By Melina Byrne.
We pose some questions to Gemma, an Australian kids’ yoga instructor and mum, who combines yoga with playful storytelling on her popular YouTube channel. She also provides a free mums and bubs’ class. Richmond Toy Library: Tell us about Little Yoga Gems.
Little Yoga Gems: “Our goal at Little Yoga Gems is to take your child’s imagination to a new level on our unique and exciting adventures. We offer private and group classes and also offer our classes at schools and day-care centres, but you can access our YouTube channel and join our kids’ yoga adventures from anywhere in the world. Your children will benefit mentally, physically and emotionally all while having so much fun singing and moving along.”
Richmond Toy Library: What are your most popular YouTube yoga videos?
Little Yoga Gems: "Our videos are filmed and edited by the talented Lauren Bradley, who really helps bring our yoga adventures to life behind the scenes. The most popular YouTube videos so far are:"
1. Our Australian animal yoga adventure
2. Farm animals yoga adventure
3. Under The Sea yoga adventure
4. Our mums and bubs yoga.
5. “We also think that our latest Rottnest Island quokka yoga adventure will also be a huge hit. It was so much fun to film and we just love all our videos where we get to interact with animals and nature and our fans seem to as well!
Richmond Toy Library: Tell us more about the new Rottnest Island yoga video.
Little Yoga Gems: “Our Rottnest Island quokka adventure is by far the most fun adventure we have done so far! Children get to put on their binoculars and meet lots of unique animals in Rottnest Island, like quokkas, peacocks and dolphins, and we get to do lots of activities from bike riding to surfing.”
“The great thing about kids’ yoga is pretty much anything you can think of can become a yoga pose so we love to get creative and get children to use their imagination as much as possible!”
Richmond Toy Library: What are some of your favourite yoga moves?
Little Yoga Gems: “My favourite yoga moves depend on my mood, whether I am feeling energetic or relaxed however some of my favourite go to’s for kids are downward dog, which you can make really fun and turn into a dolphin by splashing their tail in the water.” “I also love cat and cow pose, which is not only a great stretch, but kids can really get into the fun of making animal noises while they practise these poses. Any animal pose is a lot of fun and I also like to add some singing and songs to our poses, which you will find in all of our YouTube videos.” "Another classic I love is tree pose, which children of all levels can do, starting at the bottom of the leg and working their way up. It’s amazing for balance and focus.” Richmond Toy Library: What are some of the benefits of children learning yoga?
Little Yoga Gems: “Studies have shown that kids’ yoga improves concentration, self-esteem and assists kids to manage stress, anxiety and regulate their emotions and that’s exactly what we aim to do with your children at Little Yoga Gems. It teaches children from a very young age to connect with their mind, bodies and breathe in a fun and engaging way.”
“In one of our yoga videos, we do a pyjama meditation that teaches children how to connect to their breath through ‘teddy belly breathing,’ which is very effective. These are some great skills that children will use and build on for the rest of their lives.
Richmond Toy Library: What are your favourite toys?
Little Yoga Gems: “I have two young girls aged 4 and 5 and they have a lot of toys, some of which I love playing with too! My favourite kind of toys are anything musical or that have some learning aspect behind it. I am a huge lover of music and my girls just got a little karaoke machine, which we all love and brings the whole family together." "I also love anything to do with learning about the world and the environment we live in. The girls got an interactive globe for Christmas, which is so educational and fun at the same time. Puzzles are a family favourite too and anything where you can play make believe, making up scenarios with teddies and dolls, whether it be having a teddy bear picnic or taking the dolls on an outing.”
Richmond Toy Library: What is the biggest benefit of a toy library for you? Little Yoga Gems: “I think it is a great concept as so many toys get opened at home, played with a couple of times only to never be used again or put away with other toys that are only used a couple of times. Whereas at a toy library, children can come and loan different toys each week and discover which kind of toys they enjoy and their parents can be a big part of it too.”
To find out more about Little Yoga Gems, visit: www.littleyogagems.com
