At Crème de la Crème, our approach to your kids’ education is well-rounded. We teach them to use their minds for learning and problem-solving, we foster social development and interaction, and we encourage physical activity for a balanced life. Exercise and play are great ways to help families bond and enjoy each other’s company. 

Yoga practice has many benefits for adults and kids alike. It builds muscle tone and promotes flexibility, improves balance, supports heart health, and helps with stress management. Kids can learn how to manage anxiety with the body awareness, mindfulness, and breathing techniques taught in yoga. They may feel improved self-esteem by learning their own strength and muscle control. Our area has lots of yoga classes kids can try. Here are a few options:

YMCA of Austin

A group class enjoys a yoga class near Cedar Park, TX

Kid yoga” licensed under CC BY 2.0 via Flickr by Jason Lander

The YMCA of Austin offers yoga classes for kids to counteract some of the many distractions and pressures that modern kids experience. Kids can enjoy the exercise-related benefits of yoga, like muscle development, body awareness, and breath control. The YMCA yoga programs also encourage time spent away from electronic devices and promote a healthy, non-competitive group environment. 

Schedules vary, so check your local YMCA location schedule to find kids’ yoga sessions.  You can attend YMCA classes by becoming a member, which gives you access to all eight Austin-area clubs, as well as any YMCA nationwide. Membership also includes access to exercise equipment, other group exercise classes, childcare, and pools.

Bliss Kid Yoga

At Bliss Kid Yoga, the philosophy is to provide “a moving meditation designed to awaken our blissful nature.” Bliss Yoga is a non-profit organization that provides yoga classes to underserved members of the community at venues like schools, community centers, or outdoor spaces. 

The yoga practice is intended to help kids develop creativity and thinking skills as well as promote body awareness and coordination, fine motor skills, and enhanced concentration. Through cooperative activities and games, kids learn positive social interaction and communication. Yoga can provide many benefits for children with developmental disorders. Bliss Kid Yoga welcomes children of all abilities.

Chakra Kids Yoga

Chakra Kids Yoga provides a comprehensive teacher training program to create a community of enthusiastic teachers who want to learn how to teach children’s yoga classes. The course provides knowledge dedicated to the unique approach to children’s yoga, including helping decrease stress and anxiety in children, increase focus and concentration, help give tools and techniques to maintain emotional balance and inner peace, and help children focus and use their energy effectively.

In addition to the training program, Chakra Kids Yoga does an outdoor kids’ yoga class on Saturdays. Check their website for times, location, and cost. The experienced yoga instructors can also come to your home or school for a special event. Ever wanted to host a yoga birthday party? Chakra Kids Yoga has a variety of offerings, including a Wobble Party with balancing props and games. Schools can integrate yoga into their weekly physical education curriculum. Instructors come to the school and are adaptable for the whole school during school hours or as extracurricular activities that take place before or after school.

Satyananda Yoga Center

For families who want to participate in a yoga practice from home, the Satyananda Yoga Center offers online classes for kids grouped from ages 4 to 6 and 7 to 12. The classes are streamed on Saturday morning and Tuesday after school. 

The center operates based on the research that shows a yoga practice that begins at age 7 can help slow the atrophy of the pineal gland, which is part of the aging process. Children are natural yogis and can receive many benefits by starting yoga early. The classes are structured with methodical teaching combined with fun. The center’s philosophy is that yoga can help with concentration and focus, creative endeavors, physical health, behavioral pressures, and releasing tension.

Kidding Around Yoga

Kidding Around Yoga and Hooping With Miss Jenna provides kids with an active, fun, and exciting approach to learning yoga. Kidding Around Yoga uses music, games, and imaginative activities to teach kids breathing techniques, relaxation exercises, and stretching and strengthening poses. There’s singing, dancing, skipping, and lots of physical movement. It may not be your typical yoga class, but kids will reap the benefits of the yoga principles at its core.

Miss Jenna is a trained children’s educator who saw the benefits of yoga classes on her students. In addition to the physical activity part of her classes, she infuses the greater themes of self-love, gratitude, meditation, and acts of kindness into her classes. Miss Jenna offers Saturday morning classes for kids ages 5 to 11, week long summer camps from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., and Parents’ Day Out sessions from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. You can also bring Miss Jenna to your home for a birthday party with hula hoops, music, and lots of fun and physical movement. 

ATX Yoga Girl

ATX Yoga Girl is the mobile practice of yogi Cynthia Bernard, who brings wellness and breath centered flows to families of all ages and abilities. She’s certified to teach families how to live a more meditative life. Her classes include music and storytelling to provide a creative and playful approach that’s appealing to children and their parents.

Cynthia’s family yoga classes are divided into age groups. A class for parents and tots ages 18 months to 3 years is held at 10 a.m. every 1st and 3rd Tuesday from January through August. Kids 3 years and older can come enjoy a family yoga class every second Sunday of the month. She also partners with schools and other organizations to provide customized classes for their needs.We think you’ll see the mind and body benefits of incorporating a yoga practice into your family. We hope you can find one to try out from our list. Are there any local studios or teachers that we missed? Feel free to contact us and let us know who your favorites are. How is yoga helping your kids? We’d love to hear about any health or behavioral changes you’ve seen.