In an increasingly hectic, stressed and chaotic world, finding the space and time to stop, meditate, reflect and breathe again seems almost impossible. "It is instead a fundamental need for adults, but also for children" underlines Giulia Borioli, president and founder of the YogaFestival Bimbi. This is why, over time, «the demand for courses has increased yoga with the little ones, even babies ".
YOGA FOR BABIES: THE BENEFITS
I benefits of yoga for babies they are of a physical, psychological and behavioral nature: «Being touched, massaged and helped in the first movements constitutes an enormous multisensory stimulus for children and it is also shown that physical contact improves the functions of their entire body system. In addition to developing non-verbal communication skills with your baby, yoga effectively helps to find the lost line and strengthen the body after childbirth »reads the book“ Baby Yoga ”by Françoise Barbira Freedman (Zelig publisher).
In addition, «it reconciles sleep, calms the little one and positively stimulates every part of his body - continues Borioli -. It allows you to develop a deeper relationship between mother and baby by helping mutual understanding and communication. Today's mothers are often left alone: it happens that they don't feel like touching their babies because they think they are fragile; yoga, on the other hand, teaches that this is not the case and helps them to get closer to them physically from the very first moments of life ».
The positive implications are not only for children, but also for adults, "helping to overcome the experience of giving birth and the arrival of a new baby in the family".
YOGA FOR BABIES: ORIGINS AND PURPOSE
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yoga for babies
HOW TO CARRY OUT A YOGA LESSON FOR BABIES
"Starting from forty days of the child, when the mother and the child have recovered from childbirth and have started to get to know each other, you can start a mother-child yoga path "says Elena Ricci, teacher with a degree in Hatha Yoga, Yoga in Flight and" Yoga for Growing ", teaches at some Yoga Centers in Bologna and the province hatha yoga, Yoga in pregnancy and Yoga for mothers and babies (0-1 year); for Aipy she holds training seminars on mom and baby yoga.
«Often the courses are annual, but divided into modules, according to the age of the children. Because if it is true that this practice it has no contraindications however, there are some movements that can or cannot be made according to the developmental phase of the newborn ».
The lesson takes place in a welcoming place, with everything you need to change and breastfeed the little ones, without having to leave the group.
“There is always a rite of beginning and end because, from an early age, children need a circular structure so as not to have surprises and to be prepared for what awaits them. In my courses at the beginning I have a nursery rhyme recited, while at the end we sing a little mantra together, which the mothers then learn and use at home as a lullaby ».
The heart of the lesson, on the other hand, is very flexible: «it varies according to the needs of the class. Typically, after the rite of initiation, there is a warm-up phase for mom, in which the child remains in contact with her; then you enter one phase more dedicated to the little one, in which it is mobilized (for example with small upside-downs, yoga positions to be performed together, or balance exercises); finally, we go to the final relaxation and then closes with the chanting of the mantra».
YOGA FOR BABIES: EXERCISES
“I always say it is yoga it must become one useful tool for moms to experience a casa. It is important that, every day, they dedicate at least 20 minutes to their child without external interference ». Here are some ideas for getting together:
1. Mother-baby exercise
Mom lies with her back on the ground, her legs bent and her pelvis close enough to the wall. The baby is on her tummy with his head towards her neck and feet towards the wall. Then the mother flexes her legs, raising the pelvis, placing her feet against the wall and holding the baby with a special pincer grip (with four fingers I block the collarbones and with the thumb the shoulder blades). After a few moments she regains the neutral position.
«It is a very useful exercise for the pelvic floor, a very important area to strengthen after childbirth. The child, on the other hand, experiences a small upside-down, that is, it goes into an inverse position with respect to the force of gravity ».
2. Setu Bandha
This is an exercise you can do with other family members, such as a dad or a little brother. «Mum and dad lie down on the ground next to each other and put the baby on their bellies. Their legs are flexed and their feet on the ground. They begin to breathe in unison, inhaling and breathing together in the same rhythm. When you get to perfect synchrony, you inhale by raising the pelvis and exhale by lowering it and the child goes up and down as if he were in an elevator ».
It is an exercise that can also be done alone, however, by placing the baby sitting on his / her tummy.
TAG:
- first year
- yoga
- mum
- newborn yoga
