Our Toddler Yoga Tutor and teacher, Emma Philip, shares some of her experience.
I think it is fair to say that I am a veteran Toddler Yoga teacher these days. I still teach yoga to toddlers and pre-schoolers twice each week – questioning my decision to continue to roll around the floor with 2 – 4-year-olds nearly 20 years after completing my initial training!
But they do bring joy, energy, curiosity and an enormous amount of enthusiasm with them – I don’t think I will ever get tired of the calls of ‘Yoga!’ which I can often hear before I am even through the door!
I completed my Toddler Yoga training with Birthlight in 2007. Since then, I feel like I have taught yoga to toddlers in so many different spaces – from back gardens for birthday parties to Wildlife Trusts and museums… big groups, small groups and even one to ones!
In the early days my wonderful parents would take my own small children all day on a Friday, and I would have to maximise my time, so I taught 4 groups of little ones – starting with 3–4-year-olds, followed by 2–3-year-olds, then small babies and older babies! I loved it!
Of the many highs, I found teaching parents and small children incredibly rewarding; the cuddles, the recognition each week and the smiles on their faces when they greeted me; the chance to watch them progress and develop from 12-week-old babies to four-year-olds ready for school. Sharing my passion for yoga, movement and teaching with a group of eager parents and toddlers was the perfect side-step away from my pre-children career in primary teaching. And there was virtually no paperwork!
I can honestly say there has never been many lows. That is not to say that toddlers come without their challenges of course! Managing a group of independent little people who are hard-wired to move is not without its up and downs. There was the time when, denied of a biscuit at the end of class, one of my little participants shoved his whole hand in the sugar bowl (at the time we had tea and biscuits at the end of each session) and ran like mad towards the door gobbling the sugar before his frazzled and embarrassed mother caught him up! As I think about it, many of these more challenging incidents involved either food or toys! A whole apple brought to class by a hungry toddler; a noisy plastic fire engine in the hands of a typical toddler who absolutely didn’t wish to share…
But there is something addictive about this age group. I don’t have any plans to hang up my Toddler Yoga Hat anytime soon – I find it difficult to resist an invitation to share my passion for yoga with groups of pre-schoolers and therefore will probably continue to crawl around the floor with toddlers for a few more years yet!
Besides Baby Massage, Baby Yoga and Toddler Yoga Emma also offers Yoga for Women and Restorative classes:
See when our Next Toddler Yoga training is on our schedule:
