Getting early start on yoga for a lifetime

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Snatam Kaur was introduced to yoga as a young child. Now she is passing on yoga's physical and mental benefits to a new generation of children.

The singer/songwriter, whose father Sat Santokh Khalsa was a manager for the Grateful Dead, is coming to London on Thursday for a concert. She's also offering a children's yoga class that day.

"I think it's really important to teach children yoga and meditation because I feel if they can learn it when they're young, it will be something that's natural when they're older," the New Mexico resident said.

"The way I teach it is pretty much how I learned. I use a lot of imagination and stories and songs. The focus of the class is to give children yoga tools and positive affirmations for life."

Kaur said parents are encouraged to bring children and babies to the class, but suggested the best age for participants is between two and eight.

In her yoga classes for kids, she incorporates stories, singing, yoga postures and positive messages.

"We do a lot of running around and animal noises and also songs with movements. The songs are positive affirmations."

Kaur, 38, said one of her friends, a yoga instructor, told her that yoga should be as familiar to kids as brushing their teeth.

"That was really inspiring to me," she said. "Having a daily yoga-meditation practice is important for children and adults.

"My daughter, (18 months), really likes to sing and dance so we incorporate yoga dancing into our morning."

Kaur said benefits for children include learning how to balance energy and tap into their own positive life forces.

"One of the exercises I teach is breathing deep. This is really helpful, even for adults, in challenging situations when you are frustrated or scared or angry."

Kaur suggests doing yoga is also a great opportunity for parents and children to spend time together "in a centred way."

An important part of the class is having children learn positive affirmations. "I do believe (this) helps them to deal with life."

She said sometimes it can be challenging to get kids to pay attention but for the most part, they become quite engaged during the classes.

"With children, you never quite know what to expect so I kind of just roll with it and try to provide an opportunity for children to have fun with yoga so that they have a positive association with it."

Kaur has been teaching kids' yoga for seven years while touring as a performer, promoting peace and compassion through her singing that blends ancient songs and contemporary melodies and is rooted in Indian chants.

As a teenager, she was influenced by Grateful Dead music. "Especially in context with yoga and meditation. They did a lot of improvisational work in their concerts and so that's really inspiring to me. In meditation and yogas, the idea is to get in touch with your soul. Having that kind of improvisational inspiration has been with me ever since."

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