YogaBugs classes: Vary from 30 to 40 minutes, depending on the age of the children. Can be taught successfully to a mixed age class of 3-7 year olds or to individual year groups. Can be taught as a timetabled lesson, a lunchtime club or an after school activity, if your school or nursery would be interested in running a YogaBugs class please contact me. Each class consists of warm up exercises followed by an exciting story during which they are taught yoga postures which represent characters and animals in the story. Examples include: Winter Olympics adventure, Hawaii adventure and jungle adventure. YogaBugs stories can be tailored to reflect what the children are studying elsewhere in the curriculum, eg: the rainforest or space. If time allows fun yoga games and songs can be included. The sessions end with relaxation, using visualisation techniques and breathing. Children need to wear clothes that allow them to move freely – PE kit is perfect – and bare feet. Start young, stay young, have fun! It’s all too easy to forget how hectic children’s lives can be, what with school, homework, extra lessons and sporting activities to fit in. And when added stress, from problems at home or bullying at school, occur, a child can suffer greatly, often in silence. While music, art or sport can sometimes help relieve stress, it’s not as well-known that practising yoga can bring enormous benefits to a child. I have recently qualified as a YogaBugs Teacher and will be offering classes to children aged 2 ½ to 7 years, please see yogabugs classes page for details of classes or you can contact me for private individual and family lessons. YogaBugs have trained over 270 teachers throughout the United Kingdom and Ireland, they specialise in teaching children aged 2 ½ to 7 years old. YogaBugs teaches children in after school clubs in primary and prep schools, and in nurseries during the school day. They also teach in yoga & health centres. Nell Lindsell (Founder of YogaBugs) explains that regular practice of yoga can reap these rewards for our children: Breathing exercises improve concentration and energy levels Relaxation techniques clear the mind, allowing for better memory retention Postures help recharge a weak immune system and strengthen the core, stabilising muscles in the abdomen and back. Posture work also helps tone the body and reduce obesity, maintaining a child’s natural flexibility which can start to shut down from an early age. Yoga classes help develop creativity and self expression and improves self-confidence through vocalisation techniques and postures designed to release day-to-day anxieties. The practice of yoga improves co-ordination and balance, promotes healthy sleep patterns and allows children to explore their intuitive and spiritual side. If you feel your children could do with a helping hand in finding their way through school, home and their personal lives, then please give YogaBugs a go. For more information, the YogaBugs website is www.yogabugs.com