Living > Alive & Well

  

Strike a pose

BY KAREN SHIDELER

The Wichita Eagle

CLASSES HELP TYKES WITH DEVELOPMENT AND RELAXATION WHILE MOMS GET SOME TIME TO BOND.

"Ohhhhh, that flower smells soooo good," Sheryl Haynes says in a singsong voice, taking a deep breath and handing a bright yellow artificial daisy to 9-month-old Eloise Crabb.

"We're going to pretend we're breathing in those wonderful flower smells."

Welcome to Itsy Bitsy Yoga, where "ba ba ba ba ba" is more likely to be the mantra than "om" is.

Itsy Bitsy Yoga was started about a decade ago by Helen Garabedian, a Massachusetts mom, yoga teacher and infant developmental movement educator. Haynes, a mom, yoga practitioner and parent educator in USD 259's Parents as Teachers program, is the only certified teacher in Kansas.

Haynes teaches two classes, one for parents and babies up to about 6 months old and one for parents and tots who are crawling to about age 2.

"Yoga happens"

Classes resemble traditional yoga classes, with soft music playing in the background, thin black yoga mats on the floor and Haynes urging participants to find their centers as the session begins.

The poses are familiar, too. The babies are the ones doing them, and the moms help them into position. A downward dog, for example, begins with moms putting the tots on their hands and knees, then raising their hips. It's a move similar to what children do naturally when they go from crawling to walking, Haynes notes.

Often, she says, these tiny practitioners go into poses by themselves by the third class. In the babies' class, 3 ½-month-old Audrey Catlin stretches her legs out as mom Carrie rubs her hands together, in preparation for gentle head-to-toe stroking.

The classes differ from other yoga classes in that they're likely to dissolve into giggles or sighs as tots get up to wander or begin to cry.

"Like spit, yoga happens," Haynes counsels.

Just as in an adult yoga class, variations are encouraged. When Haynes announces the tree pose, Amy Mitchell helps son Tucker, 8 months old, stand -- and he sits right back down.

Haynes says, "Sometimes we need to do a tall, standing tree, and sometimes we need to do a sitting tree, and that's all right."

For baby, for mom

The classes are about an hour long and sprinkled with yoga versions of tot songs, in the "sing and do" method, which Haynes says helps with language development. "Hokey Pokey" has moms putting "yogi feet" in and out and circling them about. "Row, Row, Row Your Boat" accompanies dandasana, the staff pose.

Several of the mothers took yoga before or during their pregnancies and say Itsy Bitsy Yoga is a way to carry that on and bond with their children. They say the classes help their babies sleep better and encourage a happy, relaxed baby.

About two-thirds of the way through the class, Haynes puts bolsters on the floor and the babies are placed over them in a downward dog or fish (on their backs) position. The positions build strong core muscles, Haynes says. They also set off a chorus of protesting baby sounds.

But when Haynes starts "singing" the babies' names, drawing them out in long singsong syllables, the noise level drops appreciably.

Haynes turns off the lights, and the soft yoga music takes over. Mother and child rest, side by side or with baby on mother's chest. All is quiet.

Well, mostly.

For more information

Itsy Bitsy Yoga sessions at Orchard Park Recreation Center are four weeks long and cost $20. The next sessions, for babies and tots, will begin July 19. Call 316-337-9244 for more information or to register.

One-time classes will be held at the Sedgwick County Zoo this summer, on June 20, July 8 and Aug. 11. Each is $8 for members, $10 for nonmembers. Call 316-660-9453 for more information or to register.

Sheryl Haynes also is offering Little Lotus Literacy Play, yoga and story time for children 2 to 4 years old. It will be offered June 11 and July 9 at Orchard Park and June 20, July 8 and Aug. 11 at the zoo.

Reach Karen Shideler at 316-268-6674 or kshideler@wichitaeagle.com.