Hey Mom! I wanna do some down dogs today!

I read an article in the Post today about children and yoga and it got me reflecting on the evolution of yoga in the United States. Yoga has gotten increasingly popular in Western societies over the past couple of decades. I remember the first yoga class I ever attended in the spring of 2000 in New York City, it was an incredible experience (which left me more sore than I've ever or ever will be in my lifetime!). In the class with me were all different kinds of men and women - dancers and gymnasts, body-builders with necks the size of my waist, unathletic enthusiasts with perhaps a bit more round the middle than usual, as well as some average Joes/Jills. Though the class was so diverse, it was still more likely than not that most of the people I knew had never set foot in a yoga studio. Fast forward to today where yoga has become almost cliche, it's so ubiquitous. Take a walk through Dupont Circle on a weekend and chances are you'll see a few men and women toting around yoga mats wearing Lululemon gear and drinking chai.

Yoga has also done quite a bit of branching out since 2000. Some of it, like the new trend of incorporating your dog into your yoga practice, has me raising an eyebrow in bemusement (if I could raise one eyebrow that is!). Others, like pre-and post-natal yoga and kid's yoga has me excited to introduce yoga to my future children! How exciting that kids can learn about the simple use of breathwork to calm and soothe oneself through the fun medium of kid's yoga classes. And let me tell you, kid's yoga is fun! Kids are encouraged to activate their imagination and use their bodies in creative and healthy ways developing, almost incidentally, a greater awareness of the connection between the mind and body. In a way, kid's yoga seems almost more akin to the heart of yoga than adult classes. In many adult classes, it's the pose that becomes the focus along with a sense of one's flexibility or physical strength rather than connecting on a more simple level with the sensations in one's own body.

Since kid's yoga is such a new concept in the West, I wonder if anyone has thought to do a longitudinal study on the effects of yoga at a young age during childhood through adulthood. I'd guess that kids with a regular practice in yoga or mindfulness meditation might have a stronger self-soothing capabilities and an increased ability to focus, but I'm biased. Sadly, as the budget steadily shrinks regarding things that relate to well-being, I'm guessing federal funding for a project like this is unlikely. Maybe Lululemon or Gaiam will take up the standard? Hmmm, that's a thought...!

I thought this was the best bit from the article from the Post entitled, "Raising a Generation of Children on Yoga:"

D.C. resident Stephanie Donne, 45, introduced both her sons to yoga as babies, but she was still amazed to hear from her 6-year-old’s schoolteacher that he’d been offering up yogic wisdom to classmates. “One day a kid was upset, and Eli said, ‘You can om. I’ll show you how,’ ” she says.

Ummm, how awesome is that?!?!