Bouncing, Stretching and Giggling with Whole Kids Yoga

Sounds of deep breathing, stretching, calming music and giggles could be heard from a group workout room at Edgewater Fitness Monday afternoon as area kids practiced their yoga moves.

Roughly 20 kids aged 5 to 12 filled the studio for the third and final week of Whole Kids Yoga. The camp was started this summer by three Edgewater moms who wanted to share their love of yoga with their kids. 

“The benefit of yoga for kids is flexibility, strength, concentration and relaxation,” said yoga mom Amy Starkey “We are looking to do all that but in a non-competitive environment.”

During Monday’s camp session kids learned different exercises and worked on perfecting solo and partner stretches. They also played “Musical Yoga Moves” and learned how to calm their bodies—well somewhat calm.

“Since they are kids it’s hard to get them to calm down and focus, but they actually look forward to the relaxation part at the end,” Starkey said.

Nine-year-old Ruby Freeland is beginning her second week of Whole Kids Yoga Camp. She said she really enjoys learning the different stretches.

“I like how you get to find different parts of your body you didn’t know about when you do the stretches,” Ruby said. “My favorite part is the partner stretches—you get to do a bunk beds stretch.”

Kasey O’Kieffe, 8, is on her third week of camp.

“I love it; it’s so fun,” Kasey said. “I like the poses, especially the challenging ones.”

Starkey said the kids come to camp with all different skill levels, but leave each day with new techniques and confidence.

“It’s been going really well. The kids really seem to like it,” Starkey said. “It builds their confidence, and you can see a lot of them realize they have more strength and flexibility than they thought.” 

See Also:

• Local Moms Share Love of Yoga with Kids, Community