As the old commercial used to say, “Trix are for kids.” For Disha Mattive, so is yoga. Kids and their parents think so, too.

Mattive, of Chadds Ford, teaches yoga to adults, but also has a special PJ Yoga class on the second floor of Transcend Yoga in the Barn Shops at Chadds Ford. She said kids benefit from the ancient practice as well as adults. They like it, she said, and it can help them as they grow.

Kristyn Smith, of Wilmington agrees. Her 4-year-old daughter has been taking the class with Mattive for a year and Smith can see the results.

“She loves it,” Smith said of her daughter. “It’s taught her concentration, how to focus on one thing and there’s a change in how she looks at nature.”

Brett Clancy, of Chadds Ford, has twins who take the class.

“They love it. They’re obsessed. When we drive by in the car they shout, ‘That’s where yoga is.’ At home they teach me the poses.”

Another parent said her daughter needed emergency surgery after being hit by a golf ball and the yoga class taught her breathing techniques to calm herself.

Mattive said the poses strengthen and improve balance, and can also help with other activities. She said her own daughter plays soccer and yoga helps her get over sprains and bruises much more quickly than other girls who don’t do yoga.

“It complements everything they do, helping them be safer in other activities and sports.”

The class also teaches confidence.

“Here they can all do this,” Mattive said.

Specifically she was referring to the “ladybug handstand” where kids do a handstand while supporting themselves with their feet against a wall.

In general, she said, yoga can benefit kids because "it can help counter the stress they experience in their busy world filled with school, sports, and extra-curricular activities. And it is non-competitive so it encourages cooperation and compassion which is such a wonderful gift to give our children."

Class begins with a welcome song, followed by the kids picking small stuffed animals known as yoga buddies. The buddies stay on the yoga mats except for when the wind up on the kids heads or tummies during some of the poses.

All of the kids said they love the animal poses, whether it’s downward dog, cat, snake, frog or crab. They also do a crab walk that ends with them high-fiving each other with their feet.

They also use their feet to pick up small, fuzzy pompoms. Mattive said that helps them develop muscles in their feet and toes that would otherwise be constricted in shoes.

Kids also blow the pompoms along the floor, a practice that teaches breath control.

What else do the kids like? Snack time.

Parents get a break from their kids during class. It’s held at dinnertime and the parents go out to eat. They get as gift certificate to Brandywine Prime. Parents like their snacks, too.

Featured photo: Disha Mattive helps students with their ladybug handstand.

For more information on summer classes and camps, visit www.kindredspiritsyoga.com or contact Mattive at disha13@hotmail.com

Also on Facebook:

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