized fancy Pow Wow? Apparently so. It’s filled with music, stories, and games that encourage imagination and build self-esteem. Gates tells of one boy who likes it so much he sleeps with his yoga mat next to his bed. Another five-year-old apparently took balance and tranquility to heart when she instructed her harried mother to “just breathe.”

“You come in like and ice cube and you leave like a marshmallow.” Daniel, 7-a student of Baptiste PowWow Yoga

Why Yoga?
One teacher points out that the same question was asked about marital arts classes for kids of a decade ago. Now we see marital arts studios on nearly every corner! Yoga, like martial arts, allows young people to learn, early on, habits of mind and body that can benefit them throughout their lives-strength, heightened focus and awareness of themselves and others, self-discipline, and even inner tranquility.

Yoga is a powerful tool for increasing focus, developing concentration, and allowing for self-generated relaxation. By moving through a series a poses, kids find they can more consciously connect to their own bodies and, therefore, can center themselves. Favorite Fiske poses included “crazy tree” and “the crow pose”. As the kids move through these poses they become more aware of their bodies, achieving a sense of working and moving three-dimensionally instead of just on one plane. This increases kinetic awareness, improves each child’s sense of comfort and connection to his or her body, which translates into a more positive self-image and heightened confidence. Layered on top of the poses are breathing techniques that give the kids techniques for releasing stress and relaxing in challenging situation. The overall focus on balance works to create stability and serenity- and “alert tranquility” – that can translate into a more peaceful and productive learning environment. Sound good? The kids thought so too…

Fiske Kids Weigh In: “I’m feeling less stressed, and I like it!”

Each child, centered on his or her own mat, began and ended each class with a warm up=often with balloons and balls to selected music. Classes included storytelling (“Mom, did you know yoga is an ancient art?”), breathing and relaxation techniques, and a challenging series of poses including the lotus position, the warrior, the crow, the dog and the cobra to name a few. Each of the poses, or asanas, works to improve posture, flexibility, focus, strength, or all of the above! Fiske students were asked what they like best and what they would tell the other grades about yoga: “Meditation when we were focusing on one sense (hearing)”; “It helped me to feel more relaxed”; “It helps me concentrate”; “It is a time when I can take it easy and not have to think so hard”; “It is so good, you will want to do it every day.”

By Patty Robertson and Mariam Gates

Kids Stretch their Limits with Healthy Fun Yoga isn’t just for adults. Kids also can benefit from the practice. Mariam Gates of Baptiste Yoga teaches yoga in the Boston Public Schools, and this fall she’ll conduct classes for fourth-graders in the Lexington Public Schools. A former schoolteacher, Gates developed the Pow Wow Yoga for Kids program at Baptiste Yoga…

A kids’ yoga class is not a traditional yoga class. Gates uses animal imagery to help her students, ranging in age from 4 to 14, relate to the postures. “Imagine all the things you could possibly be in a garden,” Gates says to her students during a recent Pow Wow class at the Baptiste studio in the South End.

Julia Goldman, 9, from Newton, raises her hand, “A rodent,” she says.

“Great,” says Gates. “Let’s be a mouse.” And everyone hunches down pretending to be a mouse.

Emily Clancy, 8, also from Newton, wants to be a tree. Her sister Julia, 10, likes the butterfly. The class members sit with knees bent, bottoms of their feel touching, fluttering their legs while raising their fingers to their heads to simulate the butterfly’s antennae.

The kids’ classes are much less structured than adult classes. Gates emphasizes self-esteem and body awareness. She says yoga can be beneficial for children with behavioral difficulties, including attention deficit disorder.

“Kids are naturally flexible,” says Gates. “Yoga teaches them to focus and concentrate (and) to be in touch with their entire bodies.”

And it’s fun. The class is in “prairie dog” pose (or downward dog). Peal of laughter erupt when Gates asks the class what the prairie dog does.

“He pees!” And they all lift one leg and then the other.

– Marisa Guthrie