Ommmm Baby

For an activity that's been documented by ancient carvings in Pakistan to have been practiced for more than 5,000 years, yoga has lasting power. In 21st century America, more than 6 million Americans are practicing yogis, and the opportunity to pass along meditative exercises to children is gaining momentum, helped by an increasing assortment of products seeking to introduce kids to the practice's benefits.

New product in the Little Yogis line from Wai Lana, Malibu, Calif., includes the Enviromat, a chloride-free, biodegradable soft mat for yogis of all sizes (a Little Yogis-themed mat is also available). The Daydream DVD features Wai Lana's naptime cartoon, which utilizes an ancient yoga relaxation technique, Yoga Nidra, to help small children calm down and sleep. The DVD guides kids through meditation activities, as well as entertaining them with animated waterfalls, balloons and dancing butterflies. Exercise kits, A Teacher's Yoga Kit and a basic Exercise Kit are also available, as well as the new Fun Songs book and CD.

For toy retailers, the company offers point-of-sale floor displays for Little Yogi mats, and kits and promotional flyers that list the health benefits of each product. Currently, the products' consumer base includes parents, as well as daycare centers and schools that use the product as part of their fitness and naptime programs.

“The Little Yogis line is a great fit for many retailers—especially toy stores,” says Wai Lana, founder and president of Wai Lana. “The line has fun and exciting activities for children that will help them grow mentally and physically, so parents really appreciate it. Little Yogis is unique, because it has excellent entertainment value, as well as a positive influence on child development. By helping [parents] understand the incredible difference these products can make, it becomes easy for them to pass along that enthusiasm to their customers.”

Lana initially started the company to offer products that help combat obesity, but yoga's relaxation and meditation exercises are also helpful for children with sleep problems, or for calming young children. “With such high rates of childhood obesity, ADD and ADHD, there is a real need for children to have tools for achieving health, happiness and balance naturally,” says Lana. “My children practiced yoga as they grew up, and it helped them tremendously. I wanted to make the benefits of yoga available to other children as well. So I created the Little Yogis—a product line that's fun and entertaining while taking children in a positive, healthy direction. The Little Yogis makes these yoga techniques fun and appealing.”

Lana adds that parents should consider yoga to help balance a child physically, mentally and emotionally. “As children have fun doing yoga asanas (postures), they develop flexibility, coordination, balance, strength and body awareness. Such qualities help them perform better in sports and make them less prone to injury. Performing yoga asanas also increases their determination and ability to focus. This really gives kids a learning advantage when it comes to schoolwork, music lessons, martial arts and other pursuits. Yoga also regulates hormones and calms the mind, making its techniques valuable tools when kids feel angry, frustrated, fearful or stressed.”

New products from Itsy Bitsy Yoga, Sudbury, Mass., include the Itsy Bitsy Yoga book, which teaches yoga poses and offers special routines to help calm crying, aid in digestion and sleep, and details developmental movement activities. A second book, tentatively titled Toddler Itsy Bitsy Yoga: Activities and Poses to Bring Emotional Happiness and Physical Health to Your One- to Four-Year-Old Child, will be released in 2007.

The DharmaKids line, from DharmaCrafts, Lexington, Mass., includes dream pillows and mats, as well as books such as Zen Shorts, featuring meditative short stories for kids.

“Yoga is great fun for kids,” says Lana. “Children love pretending to be different animals in poses like Lion, Cobra and Seabird. They get to use their imagination to be windmills, bridges and boomerangs. I look around and I see children growing up so fast and dealing with all kinds of stress—whether it's because their families are breaking up or they feel peer pressure to act older than they are. Yoga lets them relax and have fun getting familiar with their bodies through movement, balance and even music. Yoga lets kids be kids.”