Free kids' yoga to mark Children's Day

YOGA YODEL: A Storytime Kid's Yoga session similar to the outdoor class pictured will be offered free at Masterton YMCA from 10.30am as part of Children Day celebrations on Sunday. PHOTO/SUPPLIED

Yoga for children - boosting everything from balance to imagination - will be offered free at SPCA Wairarapa in Masterton as part of Children's Day celebrations on Sunday.

Hot Yoga Studio instructor Karina Gough said the Wairarapa Parent's Centre was giving parents and caregivers the chance to enrol their 2- to 5-year-old children in an inaugural five-week Storytime Kid's Yoga class, each lasting about 45 minutes, that launches on March 3 at Masterton YMCA.

The centre was also offering the free trial session at the SPCA Wairarapa centre at Ngaumutawa Rd on Sunday from 10.30am to help celebrate Children's Day, she said, with the session running for about 45 minutes.

Ms Gough, who is a certificated yoga teacher with specialist training in pregnancy, postnatal and children's yoga, said there were numerous benefits of yoga for children, including improved breathing and "slow down", increases in concentration, strength, and range of movement, and boosts in self-expression, balance and co-ordination, and imagination and creativity.

"Kids aren't going to do a 'perfect' looking pose or sit still for long, but that doesn't mean they can't start to experiment with yoga and reap the rewards."

Ms Gough was "committed to sharing these benefits with anyone who is interested" and said "regardless of preconceived ideas people have about traditional yoga, the most important thing is to give it a go".

The five-week course is $10 for Wairarapa Parent's Centre members and $20 for non-members, with corresponding casual rates of $3 and $5, Ms Gough said.