Yoga for youngsters

>> Instructor gets kids in on the stretching act

by CHRIS BARRY

Name: Kate Hudson

Age: 36

Occupation: Yoga instructor

Bio: This spunky St-Henri gal had been “working in an office and hating it, looking for a way out” when “one day while lying on a yoga mat, I decided that, ‘This is it, I’m going to be a yoga instructor.’” Having welllearned her stuff at the Natural Health Consultants Institute in N.D.G., when the gods decided soon thereafter that it was time she be unceremoniously laid off from her office gig, Kate hooked up with her bud/business partner Michelle and Ambaa Yoga (www.ambaayoga.com) of St-Henri was born. “We opened in St- Henri because our focus is really on family and community and there was nothing like that here—and now 95 per cent of our students come from the neighbourhood.” For the past year or so, Kate has taken it upon herself to teach yoga to children as young as 20 months old, and in the fall will once again be offering courses to daycare workers, educators and the like on how to do the same. She drives a 1993 Mazda Protégé.

Why bother teaching yoga to toddlers? “Oh, there’re so many reasons. It’s teaching them to be who they are, but in a way that works for them. It’s about the children expressing themselves through art and movement and music and having fun while learning how to stay calm and focused. Like, we’ll have them do something really exciting and then we’ll help them calm down, so in their regular lives when they do really exciting activities, they’ll know how to bring themselves back again. We really try to incorporate all the ideas of yoga philosophy and bring that to children. It’s yoga as a way of life—a happier, freer way of life.”

Are they offering any nude yoga classes for children yet? “Um, no.”

Has she ever come across a kid who actually wanted to learn yoga on their own, who wasn’t forced to attend by their hippie parents? Yes, once. “Most kids though, once they start, they really love it—boys especially.”

One species of child that can really benefit through yoga: Special needs kids. “Yoga’s particularly great for kids with learning disabilities, anxiety disorders, behavioural problems or ADD/ADHD. We structure the class so the children always have something to do, so rather than asking a child to meditate and sit quietly for five minutes, we ask them to practise listening to things, which is very different than asking them to sit quietly and do nothing. It’s really about approaching each class with love and seeing each kid as an individual, as who they are.”

Couldn’t the same effects be achieved by simply pumping these nutty kids up with drugs and actually getting to the root of their problems? “Ha, that depends on what you read. Drugs might be appropriate for some children, but not all.”

Last book read: A Suitable Boy, by Vikram Seth.

Musical preferences: Norah Jones, Amy Winehouse, Krishna Das

Words of wisdom: “When you’re stuck in a decision and scared and don’t know what to do, always ask yourself if you’re acting from fear or from love, and go with the love.”

Comments: dimwit@hdot.net