MEDICINE HAT, AB – A yoga studio in downtown Medicine Hat is helping kids better deal with mental health challenges.
Secret Gardens kids yoga has been in operation for almost 3 years.
Owner and instructor Kristine de Blois says she is still trying to spread the word about the benefits of children’s yoga.
De Blois started her studio after studying yoga in Costa Rica. After coming back to Canada, she realized there was a lack of yoga classes for kids.
De Blois recently started teaching yoga sessions at schools, which has helped with the growth of her studio.
She says these sessions help many children learn coping mechanisms for dealing with stress.
“Our little little yogies we’ve had some parents that really just their kids have learned how to calm their bodies a little better, how to recognize what those emotions are, those really big emotions that little kids feel,” de Blois explains.
She adds, “our older kids more that they’ve been able to again, calm themselves but more able to focus, better school work, better attention span. Just helping overall with anxiety and stress.”
De Blois says the kids focus on breathing, and what emotions they feel during class.
The classes are divided by age, from three to 18, and there are both drop-in classes and six-week sessions.
The website for Secret Garden Kids Yoga can be found here.
