Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs

Yoga for toddlers and babies

Last month I was talking to another yoga student in class and discovered that she teaches yoga to kids during the summer. I started thinking about all of the health benefits of yoga for adults, and how a little bit of yoga practice can also help kids with coordination, focus, and becoming comfortable and confident in their own bodies. I contacted owner and instructor Rebecca Villa at Yen4Zen Yoga about her classes for toddlers, babies, and parents.

http://sandiegoreader.com/users/photos/2012/oct/24/34249/

RT: Do parents need any experience with yoga to come to class?

RV: These classes are open to everyone; no yoga experience is necessary from adults or children.

RT: How do you teach toddlers yoga?

RV: In the Toddler classes (for ages 1-4) we explore the body through movement: using a lot of animal yoga poses, props like scarves and feathers (for breathwork), games, dance, and stories.

RT: What benefits can small children gain from yoga?

RV: Children learn about their bodies, develop strength and coordination, the ability to listen and follow directions, and important social skills in interacting with others. Through working with our breath and relaxation, children also learn how to attend and focus on tasks and relieve anxiety in a stressful, always moving world.

RT: You also teach the Baby & Me class. How does yoga benefit babies?

RV: The Baby & Me class is for moms and babies aged 6 weeks to pre-walking. This class offers a great bonding experience as well as an opportunity for moms to get out and do something healthy for themselves and meet other moms while still with their little ones.

http://sandiegoreader.com/users/photos/2012/oct/24/34250/

RT: What do moms gain from the class?

RV: We focus on some mom-centered yoga in the beginning of class; lots of props are available for modifications if needed so everyone is comfortable in the class. We do some standing and seated partner poses with the babies, and finish with some final core work for mom . . . Moms benefit from some time for themselves in a space where they can feel free to attend to all of their baby's needs during class, nurturing themselves, their little one, and each other.

RT: What do you enjoy most about teaching yoga to parents and their children?

RV: They are a lot of fun for both parents and children. That is one of the main things I love about teaching the classes: watching parents and children interact and just enjoy each other. Both parents and children learn the joys of just being present while being playful and engaging in a healthy activity!

Toddler Yoga classes begin at 9:30 a.m. and are available on Mondays at Baby Garten Studio (1947 30th St) and Fridays at Baby Vie (10585 Scripps Poway Pkwy). Baby & Me Yoga runs on Tuesdays at 10:30 a.m. at Science Fitness (4228 & 4230 Adams Ave) in Kensington. Drop-in classes cost $18.

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all

Previous article

Flowering pear trees in Kensington not that nice

Empty dirt plots in front of Ken Cinema
Next Article

Best Sports Betting Sites - 10 Online Sportsbooks Ranked for 2024

Best Sports Betting Sites (2024) - Reviews of TOP Online Sportsbooks

Last month I was talking to another yoga student in class and discovered that she teaches yoga to kids during the summer. I started thinking about all of the health benefits of yoga for adults, and how a little bit of yoga practice can also help kids with coordination, focus, and becoming comfortable and confident in their own bodies. I contacted owner and instructor Rebecca Villa at Yen4Zen Yoga about her classes for toddlers, babies, and parents.

http://sandiegoreader.com/users/photos/2012/oct/24/34249/

RT: Do parents need any experience with yoga to come to class?

RV: These classes are open to everyone; no yoga experience is necessary from adults or children.

RT: How do you teach toddlers yoga?

RV: In the Toddler classes (for ages 1-4) we explore the body through movement: using a lot of animal yoga poses, props like scarves and feathers (for breathwork), games, dance, and stories.

RT: What benefits can small children gain from yoga?

RV: Children learn about their bodies, develop strength and coordination, the ability to listen and follow directions, and important social skills in interacting with others. Through working with our breath and relaxation, children also learn how to attend and focus on tasks and relieve anxiety in a stressful, always moving world.

RT: You also teach the Baby & Me class. How does yoga benefit babies?

RV: The Baby & Me class is for moms and babies aged 6 weeks to pre-walking. This class offers a great bonding experience as well as an opportunity for moms to get out and do something healthy for themselves and meet other moms while still with their little ones.

http://sandiegoreader.com/users/photos/2012/oct/24/34250/

RT: What do moms gain from the class?

RV: We focus on some mom-centered yoga in the beginning of class; lots of props are available for modifications if needed so everyone is comfortable in the class. We do some standing and seated partner poses with the babies, and finish with some final core work for mom . . . Moms benefit from some time for themselves in a space where they can feel free to attend to all of their baby's needs during class, nurturing themselves, their little one, and each other.

RT: What do you enjoy most about teaching yoga to parents and their children?

RV: They are a lot of fun for both parents and children. That is one of the main things I love about teaching the classes: watching parents and children interact and just enjoy each other. Both parents and children learn the joys of just being present while being playful and engaging in a healthy activity!

Toddler Yoga classes begin at 9:30 a.m. and are available on Mondays at Baby Garten Studio (1947 30th St) and Fridays at Baby Vie (10585 Scripps Poway Pkwy). Baby & Me Yoga runs on Tuesdays at 10:30 a.m. at Science Fitness (4228 & 4230 Adams Ave) in Kensington. Drop-in classes cost $18.

Sponsored
Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed Big Screen — Movie commentary Blurt — Music's inside track Booze News — San Diego spirits Classical Music — Immortal beauty Classifieds — Free and easy Cover Stories — Front-page features Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts Feast! — Food & drink reviews Feature Stories — Local news & stories Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore From the Archives — Spotlight on the past Golden Dreams — Talk of the town The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it Letters — Our inbox Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news News Ticker — News & politics Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated Poetry — The old and the new Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers Reading — The hunt for intellectuals Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds SD on the QT — Almost factual news Sheep and Goats — Places of worship Special Issues — The best of Street Style — San Diego streets have style Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves Theater — On stage in San Diego this week Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads Your Week — Daily event picks
4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
Close

Anchor ads are not supported on this page.