Hold That Pose

Kids learn love of fitness at fun-filled yoga class

Yoga isn't just for grownups.

Fayetteville Public Library is welcoming children ages 2 to 8 to participate in a special class series aimed at promoting a lifetime love of fitness, says Jennifer Creel, midwife and co-owner of Terra Tots Natural Parenting in Fayetteville.

FAQ

Kids Yoga

With Jennifer Creel

WHEN — 10:30 a.m. today, Feb. 6, 20, March 6, 20, April 3, 17, May 1, 15

WHERE — Fayetteville Public Library, 401 W. Mountain St. in Fayetteville

COST — Free

INFO — 856-7000 or terra-tots.com

The half-hour class, which begins today, is exceptionally fun, she says.

"The kids are on more on their own for this workout," she says. "I guide them and help them, but I want them to not feel constantly corrected in their movements. They get in the pose the way that feels natural and enjoyable for them."

Creel moved to Northwest Arkansas to attend the University of Arkansas in 1993 for a degree in zoology, then earning her midwife license at Arkansas Midwife School and Services. She says she chose to go into midwifery after the hospital birth of her daughter in 1995.

"The typical birth experience does not need to be so traumatic," she says. "I started teaching prenatal yoga and added my own spin so that mom would have strength for the birth."

Her appreciation for yoga developed further after the unexpected death of her second daughter at the age of 5, she says. She would practice quieting her mind daily, letting go of the sadness stemming from the tragic loss.

"One of the things that yoga teaches with its relaxation is letting go, releasing," she says. "That's what I do with the kids with the final relaxation pose. Even if they just lie there for 2 seconds, it's a positive thing."

But kids won't be expected to just relax. The exercises are aimed at getting them moving, Creel says, and her themed classes help children get out from in front of the television and have a good time while learning the health benefits of living an active life.

Although toddlers are welcomed to the class, Creel says they don't often participate in the the entire set. Developmentally, they are unable to engage for the full half hour but are still receiving the benefits of exercise, engagement and enjoyment that comes from the class, she says.

"It's exceptionally fun," she says with a giggle. "I wear something that relates to the theme -- for water, I dressed up as a mermaid -- and we do poses like the fish pose. If they come to fitness with the attitude that it's fun, they'll stick with it longer. They'll learn that fitness can be incorporated into life joyfully."

-- Allison Carter

[email protected]

NAN What's Up on 01/23/2015

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