Yoga teacher Helen Rubeli believes most  parents and teachers want their children to be calm and relaxed.

“We learn better, make healthy decisions and feel deep happiness when we are settled in our bodies,” she said.

“Yoga poses, movements and particular breathing activities are designed to awaken your body's natural calming response.

“For a simple example, right now if you press your palms together and take a few steady breaths, you are helping to balance the right and left hemispheres of your brain. This brings a state of peaceful focus.

“Every yoga pose has a wealth of benefits like this and also offers much more.

“As we go through the class I teach the children how they are helping their body, I ask which muscles they can feel working, and I build a sequence that suits their needs."

For the past few months Helen, who is a primary school teacher,  has been running a class for 5-12 year olds on Tuesday afternoons at the CWA Hall in Dowling Street, Dungog.

Helen has been practicing yoga for 18 years and last year completed training to be a children’s yoga teacher in Sydney.

As well as teaching adults and children  in Dungog she has been taking her children’s yoga program  into primary schools in the Maitland region.

“Children's yoga is fun guided movement combined with personal challenges, pair poses and yoga games,” she said.

“Breathing activities and a relaxation close the class in a beautiful way. Yoga is non-competitive so it gives the children the chance to engage in structured, healthy physical activity without the stress or "performance" element.

“In my experience, this is a rare experience for children these days. Yoga is also grounding for children and helps them regulate their emotions.”

Helen said yoga helps children connect to their own body in a mindful, respectful way which builds self-esteem.  

“The physical benefits are too many to list but include improved circulation, immunity, core strength, muscle tone, flexibility, posture, digestion and stress relief,’ she said.

“They also learn to relate to others in positive ways.  I use imaginative stories, imagery and music to create a magical, unique class with the children each time.

She said it is not necessary for children to sit still or even be quiet for them to practice yoga.

“Children are naturally more externalised than adults and the reasons and ways to do yoga with children are different than adults,” she said.

“However, parents will be glad to know that stillness and quietude spontaneously arise with practice!”

Julie MacCormick  whose children attend a weekly yoga class with Helen said it was a great balance to the other sports they undertake.

“It has been helpful in teaching them strategies for relaxation and mindfulness and is a great activity for them to do together and with other children.

“They love it and look forward to it each week."