Six weeks old kids practicing yoga Down Under

Melbourne, Aug 09 (ANI): Yoga is fast becoming a big trend in Australia as it is being practiced by children of 6 weeks to 5-7 year olds.

Yoga is helping the children find their calm inner selves. More and more daycare centres and pre-schools are calling in professional yoga instructors to help calm boisterous children.

Melissa Knapp taught yoga for several years before opening a yoga studio in Willoughby in Sydney's north in November 2009.

"People were like 'Why do kids need yoga?'. Now people seem to be a bit more comfortable with it. Kids have a lot of stress, especially kids in primary school. Whether it's making friends or bullying, they just don't know what to do to relieve stress. No one teaches you how to relax at school," Melissa said.

She teaches babies up to primary school-aged children yoga using imaginative storytelling and simple postures.

"Kids yoga isn't like adult yoga. The focus isn't on the pose as much as the experience. We teach them how to make natural poses, like in animal shapes or trees, and let them use their imagination," The Daily Telegraph quoted Melissa as saying.

"At the end of a class, the kids ask 'Can we relax now?' And that's not a thing kids do," she added. (ANI)